One of our long-time traditions is to have a roast chicken dinner on Sunday. In England where my family is from, just about everyone has a roast of some sort on Sunday. Even the pubs offer a variety of roasts with all of the trimmings.
This week, I decided to change things up a bit, and it was a big hit!
We opted to try Ina Garten’s Lemon Chicken Breasts recipe. I love how she features simple and delicious recipes that anyone can make and enjoy.
The main reason that I decided to make this dish is to pair it with a special Pinot Noir that we discovered whilst in Napa Valley last year. We went to a tasting at Sabina Vineyards on the recommendation of my doctor. Yes, wine is good for you. She suggested that we would love the Cabernet Sauvignon and we did. We were not aware that this same winemaker features one of the most delicious Pinot Noirs that we have ever tasted. Their Pinot Noir hails from the Willamette Valley in Oregon. We were thrilled to have the opportunity to taste this wine in Napa Valley.
Our friends that went to the tasting with us also loved the Pinot, and they are Pinot enthusiasts. Of course, we joined the wine club, and are we glad that we did. The wine is not available anywhere in our area and getting those deliveries is a real treat.
The citrus in the lemon chicken with the fruitiness of the Pinot (not too fruity) was a perfect balance. We had baby potatoes and fresh peas with the chicken.
I did modify the recipe a bit to suit our tastes by not adding as much garlic. Nine cloves just sounded like a bit much, so I used 3 small cloves. I also added a little bit more lemon juice, as I like things tart. Also, I strained the sauce and added a little flour to thicken it a bit. The hubs loves gravy, so I thought since we were not having our usual recipe that this would make him happy.
Give this recipe a try. I know you won’t regret it.
Ina Garten's (aka Barefoot Contessa) Lemon Chicken Recipe
- May 13, 2019
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Ingredients
- 1/4 cup good olive oil
- 3 tablespoons minced garlic (9 cloves) (I used 3 cloves)
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (I used 4 tablespoons)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano (I used 1/2 teaspoon)
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves (I used more and included the stems too)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on
- 1 lemon
Directions
- Step 1
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Step 2
- Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium low heat
- Step 3
- Add the garlic and cook for just one minute (don’t allow the garlic to brown)
- Step 4
- Take off of the heat
- Step 5
- Add the wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano and thyme
- Step 6
- Add salt and pepper
- Step 7
- Pour mixture in to a 9 x 12 inch baking dish
- Step 8
- Pat the chicken dry and place them skin side up over the sauce
- Step 9
- Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle them with salt and pepper
- Step 10
- Cut the lemon in to 8 wedges and tuck in among the pieces of chicken
- Step 11
- Bake for 30 – 40 minutes until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned
- Step 12
- If the chicken isn’t browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes
- Step 13
- Cover the pan with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Step 14
- Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices
- Step 15
- NOTE: I strained the sauce into a small sauce pan and thickened with 1 tablespoon of flour and cold water to make a gravy. Also, I boiled the potatoes until almost done and put these in with the chicken to finish cooking for the last 15 minutes
My name is Kim and my passion is surrounding myself, family, and friends in a life of luxury. Each week, I’ll share with you new tips and recipes to create a luxurious life .