Healthy, Simple and Delicious Food

Barefoot Contessa Lemon Chicken

 

 

This is seriously the best chicken I have ever prepared, hands down. I can be bored to tears by chicken but this was so, dare I say, moist (I despise the word) . The combination of the lemon, thyme, garlic and white wine make this chicken so flavorfull and by leaving the skin on, very crisp on the outside yet juicy when you cut into it. Seriously yummy! And so easy. Since I get sick of things so quickly and there are four massive servings, I made sandwhiches out of the chicken:I add goat cheese atop wheat bread, some arugala, light mayo mixed with pesto and voila! I also made a salad with it: I added mandarin oranges, avocado, roasted asparagus with Trader Joe's herb salad mix... divine. Here is the recipe for the chicken:

• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 3 tbsp minced garlic (9 cloves)
• 1/3 cup dry white wine (I use cheap chardonnay)
• 1 tbsp lemon zest (2 lemons)
• 2 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 boneless, skin on chicken breasts (ask the butcher at Whole Foods to do this)
• 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over med-low heat, add the garlic and cook for just one 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 tsp salt and pour into a 9 x 12 baking dish.

 



Pat the chicken dry and place them skin 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 them among the chicken. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinke with salt and serve hot with the pan juices.

Ina reccomends serving with a couscous or rice to soak up the juices, I don't like eating starches so I roasted some asparagus to pair with it. Drizzle asparagus with olive oil and add Kosher salt and cracked pepper and cook for 10 minues on 400. Yummy and very healthy!