Americas Test Kitchen Lemon Chicken Recipes

SKILLET-ROASTED CHICKEN IN LEMON SAUCE

Steps:

• Dissolve the 1/4 cup of salt into a quart (four cups) of cold water in a large bowl.
• Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.
• Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with paper towels.
• Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Place the rack in the center of the oven.
• Heat the olive oil in an OVEN SAFE skillet over medium-high heat.
• Season both sides of the chicken with freshly cracked pepper, dried oregano, and garlic powder, to taste.
• Place the chicken skin side down in the HOT skillet and cook until skin is golden brown and crisp, about 8-10 minutes.
• Transfer breasts to a large plate.
• Pour off any excess fat in the skillet then return to the heat.
• Add the butter, shallot, and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30-45 seconds.
• Sprinkle the flour evenly over the mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until flour is lightly browned, about 1-2 minutes.
• Slowly add the broth and lemon juice, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet, and bring to a simmer.
• Cook for 2-3 minutes to thicken and reduce the sauce a bit.
• Add two teaspoons of lemon zest and remove the skillet from the heat; stir until well combined.
• Return chicken skin side UP (skin should be above the surface of the liquid), and any chicken juices from the plate to the skillet and transfer to the oven.
• Cook, uncovered, until the breasts register 160 degrees, 10-12 minutes.
• While the chicken cooks, chop the parsley and one teaspoon of lemon zest together until finely minced and well combined.
• Remove skillet from the oven and let the chicken stand for 5 minutes.
• Transfer chicken to a serving platter.
• Whisk the pan sauce, incorporating any browned bits from the sides & bottom of the pan, until smooth, about 30 seconds.
• Whisk half of the parsley-zest mixture into the sauce. Taste & season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste, if needed.
• Slice the chicken breast then sprinkle the remaining half of the parsley-zest mixture over the sliced chicken.
• Serve sauce on the side. Enjoy.

LEMON CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the garlic, and cook for just 1 minute but don't allow the garlic to turn brown. Off the heat, add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt and pour into a 9 by 12-inch baking dish.
• Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them skin side up over the sauce. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in 8 wedges and tuck it among the pieces of chicken.
• Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned. If the chicken isn't browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices.