*This Lemon Garlic Baked Chicken is the perfect flavorful, delicious, and easy meal to prepare for company. Simply roast your chicken with quartered fresh lemons and lots of whole garlic cloves, then wait for the compliments to start pouring in.*

Entertaining can be harder than it looks. I get it, there’s a lot to consider. Writing the guest list, planning the refreshments, actually getting out your invitations (even if that only means writing up a quick event post on Facebook). And don’t forget cleaning your apartment and making sure that each guest has a clean glass. A true sit-down dinner party is arguably even harder, since guests will likely expect to actually be served a real dinner. No, I don’t think that chips and salsa will suffice.

And yet as intimidating as it may be to throw your first dinner party, it’s something that we all must undertake eventually. And with the right plan, playing host actually can be quite effortless, even gratifying! The key is to have a few simple dish ideas at the ready. These are fallback recipes that you practically know by heart (or at least you have the screenshot saved in your phone). An easy main course, along with a quick dessert and maybe a side dish, is really all you need. Master these few courses, and don’t worry too much about the rest of the details. Trust me – your guests won’t mind if their cutlery matches, or even perching on the couch to eat their meal, as long as the food is yummy and there’s plenty of refreshments and good cheer.

Lucky for you, this recipe for Lemon Garlic Baked Chicken is the perfect place to start. It’s practically foolproof, so even the least confident cook should be able to pull it off beautifully. Easy, reliable, delicious – sounds good to me! I love to serve this dish to company because once you throw together the ingredients and stick it in the oven, you have forty five hands-off minutes to focus on other tasks – toss together a simple salad, fill water glasses, pop open a bottle of wine. And voila, dinner is served!