Lemon Chicken - Tasty and Easy

Monday night we enjoyed a delicious dinner out at Sissy's with Walter's parents where we pigged out on fried chicken, biscuits, and mashed potatoes with gravy.  (Dallas folks, if you haven't been to Sissy's, you are missing out!)  As a result, yesterday morning Walter requested that dinner be a little lighter.

I've had a recipe from the Barefoot Contessa dog-eared in her cookbook How Easy is That? for Lemon Chicken Breasts (recipe to follow).   Baked chicken is comforting and in contrast to its tasty sister, the fried variety, is lighter.  What appealed to me was the combination of lemon, garlic and thyme, which are great together.  

The recipe called for boneless breasts with skin, but I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs.  Personally, I prefer thighs, and in the interest of keeping things a little healthier, I thought it would be best to omit the skin.  Having made it, I am sure the skin would be crispy and delicious.  Next time, assuming I haven't had fried chicken the night before, I would try with skin.  I wonder when using chicken with skin whether the amount of olive oil should be cut back since the skin will add additional oils to the pan juices.

The pan juices from this dish are delicious, so be sure to serve over rice or couscous.  You will want to spoon the juices over the chicken and your starch.  If you were going the non-light route, a baguette to dip in the garlic juices would be even better.

RECIPE:  Lemon Chicken Breasts

Ingredients
1/4 cup good olive oil
3 tablespoons minced garlic (9 cloves)
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on (6 to 8 ounces each)
1 lemon

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the garlic, and cook for just 1 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 teaspoon salt and pour into a 9 by 12-inch baking dish.

Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them skin side 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 it among the pieces of chicken.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned. If the chicken isn't browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices.

(Courtesy of the Barefoot Contessa How Easy is That?)