Braised Lemon Chicken Recipes

BRAISED LEMON-SAFFRON CHICKEN AND POTATOES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a mortar and pestle (or the bottom of a spoon and a bowl), grind the saffron threads into a powder as best you can. Add the 2 tablespoons hot water and stir to combine. Set aside.
• Place the chicken in a 9-by-13-inch roasting pan or baking dish. Cut large potatoes into 1-inch pieces and add to the pan. Drizzle the chicken and potatoes with the oil, then season well with salt and pepper.
• Add the lemon juice to the saffron water, mix to combine, then pour over the chicken and potatoes, stirring to coat. Arrange the chicken skin-side down. Sprinkle evenly with the whole black peppercorns, if using, then cover tightly with foil. (It's OK if everything is close together.)
• Cook until the meat is tender and easily pulled from the bone, and the potatoes are soft, about 1 1/2 hours. During the last 15 minutes, remove the foil, flip the chicken, stir the potatoes and cook for 15 minutes more, uncovered, to reduce some of the liquid.
• Season with black pepper and serve with rice or pita to soak up the lemony juices.

BRAISE-ROASTED CHICKEN WITH LEMON AND CARROTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Cut backbone from chicken using kitchen shears and save backbone for another use. Flip chicken, breast-side up, and forcefully press chicken down to flatten; season generously with salt.
• Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe cast iron skillet over medium-high heat; pan-fry chicken, skin-side down, until golden, 6 to 7 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate, skin-side up.
• Cook and stir onion in oil in the same skillet until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add beer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Continue cooking until most of the beer is reduced, 2 to 4 minutes more. Stir chicken broth, carrots, lemon, rosemary, and thyme into beer mixture. Arrange chicken, skin-side up, over vegetables.
• Roast in the preheated oven until chicken is golden brown and crispy, about 50 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Transfer chicken and vegetables to a large platter and let rest, uncovered.
• Bring remaining broth and juices in the skillet to a boil and cook until sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes. Season sauce with salt.
• Slice chicken and serve with sauce.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH PRESERVED LEMON

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler. Cook the rice as the label directs. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add to the skillet, skin-side down, and cook until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Flip and cook until just browned on the other side, about 3 more minutes.
• Transfer the chicken to a plate and pour off the excess fat from the skillet. Return the skillet to medium-high heat and add the butter; let melt. Add the bell pepper and onion and cook until just softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook 1 more minute. Add the wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the chicken broth and preserved lemon slices and bring to a simmer.
• Return the chicken to the skillet, skin-side up. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Place the skillet under the broiler and cook until the chicken skin is crisp, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Fluff the rice and divide among plates. Serve with the chicken, vegetable mixture and sauce from the skillet; top with dill.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH LEMON AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Season well with salt and pepper and place in an earthenware baking dish in one layer, skin side up. Sprinkle with red pepper, garlic, fennel and rosemary and drizzle with olive oil. Rub seasoning into thighs on all sides. Tuck lemon wedges here and there. Let marinate for 15 minutes. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Put baking dish in oven, uncovered, and roast until skin browns lightly, about 20 minutes. Scatter olives evenly over chicken and add broth. Cover tightly and bake for 1 hour, until meat is very tender when probed with a skewer.
• Remove thighs and lemon wedges and arrange on a platter. Keep warm. Pour pan juices into a saucepan and quickly skim fat from surface. Over high heat, simmer rapidly until reduced by half. Spoon juices over chicken, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH ROSEMARY, CHICKPEAS AND SALTED LEMON

Steps:

• If using whole chicken legs, cut the joint just enough to bend the leg, and make a deep, 2-inch-long cut on the meat without cutting all the way through.
• Cut one half of the lemon crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick half moons. Transfer them to a medium bowl. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and use a fork to lightly crush the slices and release the juice. Cut the other lemon half into wedges for serving.
• Pat the chicken pieces dry and season both sides with salt. In a large lidded skillet or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high. Working in batches if necessary, add the chicken pieces skin-side down, cover, and cook until the skin is golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Flip, cover and cook for another minute or two, then transfer chicken to a plate. If working in batches, add 2 more tablespoons oil to the skillet, sear the remaining chicken legs then transfer them to the plate.
• Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan. Add the onions and sauté until just softened, about 2 minutes, then add the garlic and rosemary and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the white wine, then add the tomatoes with their juices, crushing the tomatoes with your hands as you go. Rinse the tomato can with 1 cup water. Add the water and the chickpeas to the pan. Season lightly with salt and black pepper.
• Bring to a boil, return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and tender, 15 to 18 minutes.
• Uncover the pot and transfer the chicken to bowls or a large rimmed serving platter. Add the sliced lemon plus any accumulated juices to the pot, increase the heat to medium-high and allow to thicken slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Discard the rosemary stem, then stir in the hearty greens, remove from heat and season with additional salt if needed.
• To serve, spoon the stew over the chicken legs, top with a handful of the herbs, yogurt and fresh lemon wedges for squeezing. Drizzle with olive oil, if desired, and serve with steamed couscous or slices of crusty bread for dipping.

BRAISED LEMON CHICKEN

Steps:

• Rinse chicken and pat dry.
• Trim and discard pockets of fat.
• In a bowl, mix vinegar and oil, and season to taste.
• Add thighs and turn to coat.
• Cover and chill 1 hour.
• After 1 hour chilling time, preheat oven to 350F while continuing with recipe.
• Set a 5 to 6 quart ovenproof pan with lid over medium-high heat.
• Lift chicken thighs from marinade (reserve marinade) and arrange in a single layer in pan.
• Turn as necessary to brown on both sides, 4 to 6 minutes total.
• Transfer chicken to a rimmed plate and lower heat under pan.
• Add shallots and garlic to pan and stir frequently until shallots are limp, about 5 minutes.
• Return chicken to pan and add marinade, lemons, vermouth, and herbes de Provence.
• Cover pan.
• Transfer to preheated oven and bake until chicken is very tender when pierced, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Spoon into bowls to serve.