Tag Archives: lemons

Lemon and Garlic Baked Chicken

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Garlic and lemon with chicken is an iconic pairing that satisfies almost any appetite. In this recipe, poultry pieces are marinated in lemon and garlic, then topped with a sauce made with more of the same, producing extremely flavorful and juicy chicken.

One of the toppings is pimento which adds not only a bright pop of color, but more depth of flavor. If you’ve ever tried southern pimento cheese, or enjoyed pimento stuffed green olives, you have already tried the pimento pepper in pickled form. The word “pimiento” translates to “pepper” from Spanish. Pimento peppers are not spicy, but rather mild, sweet and succulent.

While the recipe indicates to start with a whole chicken and cut it down into pieces (our preference), you could just as easily buy bone-in, skin-on pieces to begin with, especially if the eaters go for all white meat or all dark meat.

Please keep in mind that the chicken needs to marinate at least an hour up to overnight. Doing so in the morning, allows for about 8-10 hours.

There is a good amount of sauce left in the skillet so dredge your side veg into it. Our broccolini sopped up many of the juices creating a more cohesive dinner.

Lemon and Garlic Baked Chicken

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice 
  • 2 1/2 tsp. garlic powder 
  • 2 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste 
  • 1/2 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste 
  • One 3 1/2- to 4-lb. chicken, cut into pieces 

Sauce:

  • 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 tsp. honey, plus more if needed 
  • 1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano 
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced 
  • Juice of 2 lemons (about 1/4 cup) plus 1/2 tsp. lemon zest 
  • One 4-oz. jar diced pimientos, drained 
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 
  • Lemon wedges, for garnish

Directions

  1. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Add the chicken pieces to a large resealable plastic bag and pour the marinade over the top. Seal the bag, removing as much air as possible, and massage the marinade around the chicken to coat evenly.
  2. Refrigerate for at least an hour and up to overnight.
  3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  4. Remove the chicken from the marinade and transfer, skin-side up, to a large cast-iron skillet. Pour half the marinade all over the chicken in the skillet.
  5. Sprinkle the chicken with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Roast until the chicken is deeply browned, the meat is cooked through and the juices run clear, about 30-40 minutes. (An instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh, avoiding bone, should read 165 degrees F.)
  6. Remove the chicken to a platter and let rest while you make the sauce.
  7. For the sauce: Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the honey, oregano, garlic, lemon juice and zest and 1/4 cup skimmed drippings from the skillet and bring to simmer.
  8. Taste and season with salt and pepper, and if too tangy, add a bit more honey. Pour the sauce over the chicken, then garnish with the pimientos, chopped parsley and lemon wedges and serve.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Recipe from Food Network

Lush, Velvety Risotto

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Lemon and Shrimp Risotto with Fresh Basil is a lovely dish that becomes even more flavorful if you use your own homemade shellfish stock. Don’t fret however if you don’t have any, you can always create a flavorful broth for simmering the risotto by steeping the shrimp shells and strips of lemon zest in water, as suggested in the directions below.

Another option, bring two 8-ounce bottles clam juice, 3 cups water, ½ teaspoon salt and the zest strips to a simmer in the saucepan and cook, covered, for 10 minutes to infuse, then strain as directed.

Milk Street’s version of the Italian risotto di limone is finished with an egg yolk and cream that enrich a lush, velvety risotto brightened with lemon zest and juice. For citrus notes that register at every level, stir in bright, puckery lemon juice and floral, fragrant grated zest just before serving.

Our notes: We increased the amount of shrimp from 12 ounces to 1 pound, and used a large yellow onion instead of a small one. It’s up to you how much shrimp and the size of the onion to incorporate. You might even consider using only 4 cups of liquid as opposed to 5, because it was still a bit too soupy for our liking — although the next day, the leftovers had thickened.

Don’t uncover the pot for at least 5 minutes after adding the shrimp. Lifting the lid releases some of the residual heat that’s needed to cook the shrimp.

