from a cookbook: lemon chicken breasts

this recipe comes from this dandy cookbook: Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?: Fabulous Recipes & Easy Tips.  i was lucky enough to see ina garten (the barefoot contessa) in person here in kansas city when she came for a book signing.  she is as cute as a button.  she really does laugh a lot.  she really does entertain as much as it seems.  she is for real.  the entire hour with her was filled with questions and answers.  many people asked her questions like, "if you could give someone ONE recipe, what would it be?" or "what is your easiest dinner recipe?" or "what is the best recipe to entertain with?"...and always the answer was her perfect roast chicken (similar to this.)  it really is a great recipe.  EVERY recipe i try of hers is great, in fact.  so, the other day (at 4pm) in a moment of complete laziness, i realized i needed to make something for dinner in the next hour.  i carefully opened my (signed) copy of this cookbook and found another great recipe from ina.  the chicken turned out juicy, brightly flavored and moist.  my only recommendation would be to remove the lemon peel immediately after cooking the chicken to avoid the bitter after taste when it sits with the chicken for a long period of time.  other than that, it's a great recipe.  serve it with a green salad or vegetable and you're set.


1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp minced garlic (9 cloves)--(nobody likes a doctor with garlic breath, so i used 4)
1/3 cup white wine (i used water)
1 Tbsp grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on (i used boneless, skinless)
1 lemon


preheat oven to 400 degrees.  warm olive oil over medium-low heat.  add garlic and cook for 1 minute, but don't let garlic turn brown.  off the heat add wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme and 1 tsp salt and pour into 9x13.


pat the chicken breasts dry and place them (skin side up) over the sauce.  brush chicken with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.  cut the lemon into 8 wedges and tuck them among the pieces of chicken.


bake for 30-40 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 let rest 10 minutes.  sprinkle with salt and serve hot with pan juices.