There are many ways to combine lemon and chicken. The best ways involve a couple of additional ingredients and nothing much more. The reason is that the combination is so good that you do not need many more ingredients to make a dish that tastes scrumptious. These dishes are simple and most of the time will be a marinade that ends up putting the dish in a recipe book. This recipe for lemon garlic chicken is also very simple, very tasty and when you put all the ingredients together a rather healthy choice.
This is a dish that lends itself well to being served over a bed of long grain rice along with some steamed vegetables. It can be served for an intimate romantic dinner for two or something to get the kids through the week. It’s an easy dish to prepare ahead and have in the freezer so that you can make quick and easy meals during the work week.
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Two lemons
¼ cup of olive oil (Extra Virgin is great)
1 Tablespoon of lemon rind grated or zest
9 cloves or three tablespoons
About 9 cloves of garlic minced
1 ½ teaspoon of oregano dried
1 teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Fresh, minced thyme leaves about ¼ cup worth.
Preparation:
With all recipes it’s wise to preheat the oven before you begin. For this recipe you will want your oven to be set at 400 degrees. Over medium heat you will want to place a small sauce pan with the olive oil in it.
Warm this along with the garlic without letting the garlic brown, this should take about one minute. Follow this by taking it off of the heat and adding the lemon zest, salt pepper, seasonings and lemon juice. Pour this mixture in to a 9×12 baking pan.
Most people use some paper towels to dry the breasts of excess moisture before cooking the food item. Most people are going to want to keep a steady hand on how long they cook the chicken for because it can dry out. Before baking you’ll want to brush with olive oil and sprinkle well with salt and pepper.
Take the lemon and cut into several wedges to tuck under each of the chicken breasts. You will then bake the dinner for between thirty and forty minutes before checking to make sure it’s done.
Remember it’s best to always use a meat thermometer to insure you have cooked your food to the proper temperature, especially when it is chicken.
Usually one of the fastest ways to tell that the chicken is done is when the skin is a light brown from the olive oil. If it doesn’t brown up and you would like it to before you serve it then simply place it under the broiler for some time, usually less than three minutes.
Pull from the oven and cover with aluminum foil to allow it to rest for a few moments. Serve with seasoned juices and salt and pepper to taste along with any side dishes for a complete and delicious meal.
