Baked Lemon Chicken with Capers
Included in picture, Parsley, Garlic Butter& Lemon Rice - Recipe available
To make life easier, click on any underlined items and there is a direct link to purchase - these are the items I swear by…
INGREDIENTS:
1 ½ - 2 Pounds chicken, I had chicken thighs & like using them because I think they have a bit more flavor (you can use breasts, thighs or cut up an entire chicken into 2 breasts, thighs & legs) - whatever you preference
3 Tbsp Olive Oil (you will use 2 Tbsp and then 1 Tbsp later)
½ Cup All purpose flour for dredging
2 Tbsp Capers (drained) - you can chop if you prefer or leave as is
Zest of 1 large lemon - you’ll likely net about 1 Tsp
2 Tbsp minced garlic (4-5 cloves depending on size)
1 Tsp Fresh or dried rosemary leaves - chopped into small pieces if you prefer
¼ Cup Fresh lemon juice
1 Cup Chicken (or vegetable) broth - preferably low sodium
Kosher salt to taste
½ Tsp Garlic powder
½ Tsp Onion powder
1 Tsp All purpose flour
KITCHEN ESSENTIALS FOR THIS RECIPE:
8” - 10” Skillet or Cast iron pot
Ziplock Bag
Dredging Dish (a rectangular shaped Pyrex type dish works well)
Pyrex /Baking Dish or Cast Iron Pot
Wooden Spoon
Tongs
Whisk
Ladle
PRE-COOKING PREP DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 400°
Rinse chicken and pat dry (I know experts always say not to rinse chicken to reduce risk of salmonella spreading but I always rinse it carefully with the chicken closer to the tap to minimize ‘splashing’ and then disinfect the sink (twice) and the entire area around the sink with a disinfecting cleaner)
Combine the flour, garlic powder, onion powder and parsley into ziplock bag, shake and place onto your dredging dish
Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour mixture and pat off the excess - place aside
Zest the lemon peel & measure out the ingredients
NOW FOR THE FUN PART - COOKING!
Heat a large skillet/cast iron pot over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil
Carefully place the chicken skin-side down and saute until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side
Remove the chicken from the skillet and place aside either onto a new dish (oven safe) or just on a plate if you will use the cast iron pot (this is what I follow to reduce pots to wash)
You can either use a new skillet/cast iron pot or wipe off the existing one with a paper towel
Add 1 Tbsp olive oil and heat over medium-low heat
Add the lemon zest, garlic, and rosemary, and scrape bottom of pan for 1 minute
Add the lemon juice, capers and broth, increase the heat to med-high and bring to a simmer
Sprinkle in flour & whisk until smooth consistency - about 2 min
If you haven’t already, arrange the chicken in a baking dish, skin-side up in a single layer -if you are using the cast iron pot, pour off the sauce and place chicken back into the pot
Pour the cooking liquid over the chicken
Season with salt and pepper to taste
Place baking dish with chicken into oven
Bake in the oven about 45 minutes, basting every 15 minutes (because of the capers, I found using a traditional ladle was best for basting), until cooked through