Lemon and Shrimp Risotto with Fresh Basil

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 2 lemons
  • 2 tsp. plus 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more to serve
  • 1 lb. extra-large shrimp, peeled (shells reserved), deveined and patted dry
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 1 cup Arborio rice
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 Tbsp. heavy cream
  • ½ cup loosely packed fresh basil, roughly chopped

Directions

  1. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from 1 of the lemons in long, wide strips; try to remove only the colored portion of the peel, not the bitter white pith just underneath. Using a rasp-style grater, grate the zest from the remaining lemon; set aside separately. Halve the lemons and squeeze ¼ cup juice; set the juice aside.
  2. In a medium saucepan over medium, heat 2 teaspoons oil until shimmering. Add the shrimp shells and cook, stirring constantly, until pink, 1 to 2 minutes. (If you are using your own homemade shellfish stock, you can omit this step.)
  3. Add 5 cups water (or your own shellfish stock), the zest strips and 1 teaspoon salt, then bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce to low and cook for 10 minutes.
  4. Pour the broth through a strainer set over a medium bowl; rinse out the pan. Press on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible, then discard. Return the broth to the pan, cover and set over low to keep warm.
  5. In a large Dutch oven over medium-high, heat 1 tablespoon of oil until shimmering. Add the onion and ½ teaspoon salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 to 7 minutes.
  6. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until the grains are translucent at the edges, 1 to 2 minutes.
  7. Add the wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pan is almost dry, about 3 minutes.
  8. Add 3 cups of the hot broth and cook, stirring often and briskly, until a spoon drawn through the mixture leaves a trail, 10 to 12 minutes.
  9. Add the remaining broth and cook, stirring, until the rice is tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the shrimp. Cover and let stand until the shrimp are opaque throughout, 5 to 7 minutes.
  10. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, the lemon juice, egg yolk, cream, basil, and the grated zest. The risotto should be loose but not soupy. Taste and season with salt. Serve drizzled with additional oil.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Adapted from a recipe for Milk Street

Moroccan Ginger-Lemon Chicken Skewers

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Anytime is perfect to skewer around, don’t you agree? And when all it takes is a bit of prep and less than 30 minutes to cook, you will have plenty of extra time for anything else on your agenda, or just relax and enjoy a cool beverage.

Once again chicken is the star of the show. Specifically, boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Each one is cut crosswise into three strips and added to the marinade, tossed and set aside for 15 to 30 minutes. While they get happy, you can prepare whatever accompaniments you plan to serve. A prepackaged couscous and a zucchini-onion sauté completed our meal.

Grilled lemon halves, drizzled with honey and squeezed over the charred chicken skewers, adds a final note of sweet-tart acidity that helps balance all the bold, savory seasonings. Minced fresh cilantro, parsley or mint brings bright color and a herbal freshness to the dish. Use whichever you prefer, or any combination of the three.

The directions indicate to use metal skewers, but we were on vacation at a rental property in Cape Cod and all we had access to was wooden skewers, which we presoaked for an hour. They tend to run shorter in length than their metal counterparts, so it’s likely you’ll need more of them—in our case, 6 wooden skewers as opposed to 4 metal.

We paired our skewers with an Israeli mushroom couscous and sautéed zucchini and onions.

Keep in mind: Don’t marinate the chicken longer than 30 minutes. Any longer than that and the lemon juice and ginger will make it mushy.

Moroccan Ginger-Lemon Chicken Skewers

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 3 lemons
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
  • 2 garlic cloves, grated
  • 1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
  • 1 Tbsp. ground cumin
  • 1 Tbsp. ground coriander
  • 2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 3 Tbsp. honey, divided
  • 1½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro, flat-leaf parsley or mint

Directions

  1. With a wand-style grater, use 1 lemon to grate 1 tablespoon of zest and squeeze 2 tablespoons of juice.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together the zest, juice, oil, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons of the honey.
  3. Cut each chicken thigh crosswise into 3 strips. Add the chicken to the marinade, toss and set aside for 15 to 30 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, prepare a grill for direct cooking over medium-high heat. For a charcoal grill, spread a large chimney three-quarters full of hot coals evenly over the grill bed; open the bottom grill vents. For a gas grill, set all burners to high. Heat the grill, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes, then clean and oil the cooking grate. If using gas, reduce the burners to medium-high just before adding the chicken.
  5. Thread the chicken onto four 12-inch metal skewers, scrunching multiple pieces onto each skewer. (We used 6, presoaked wooden skewers.)
  6. Cut the remaining 2 lemons in half. Grill the chicken and lemon halves (cut side down) until the chicken is well charred all over, 10 to 12 minutes, turning halfway through. Remove the lemons once their cut sides are nicely charred.
  7. Transfer the skewers and lemon halves to a platter. Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of honey over the cut sides of the lemons.
  8. Squeeze the juice from 1 lemon half over the chicken, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with the remaining lemon halves on the side.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Adapted from a recipe by Diane Unger from Milk Street