Herbed Lemon and Garlic Roast Chicken

September 06, 2017

Herbed Lemon and Garlic Roast Chicken

This is a super easy and yummy dinner for busy weeknights! I especially love that everything gets thrown together and cooked in one pan. It cooks for about an hour total, so it works great to throw in the oven, and then you can run and pick up kids from sports practices, and come home to it all done!

I'm not gonna lie, I love the bread in this recipe. You basically take a half of a baguette (I use these gluten free baguettes, and even these dinner rolls, when my grocer is out of the baguettes.) You tear the bread into rough, large pieces, as a sort of crouton. They pick up all of the lemon, garlic goodness and they are divine. I don't eat a lot of bread, so this is always a yummy treat for me. You will use A LOT of extra virgin olive oil in this recipe. Don't get stingy here. Remember that healthy fats are good for you and they add wonderful flavor here!

I cook this dish on a rimmed baking sheet and use parchment paper for easy clean up. You don't want to use a pan that is glass or a 9x13 in. pan, b/c you won't get the browning/crisping of the chicken and bread that you need. You want a lot of juices, so put the chicken pieces close together when you put them on the baking sheet.

Serve the bread pieces and chicken over arugula, or any other green that gains flavor when lightly wilted. This meal alone doesn't fill up my son, so I will vary the meal and add roasted red potatoes to the pan or cook an additional grain. Tonight, I made a side of quinoa cooked in chicken broth for him and I will serve the chicken over that tomorrow for his lunch, with a side salad, some leftover bread pieces, and fruit. He also does not care for the wilted (or "soggy", as he refers to them) greens, so I put fresh greens on his plate. I don't mind this extra step one bit, since he's eating up a generous portion of vegetables here:)

Easy prep, easy cooking, easy clean up, and yummy and nutritious...a perfect dish to make anytime.

This serves about 4 people. So, double it if you want leftovers.

Ingredients:

*1 whole chicken cut up - at least 4-1/2 lbs...I buy organic chicken pieces, so I don't have to cut up the whole chicken. I also cut the chicken breasts in half, so that the smaller pieces don't dry out during cooking while the larger pieces are still cooking.)

*6 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed with the back of a knife

*3 tsp very finely chopped fresh each of rosemary, thyme, and marjoram OR 2 Tbsp. of dried Herbs de Provence

*1 tsp. salt

*freshly ground black pepper

*3 lemons cut in quarters

*Approx. 4 Tbsp. olive oil, plus more for drizzling

*1/2 baguette, torn into rough pieces (if using the Udi's gluten free baguettes, use 1 whole baguette or 6 Udi's dinner rolls)

*2 Tbsp. chicken broth (for de-glazing the pan)

*4 large handfuls of arugula, or whatever greens you like

*Preheat oven to 400F.

*Arrange chicken pieces skin-side-up on a large rimmed baking sheet or in a large roasting pan and scatter the smashed garlic cloves around them.

*In a small bowl, combine the herbs, salt, several generous grinds of pepper, and the olive oil. Mix together and rub all over the chicken pieces, being sure to get some under the skin.

*Take 2 of the 3 quartered lemons and squeeze them over the chicken. After you've squeezed the juice out, place the lemon pieces around the chicken. Save the remaining quartered lemon for later.

*Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast about 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, remove from the oven and arrange the torn bread pieces and the rest of the lemon quarters (don't squeeze them this time) around the chicken pieces, heavily tossing the bread pieces in the juices that the chicken has released. Drizzle everything with more olive oil (about 2 Tbsp. Err on the side of generous.) and return to the oven for about 10 minutes more, or until a meat thermometer reads at least 170 degrees when inserted into the thickest portion of the breast.

*Arrange a large platter with the arugula (or greens of choice) and drizzle a small amount of olive oil over them, and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper.

*Remove the chicken from the oven and use tongs to remove the chicken pieces. Place on top of the platter of greens. Arrange the torn bread pieces around the chicken and lightly tent with foil.

*Add the chicken broth to the pan...I place the baking sheet on my stove burners, set to low heat and deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits. Use tongs and squeeze the lemons to release any juices. Remove some of the lemons to serve around the chicken if you wish.

Side note: When buying (or making) chicken broth, freeze some of the broth in ice cube trays and then store in a ziplock bag in the freezer so that you always have small portions on hand. It adds savory flavor to several dishes.

*Take ALL of the pan drippings, and make sure to get every bit of the smashed, roasted garlic cloves. With a fine mesh sieve held over a small bowl, pour all of the pan drippings into the sieve and press them into the sieve with the back of a wooden spoon, so that the juices collect in the bowl below it.