Chicken, herbs and lemon are a wonderful trinity of taste, especially when you throw garlic into the mix! I think you are really going to love this method of preparation I am sharing today!
Not only are the flavours great, but the preparation is dead simple, and if you line your baking sheet with foil, no clean up of a dirty roasting pan either!
Today I have chosen to use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, which also adds to the succulence and flavours of the end result. You could certainly use skinless and boneless, but the cook time would need to be cut down considerably. I would say no longer than 20 minutes.
You create a basic and simple marinade using fresh lemon juice, fresh herbs and some light olive oil By that I mean light in colour, not extra virgin. You can use EVOO if you want of course, but really I find it a waste to use a good one in cooking when it is better suited to and saved for something like a salad where you can really appreciate its finer qualities.
I have used fresh thyme and rosemary from the garden. You can use any combination of fresh herbs which you enjoy, but thyme and rosemary go particularly well with garlic and lemon. And chicken for that matter!
The chicken pieces are seasoned and marinated in the marinade for at least an hour and up to four hours. Obviously the longer you let it sit the more the marinade flavours will penetrate the meat. You don't want to marinade it for any less than an hour.
After that you put the chicken pieces (I include the marinade) skin side up on a baking sheet and scatter some bruised cloves of garlic in between them . . .
Along with a quartered lemon. The lemon roasts along side and imparts more flavor as does the garlic.
This really is lovely . . . tender, juicy, delicious . . .
I served Todd's with a Roasted New Potato Salad that I had created for another site and some vegetables.
Mine I served with some mashed swede and carrot, and cooked cabbage. I also squeezed the juice from the roasted lemons over top.
Roasting takes away from the harshness of the lemon flesh, it really mellows out and it is truly delicious squeezed over top . . .
Todd was happy. I was happy. Goals were kept.
We were both in "Finger Lickin' Chicken" Heaven!
Yield: 2
Author: Marie Rayner
Lemon & Herb Roasted Chicken Thighs
Herb infused marinated chicken thighs that you can either cook in the oven or on the BBQ. Deliciously simple!ingredients:
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thigh portions
- 2 lemons
- 1 TBS light olive oil
- 1 TBS fresh thyme leaves
- 1 TBS fresh rosemary leaves
- coarse sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 6 to 8 cloves of garlic, bruised and bashed
instructions:
How to cook Lemon & Herb Roasted Chicken Thighs
- Squeeze the juice of one lemon into a bowl. Add the salt and pepper, olive oil and herbs. Put the chicken thighs into the bowl, turning them to coat them well with the marinade. Cover and marinate for at one hour or up to 4 hours in the refrigerator.
- Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Line a baking tray with foil. Dump the chicken pieces, skin side up, onto the baking tray. Scatter the garlic between them. Quarter the remaining lemon and place it on the baking tray with the chicken.
- Roast in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is tender, cooked through, and golden brown. The juices should run clear. Let rest for about 5 minutes before serving. Serve with a salad and your favorite vegetables. I like to squeeze the roasted lemons over top for additional flavor. Delicious!
To cook the swede/carrot, I just boiled them together until tender, and then I mashed them up. For the cabbage I melted a small knob of butter in a skillet and cooked it over a moderate heat, covered, adding a ladle full of the water from the cooking swede/carrot so that it didn't burn. Oh boy was this ever good!
Enjoy!
