Lemon Roasted Chicken

Ah, finally! I'm back to cooking real food alongside my baking! Work has been crazy this past week but my schedule finally changed a bit so that I'm not working nights- at least this week... Anyways, on to the recipe!

There is something fundamentally delicious and comforting about oven-roasted chicken. I think, for me, I find the contentment in the fact that my mom used to make baked chicken at least once a week growing up and it was certainly one of my favorite dishes.

This lemon roasted chicken is ah-mazing! The lemon flavor is present enough to be noticeable but not overwhelming, and the use of just legs and thighs makes the meat oh-so-moist and tasty!

The yummy risotto and asparagus seen with the chicken is right here.

Lemon Roasted Chicken

recipe from here

ingredients:

• 3-4 lbs chicken thighs and legs, skin-on, bone-in
• 2 tbsp lemon zest
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp fresh thyme
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2-3 tbsp melted butter
• lemon slices for garnish

1. Rinse the chicken under cool water and pat dry. Set aside.
2. Place lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and whisk until combined.
3. Cut into each chicken piece one or two times about 1/2 inch deep- this will allow the marinade to penetrate.
4. Place the chicken pieces and the marinade in a large Ziploc bag and move the chicken around so that it is completely coated with the marinade. Place in a bowl in the refrigerator to marinate for 2 hours.
5. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
6. Remove the chicken from the bag and place in a baking dish in a single layer, skin side up. Reserve the remaining marinade. Using a pastry brush, brush a bit of the melted butter onto each piece of chicken.
7. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until the skins are a crispy golden brown and the chicken is cooked through (internal temperature of 175 degrees). Halfway through the baking, baste the chicken with the marinade.
8. Remove from oven and let rest, covered in foil, for 10 minutes before serving.
9. To serve, spoon a bit of the juices from the pan over the top of the chicken and garnish with lemon slices (mine was juicy enough that I didn't need to spoon over any juices- I also left out the lemon slices since I was serving it over risotto).