Lemon Rosemary Chicken – Sybaritica

Although chicken was to be the main protein part of our supper on the night I cooked this dish, it was actually the accompaniment to a culinary experiment with Fiddlehead greens  I was trying at the time. I thought that a lemon and rosemary seasoning for the chicken would compliment the fiddlehead dish I had in mind and, although this is by no means a traditional Italian preparation, it is certainly one that would be at home in any Italian kitchen…

The Ingredients

  • 3 lbs. Chicken pieces
  • 2-3 tbsp. Olive oil.
  • Juice of one half Lemon
  • 1 tbsp. of salt
  • Lemon zest strips
  • 1 tsp. Black Peppercorns
  • 1 Scallion (green part only)
  • 1 sprig Rosemary
  • 2 large Garlic cloves

You will need about one or two teaspoons of lemon zest once it is minced and you can cut it from the half lemon. Just make sure you remove only the outer yellow skin and not any of the bitter white pith underneath.

The Method

First cut slashes all over the chicken pieces. This is a step that my readers will often see me do with chicken as it allows more of the fat to drain away and allows any marinade or seasonings to penetrate the meat. Next, rub the pieces with the salt, then the lemon juice, and set the chicken aside.

Crush the peppercorns to a powder in a mortar and then finely mince the garlic, lemon zest, scallion and the rosemary needles. Put everything into a bowl with the olive and leave everything to rest for at least thirty minutes or so to allow the flavors to meld and permeate the oil.

Next, coat the pieces of chicken with the oil and seasoning mixture, rubbing it into the slashes and getting as much as possible under the skin. Set aside to marinate for several hours or overnight in the fridge.

When you are ready to cook, pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees and put the chicken pieces on a wire rack over a baking sheet. Pop them into the oven and cook, turning once or twice, for about an hour. When the chicken is nice and golden and the meat cooked through, remove the pieces from the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes or so before serving.

The Verdict

Well… darn it! I wrote this post many weeks ago and I discovered, when I went to do my final editing, that I forgot to record my ‘verdict’. The best I can tell you now is that I don’t recall any horrible after effects so I trust it turned out pretty decently. I hope at least one of my readers will try the and let me know whether I should have enjoyed it…

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