This lemon chicken is quick and easy to make and is absolutely stunningly delicious!
It’s one of my favourite chicken recipes to have as leftovers, as the meat is so intensely lemon-flavoured and moist – it makes the best sandwich, salad or addition to any dish.
By butterflying the chicken, you also cut down the cooking time – making this insanely delicious chicken a good option for a weeknight meal. It also helps with cooking the chicken more evenly, resulting in a juicier bird.
You can ask your butcher to butterfly your chicken for you, but if you have a good chef’s knife or kitchen shears, removing the back spine of the chicken is not hard at all and you can absolutely do it yourself!
Preheat the oven to 450. Move the oven rack to the upper third of the oven.
Butterfly chicken by removing the spine with a sharp chef's knife. Dry the skin of the chicken with paper towels (if this step is missed, your chicken won't get crispy) and season with 1 TBSP kosher salt, pepper, any herbs. Brush with olive oil.
Scatter lemon slices, onions and garlic on the bottom of oven and stovetop safe dish. I prefer using a large skillet or Dutch oven for this dish. Place chicken on top.
Bake at 450 for about 40-50 minutes. After 30 minutes pour the chicken stock into the pan (not over the chicken.) Continue baking the chicken until the internal temperature reaches 165 for the breast and 175 for the thigh. Remove chicken to a plate and let it rest. You can also broil the chicken if you want it even crispier.
While the chicken is resting, place your skillet on the stove top over medium heat. Let it reduce for a minute or two. Add 1 tablespoon of cold butter and soy sauce, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon to emulsify and thicken you sauce.
Serve carved chicken pieces on top of your delicious lemony sauce and enjoy! Garnish with fresh herbs, if desired.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450. Move the oven rack to the upper third of the oven.
Butterfly chicken by removing the spine with a sharp chef's knife. Dry the skin of the chicken with paper towels (if this step is missed, your chicken won't get crispy) and season with 1 TBSP kosher salt, pepper, any herbs. Brush with olive oil.
Scatter lemon slices, onions and garlic on the bottom of oven and stovetop safe dish. I prefer using a large skillet or Dutch oven for this dish. Place chicken on top.
Bake at 450 for about 40-50 minutes. After 30 minutes pour the chicken stock into the pan (not over the chicken.) Continue baking the chicken until the internal temperature reaches 165 for the breast and 175 for the thigh. Remove chicken to a plate and let it rest. You can also broil the chicken if you want it even crispier.
While the chicken is resting, place your skillet on the stove top over medium heat. Let it reduce for a minute or two. Add 1 tablespoon of cold butter and soy sauce, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon to emulsify and thicken you sauce.
Serve carved chicken pieces on top of your delicious lemony sauce and enjoy! Garnish with fresh herbs, if desired.
Make it Low Carb/Keto/Paleo: omit butter, if desired, for Paleo version. Ensure the proportions of the dish fit into your personal Keto macros – if not, you can always decrease onion, garlic and lemon quantities.
Make it Dairy-Free: do not use butter.
Happens to be Gluten-Free: as with all gluten-free recipes, ensure all your ingredients are gluten free and not cross-contaminated, this includes your chicken stock.
