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Skillet Roasted Lemon Chicken

Posted by Wendy L. on

 

Spoil your friends and loved ones with this delectable Skillet Roasted Lemon Chicken~

Chicken is one of the most popular food choices, especially when we are trying to cook healthy. You can never have enough chicken recipes!  This Skillet Roasted Lemon Chicken by Ina Garten is AMAZING!!

You will savor every bite of this melt in your mouth goodness.   This wins the title  “Recipe of the Year” at our house.  It is that good.  Best of all, you can cook it all in one pot and it tastes just as good for leftovers the next day.

Gather Your Cooking Tools

  • basting brush
  • cooking tongs (to flip the pieces of chicken)
  • small glass measuring cup
  • measuring spoons
  • food processor or mortar and pestle
  • ovenproof stovetop skillet with lid
  • food shears or a sharp knife to butterfly the chicken
  • cutting board

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 tsp whole fennel seeds
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/3 C olive oil
  • 1 lemon, halved and sliced 1/4″ thick
  • 1 yellow onion, halved and sliced 1/4″ thick
  • 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 (4 pound) chicken, backbone removed and butterflied (You can find informative videos on youtube for the best tips on how to butcher a whole chicken. This is a handy skill to learn and worth the time to view the video.)
  • 1/2 C dry white wine (I use Kendall Jackson Chardonnay and then we serve the remaining wine with dinner.)
  • Juice of 1 lemon

Preparation Steps

  1. Place the thyme, fennel seeds, 1T salt and 1 tsp. black pepper in mini food processor and process until ground. (I have used a regular food processor or mortar and pestle **)
  2. Pour olive oil in a small measuring cup, stir in the ground herbs and spices and set aside.
  3. Evenly distribute the lemon slices across the bottom of a 12″ ovenproof skillet and then distribute the onions and garlic on top.
  4. Place the chicken, skin side down, on top of the onion and brush with half the oil and herb mixture.
  5. Turn the chicken skin side up, pat dry with paper towels (DO NOT skip this step!) and brush all over with the remaining oil and herb mixture.
  6. Roast the chicken for 30 minutes.
  7. Pour the wine in the pan (Be sure not to pour directly on the chicken. Carefully pour to the sides.)
  8. Roast another 10-15 minutes, until a meat thermometer inserted in the the thickest part of the breast registers 155-160 degrees.
  9. Remove the chicken from the oven and sprinkle with the lemon juice. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes (Do not skip this step.)
  10. Cut the chicken into quarters or eighths and serve with the hot pan juice, cooked lemon, and onion.

We enjoy our Skillet Roasted Lemon Chicken with steamed broccoli and Instant Pot Brown Rice and Mushrooms. (Watch for the Instant Pot Brown Rice and Mushroom recipe!)

NOTE: The cooking pan used in this recipe is the Calphalon Unison Non-Stick 12″ Covered Everyday Pan.  This pan is a workhorse and is used almost daily at our house.  You can seamlessly move from stovetop to oven with this pan and it cleans up quick and easy.

**NOTE: When  you have the time, enjoy the pleasing aromas of the essential oils released from the leaves of fresh herbs when you grind them in the mortar and pestle. The experience of hand grinding the spices can also be relaxing and it is an uplifting reminder that preparing healthy foods for friends and loved ones can be a gift to them.

Enjoy~