Bready or Not: Lemon Chicken

I have said it before and I'll say it again: lemons are awesome. They have such an amazing power to brighten and freshen a dish.

This has become a go-to recipe for us. Boneless chicken thighs are often on sale. Lemons are cheap. I have a gargantuan rosemary bush in my backyard I don't get to trim often enough.



I do want to note that I tried this dish with chicken breasts, and it didn't turn out that well. Despite being in a pool of liquid, the meat dried out. I think this is really a dish that needs dark meat, so stick with thighs or drumsticks--boneless or bone-in.



Lemon Chicken
modified from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
2 lemons, zested
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp thyme leaves
1 tsp fresh or dry rosemary leaves, finely minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2-4 lbs boneless OR bone-in chicken thighs or drumsticks

Directions:
Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper in a large zipper-lock plastic bag. Seal the bag and shake well to blend. Place the chicken pieces in the bag with the marinade, pressing out excess air and sealing once more. Refrigerate and let marinate for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and transfer to a baking dish, reserving the leftover marinade.

Bake for 30 minutes. Pour the remaining marinade over the chicken pieces in the baking dish. Bake for another 20-30 minutes, until chicken is fully cooked. Remove from oven and cover loosely with foil and let rest 10 minutes before serving.



OM NOM NOM.