No, there’s no better occasion to tell you about my lemon chicken recipe, oh yeah!
The first lemon chicken, baked, that I ever tasted was… I don’t know, twenty-five, twenty-eight, or maybe thirty years ago. It was back when my friend Gianna and I would often hang out and have dinner together.
On one of those occasions, when we were invited to her house for dinner, she served us a wonderfully fragrant lemon chicken which was a complete novelty to me, never cooked or eaten before. Naturally, Gianna shared the recipe with me. 😀
I’ve made it a few times since then, even though not many compared to the mountain of years that have passed. But the last time was recent, exactly last April 22nd (no, I don’t have that good a memory, it’s the date I found in the photo info! 😃).
So this recipe is all dedicated to you Gianna! We’ve finally found each other again! What a joy to reunite after losing touch for so many years! Isn’t it wonderful?
😀
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Some lemon-themed side dish ideas to pair with this excellent lemon chicken: 😉👇
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 1 chicken
- 1 lemon
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 pinch pepper
- 1 clove garlic (optional)
Tools
- Baking dish
- Kitchen twine
- Aluminum foil
Preparation
First, if necessary, flame the chicken to remove any remaining feathers.
Wash the lemon and rosemary and place them inside the chicken.
My friend Gianna’s recipe called for using a whole lemon pierced with a fork, but I’m never one to strictly follow recipes, so I’ve used lemon in many ways: sometimes whole, sometimes cut in half, this time sliced…. 🙂
Optionally add a minced clove of garlic (or two to three whole cloves) and a sprinkle of pepper.
Tie the chicken with kitchen twine, making sure to close it well.
Toothpicks can also be useful. My tying technique… well, it’s definitely not professional, I know 😀 but it worked. 😀
Rub a slice of lemon over the entire skin.
Optionally pepper (I didn’t this time).
Place the chicken in a baking dish (if the chicken has skin, no additional fat is needed) and bake at 428°F (220°C).
Bake the chicken for about an hour. Cooking time depends on the quality of the chicken, its weight, and the oven. The important thing is to check, turn, and cover it for part of the time. To test doneness, you can pierce it with a fork or skewer.
Initially bake in the upper part of the oven, turning it at least a couple of times in the first 10-15 minutes to brown the skin well on all sides. Once the skin is golden, you can lower the oven temperature and bring the dish to mid-height.
Cover with aluminum foil to protect the skin from potential burning.
During cooking, occasionally baste with the cooking juices.
Serve whole and carve at the table.
Enjoy!
If you like spicy chicken, try this recipe! Spiced Chicken Fillets 😋
Salt-Free Tips
Like all my recipes, my lemon chicken also has no added salt. Try cooking it without salt; baked with lemon and rosemary, releasing their aroma from inside, your roasted chicken won’t need anything else. 😉
As I invite you to the next recipe, I encourage you to read my usual salt-free tips:
If you’re interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
▫ Decrease the salt gradually, the palate needs to get used to the reduction slowly.
▫ Use spices. Chili pepper, pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cumin…
▫ Use aromatic herbs. Basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, mint…
▫ Use seeds. Sesame, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts…
▫ Use spicy vegetables or fruits. Garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
▫ Use my salt-free vegetable granules and gomasio.
▫ Prefer fresh foods.
▫ Avoid cooking in water, prefer cooking methods that don’t disperse flavors (grill, foil, steam, microwave)
▫ Avoid bringing the salt shaker to the table!
▫ Occasionally allow yourself a break from the rules. It’s good for the mood and helps to persevere.
If you don’t want, or can’t, give up salt:
▫ You can still try my recipes by salting according to your habits.
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