We eat a lot of chicken at our house; so new recipes are a good thing. I thought this marinade sounded delicious and liked the idea of pouring it over the chicken as it baked. I made this recipe with two chicken breasts instead of thighs or drumsticks as suggested. It was really good, but as Husband mentioned the lemon is restricted to the surface. It would be a great way to make drumsticks.
I will definitely be making this again. An added bonus was how amazing it smelled while cooking. We were both starving by the time I served dinner.
Lemon Chicken
2 tbsp. lemon zest
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp. fresh rosemary leaves, finely minced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
2-4 lbs. of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or drumsticks
2-3 tbsp. melted butter
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, skin-side up, reserving the leftover marinade. Brush the top of each piece of chicken with melted butter.
Bake for 50-55 minutes, until the skins are crispy and well-browned. Halfway through baking, pour the remaining marinade over the chicken pieces in the baking dish. Once fully baked, cover loosely with foil and let rest 10 minutes before serving.