Baked Lemon Chicken

Recipe Rating ***

This summer, we went on vacation to Bethany Beach with my husband's family.  I am an avid beach goer, but was a little house bound this year because my baby girl had a rash and couldn't go out in the sun!  So, I tried to make the best of the situation and of course flicked on The Food Network while crashing back at the beach house.  Lo and behold, The Barefoot Contessa caught my eye again!  What interested me about this dish was that it was a one pan, baked recipe for lemon chicken.  I have grown up on lemon chicken dishes and have always adored the taste.  But, I find myself now gravitating toward meals that can be prepared ahead of time and cooked prior to serving.  This is one of those recipes!  

But, as always, I tweaked the recipe based on my own experience and taste.  The first major issue I ran into with the recipe was it's call for the cook to first brown the garlic.  In following the instructions, I did brown my garlic.  But, when the aroma of browned garlic hit my nose I knew the mistake I had made (and the mistake in  the recipe instructions).  Browned garlic tastes wonderful, burnt garlic is terrible!  If you have ever had burnt garlic in a dish, you know that it permeates the entire meal with bitterness.  Since the garlic was going to be baked along with the chicken, I decided to trash my "browned" garlic, and re-saute it to a lighter "shade of beige".  I found that the garlic was then cooked perfectly after baked along with the chicken.  

 Left: My first attempt at browning the garlic.  While this garlic is perfectly browned, it would only turn burnt and bitter when baked with the chicken.

Right: My second attempt at browning the garlic.  This can be considered sauteed garlic (rather than browned) as it was cooked only to soften and slightly darken the color.




The next change I made was one of pure laziness.  When I first started cooking and recipes called for "chopped thyme leaves" I diligently removed those little leaves from their little branches.  This process is incredibly time consuming and not for the impatient at heart! So, one day (out of sheer frustration and agitation) I took a chance and chopped the entire herb, leaves and branches together.  To my surprise, I couldn't even tell those little bits of branch had infiltrated my dish.  I had chopped the thyme so fine that it all meshed together wonderfully.  I'm sure I would be thrown out of cooking school for such a move.  But, that is why I'm just an "everyday cook"!

 

Finally, after cooking and tasting the finished product of this recipe, I believe it calls for too much lemon zest.  Don't get me wrong, I love lemon zest and I think it adds an extra punch to any meal.  But, the original recipe called for the zest of two lemons and the flavor overtook the entire sauce.  So, the next time I make this dish I will only be adding the zest of one lemon.  

Overall, I thought this recipe was great for an everyday meal at home.  I love the fact that I could fully prepare it ahead of time and put the whole pan in the fridge until I was ready to bake it.  This kind of meal is a life saver when dinner time can be hectic and unpredictable.

Everyday Cooking Takeaways:

• Don't brown the garlic too much prior to baking it with the chicken.  Saute it until it is soft and slightly darker.
• Chop the entire branch of thyme.  If you chop it small enough, no one will every know :) 
• Only add the zest of one lemon. 

Enjoy this time saving dish on an average weeknight! 

Baked Lemon Chicken

Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa (recipe found online)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons minced garlic (9 cloves)
1/3 cup dry white wine
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme 

Salt and pepper to taste
4 boneless chicken breasts

1 lemon (for slicing - should not be the zested lemon)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Saute garlic in the olive oil over medium heat, do not allow it to brown.
3. Off the heat, add white wine, lemon juice, lemon zest, oregano, thyme, and salt to the pan of garlic and stir.
 
4. Pour all pan ingredients into a 9 x 12 baking dish.
5. Pat the chicken dry and arrange it in the baking dish over the sauce.
6. Slice lemon, thinly, and place the slices on top of chicken. 

How do you chop thyme?  

Have you ever chopped the entire herb?