Jeff Houck

The Tampa Tribune’s food writer since 2005, Jeff Houck covers the way people live through their food. He also hosts the Table Conversations food podcast and believes that everything crunchy is good.

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Delicious Lemon Chicken Recipe For The Weekend [Son Of The Stew Makes Dinner]

Posted Jul 27, 2012 by Jeff Houck

Updated Jul 27, 2012 at 11:38 AM

It’s an amazing thing.

You bring a new life into the world. You nurture. You care. You feed. You wash. You teach them that fancy book learnin’.

And then one day you hear the words from your child’s lips, “I made dinner tonight.”

Clouds part. Golden rays of light bathe your face. Angels sing.

And then you get your eat on.

That happened to me this week when the Officially Licensed Son of The Stew used his copious amounts of summer break free time to make dinner.

What did he choose?

A recipe for lemon chicken he found at Simply Recipes.

It was so delicious that I’m considering adopting more children so they can make me dinner once he goes to college.

He also made an awesome batch of green beans with bits of bacon. Another home run.

This photo was taken under protest. As are all photos past the age of 7.

Here’s the recipe:

Lemon Chicken Recipe

Cook time: 55 minutes

3-4 pounds chicken parts (thighs and legs recommended), skin-on, bone-in, trimmed of excess fat

2 tablespoon lemon zest
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme (or 2 teaspoons dried)
1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2-3 tablespoon melted butter
Lemon slices for garnish

Place lemon juice, lemon peel, garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper in a small bowl, whisk to combine. With the tip of a sharp knife, cut into each chicken piece one or two times by about 1/2 an inch. (This will help the marinade penetrate.) Place the chicken pieces and the marinade in a gallon-sized freezer bag. Rotate the bag so that all chicken pieces are coated with the marinade. Seal the bag and place in a bowl in the refrigerator (in case of leakage). Let marinate for 2 hours.

2 Preheat oven to 425°F. Remove chicken from marinade and place in a single layer in a large baking dish, skin side up. Reserve the marinade. Use a pastry brush to brush a little melted butter on to each piece of chicken.
Bake for a total of 50 to 55 minutes, until the skins are crispy brown, and the chicken is cooked through, juices running clear (breasts have an internal temperature of 165°F and thighs 175°F). Half-way through the baking, at about the 25 minute mark, baste the chicken pieces generously with reserved marinade.

Depending on the size of the breasts, they may be ready before the thighs, so if you are cooking a mix of chicken parts, keep that in mind, you may have to take them out of the oven before the thighs.
Let rest, covered in foil, for 10 minutes before serving.

Pour the juices from the pan into a serving bowl. Use a tablespoon to skim the fat off the top (save the fat for cooking with later, or discard, but do not discard down the drain or it will solidify and clog your drain). Serve the chicken with the juices on the side or a little poured over the top of the chicken.

Serve alone or with steamed rice.

Yield: Serves 4-6.