Baked Lemon Chicken

This summer we have been grilling out and eating salads a lot. It’s easy to fall into our fixed positions sometimes — Andrew at the grill while I grab veggies out of the garden, then wash and prepare them. It feels so good to eat something that has only been harvested minutes before, still warmed from the sun and glistening from the quick rinse under the faucet. But truth be told, our roles can’t easily be reversed. Sure, Andrew could prepare an amazing side or salad on his own, but I couldn’t just take over the grill. In fact, I have no idea how to work that fancy thing!

So, while Andrew was in the Netherlands for a week, I switched gears in order to try a few new recipes that don’t require outdoor cooking, but also don’t take up a lot of time (after all, those rascals are still running underfoot, especially during dinnertime). This one was very good!

Ingredients

1/4 cup good olive oil
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
1½ 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

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Warm the olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook for a 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 the cast iron skillet.

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 40 minutes or more, 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.

I served over penne pasta and sprinkled fresh parsley on top. It was delicious! I think next time I will add a can of diced tomatoes and a few tablespoons of capers to the sauce before baking. And as with many recipes on the internet, I wanted to give credit, but am not even sure where came from. Pretty sure it was the Barefoot Contessa many years ago.

Enjoy!