I made this dish by adapting it from Food and Wine’s recipe. The original recipe calls for Dijon mustard but nobody in my family touches mustard, so I left that ingredient out and just use what I have on hand. One good thing about this dish is that the lemon juice, being acidic, helps to tenderize the meat and gives the chicken a very subtle lemony and citrus-y boost. This recipe is pretty simple, just marinate the chicken before delivering it into the oven for a bake. I chose to use chicken drumlets instead of chicken breasts as I just like to eat chicken drumlets much more than chicken breasts. The meat is more tender and juicy – but it’s simply up to you. (:
I served the chicken with some lemon baked fries, which my friend and I both agreed that they were a tad too lemony.
Baked Lemon Chicken
INGREDIENTS
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 tablespoon dried basil flakes, optional
- 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano, optional
- 400 grams chicken breast, or chicken drumlets
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a deep dish, combine the lemon juice, water, dried basil and dried oregano. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Cover and let stand at room temperature for at least 1 1/2 hours up to 2 hours, turning once to coat the other side.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
- Transfer the chicken to a lightly oiled baking sheet and brush one side with the marinade. Sprinkle the salt and freshly ground black pepper and brush with a little olive oil. Turn the chicken onto the other side and repeat.
- Bake the chicken (skins side up!) for 40 to 45 minutes till cooked through. Turn the heat up to 200 degrees Celsius and bake for another 3 to 5 minutes until the skin is golden brown and crispy.
- Transfer the chicken onto serving plates and serve.
NOTES
- Substitute 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard and parsley for the dried basil and oregano.
- Adapted from Food and Wine
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