Lemon Baked Chicken

Do y'all ever get into a cooking rut?  I personally have felt like I've been cooking the same 4-5 weeknight meals for months now.....

tacos, salmon, chicken fingers, spaghetti, repeat.

So, I decided to plop down on the couch and do it the old fashioned way....Cookbooks.  

My embarrassingly large collection of cookbooks helped me find some new and EASY weeknight meals.  

And the shining star of the collection....

Barefoot Contessa's "How Easy Is That?" cookbook.  

(Thank you to my mother-in-law for gifting me with this treasure last year for my birthday!)

Inside, Ina got me drooling over the many delectable dishes, and I started to plan out a new menu for the week.  First up: Lemon Baked Chicken.  

This dish was so easy to prepare, super healthy, and the flavors were outstanding.  John and I love all things lemony, and we absolutely loved this recipe.  Perfect for a weeknight, or when you need to impress company with very short notice :)

Lemon Baked Chicken

via

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons minced garlic

1/3 cup dry white wine*

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on (6 to 8 ounces each)

1 lemon

(*I used chicken stock, b/c I didn't want to open a bottle of wine for just a few tablespoons)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the garlic, and cook for just 1 minute but don't allow the garlic to turn brown. Off the heat, add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt and pour into a 9 by 12-inch baking dish.

Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them skin side up over the sauce. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in 8 wedges and tuck it among the pieces of chicken.

Bake for 30 to 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 allow to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices.

Enjoy!!

(and stay tuned for more recipes from this book - next up, Lamb Chops!)