Easy Perfect Lemon Chicken

Up until last weekend, I had only made baked chicken two - maybe three times. I just don't bake that much chicken or any meat for that matter. I think I find it to be a little intimidating. I always worry that it's not seasoned enough or that it will cook too fast among other things. Uggh. So I'm quick to buy a rotisserie chicken any day because it's almost always good and doesn't freak me out. But this weekend, I found an easy baked chicken recipe that I will be baking until I can bake no more...

My favorite rotisserie chicken flavor is lemon pepper, so this recipe caught my eye when I saw it. The ingredients are the perfect blend of summer and fall. It has the bright, fresh flavor of lemon and the warm flavors of thyme and rosemary. That makes it great for cold days when you just need a little burst of freshness in your life. 

It's also perfect when on weeknights when you only have twenty minutes max of energy left to prepare any sort of decent dinner. I know some of you can relate to that feeling...

Here is what you need and what to do:

2 Tbsp lemon zest

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tsp fresh thyme

1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely minced

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper and/or a few whole black peppercorns

2 -3 Tbsp melted butter

2 -4 lbs of bone-in chicken thighs or chicken legs

Place the lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper in a large resealable plastic bag. Add the chicken, seal the bag and press out any excess air. Move the chicken around in the bag to make sure each piece is coated with the marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. 

Preheat the oven to 425. Remove the chicken from the bag and place into a baking dish skin side up. Reserve the remaining marinade. Brush the tops of the chicken with the melted butter. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until the skin is crisp and the juices run clear. About halfway through baking, baste the chicken with the remaining marinade. Once it is done, loosely cover the chicken with foil and let it rest for 10 minutes.

You can also make this with bone-in chicken breasts. The cooking time will be about 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes.

Oh and your house will smell quite fabulous as this cooks, too... :)

Recipe adapted from Simply Recipes