It’s mid-week and my husband has worked late the past few days. It’s just one of those times when cooking a full meal seems daunting, and also one of those times that I’m thankful I have recipes, from great cookbooks like Ina Garten's How Easy is That, stored in my head! This Baked Lemon & Herb Chicken is my version of Ina’s Lemon Chicken Breasts. Delicious and SO EASY!
Yes, Brad has been working a lot lately, but he went to the grocery store over the weekend, which was a huge help. Huge. (It’s the little things, right?) He bought a chicken for roasting in parts so I put that right in the roasting pan – Rectangular Roaster – and sprinkled it with salt & pepper. Ina's recipe is just breasts, but my family likes dark meat so we often use the whole chicken.
Next, in a glass nesting bowl – you can find them here - I added the zest and juice of two lemons, one garlic clove (zested), fresh rosemary and thyme, olive oil, and salt & pepper. I whisked them all together and poured it over the chicken making sure that all pieces were covered. I use more lemon than Ina's recipe because I love lemon!
Then, I stuck the roaster in the over at 350 degrees for an hour and 15 minutes – until the chicken was golden brown. I also basted a few times during the cooking process. At the same time, I stuck two russet potatoes and a sweet potato in the oven on a quarter sheet pan.
When the chicken was cooked, I served it up with baked potatoes and a green salad (of course). Super yummy and the whole thing took 20 minutes to put together. And really no mess, that’s my kind of cooking.
Cindy--
3 tablespoons minced garlic (9 cloves)
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on (6 to 8 ounces each)
1 lemon
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the garlic, and cook for just 1 minute but don't allow the garlic to turn brown. Off the heat, add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt and pour into a 9 by 12-inch baking dish.
Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them skin side up over the sauce. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in 8 wedges and tuck it among the pieces of chicken.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned. If the chicken isn't browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices.
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