Roasted Lemon Herb Chicken

Growing up, my mother frequently made us rosemary chicken for dinner. That's all she called it... rosemary chicken. It was simple, yet oh-so-delicious and fall off the bone tender! She used chicken drumsticks and pan roasted them on the stovetop with oil, butter, and rosemary, and that was pretty much it. No fancy frills, no time-consuming preparation, and best of all it only made one pan dirty! I have been playing around with making roast chickens lately, but they always cost more than just buying one of those pre-roasted chickens at the grocery store so it was hard to justify all that effort for a more-costly end result that wasn't all that much better. I decided it was time to change my plan. Inspired by Mom's rosemary chicken, as well as the frequent sales and great bargains I see on chicken drumsticks and thighs, I decided to roast only dark meat pieces of chicken that would be flavored with rosemary. Feeling the need to put my own "twist" on it (you must be used to that by now, Mom! Nothing personal, it's just how I roll) I decided to add some of my other favorite chicken flavor combinations that I enjoy such as lemon and garlic. I also know that thyme pairs incredibly well with chicken, so I threw that in there too for good measure. To reduce my efforts in the cooking process itself, I decided that roasting the chicken in the oven instead of babysitting it on the stove would be the way for me to go. The end result is supremely flavored chicken that is juicy and tender. If you're looking for a new chicken recipe to add to the rotation, give this one a try. Enjoy! :o)

Roasted Lemon Herb Chicken

Makes 2-4 servings

Ingredients

2-3 pounds of chicken drumsticks or thighs (bone-in, skin on)

zest of 2 lemons

juice of 2 lemons (about 1/3 cup)

4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

3 sprigs of thyme, leaves stripped off (about 1 tbsp.)

1 sprig of rosemary, leaves stripped off (about 1 tbsp.)

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

2 tbsp. butter, melted

Directions:

In a large resealable plastic bag, mix together the lemon zest, juice, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper. Add the chicken and seal the bag, then turn to coat everything in the marinade. Refrigerate and let marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a 13x9 baking pan with parchment paper (I found aluminum foil reacted with the lemon juice in an unpleasant way. If you don't have parchment, just spray the pan well and hope it doesn't stick!). Arrange the chicken in the pan, skin side up, with a little space between each piece if possible. Brush the chicken with the melted butter. Roast for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and pour the remaining marinade over the chicken to baste, then continue roasting for about 40 minutes or until the chicken is browned and cooked through.

Let rest for 10 minutes or so before serving. Yum!

Inspired by: Mom :o)