Lemony Chicken, Inspired by Ina

Lemony Chicken

(inspired by Ina)

During that wonderful week we like to call Spring Break, when the powers that be give you a reprieve from classes (yet still manage to crush your conscience with the homework and papers that are due immediately following) and you travel to (read: dream of) tropical lands, there is sure to be delicious food. I, however, seem to have only this to show for it. I'm sure we ate. I'm sure of it. I just can't seem to remember what it was. Anyhow, this quick chicken recipe came together so differently and so much better than we ever expected! Seriously, it was delicious.

We found a recipe in a cookbook from Ina Garten for lemony chicken with rosemary. Mom and I decided this was a great meal for us because we had been running errands all day (alright, fine, we were at the mall all day) and we just wanted something quick and we didn't want to have to go to the grocery store if we could avoid it. Mom already had chicken, lemons, and some leftover rosemary, so it was settled! Remember what I told you before? How you should always read through your recipe carefully before you start preparing? Well, we got home, read the recipe more closely, and found out the chicken was supposed to marinate for something like 8 hours. HA! We didn't have the foresight for that one. We did, however, have two inspired ladies in the kitchen, so we changed the recipe up a little bit. Here's what we did...

1) Start heating a cast iron skillet over medium heat. You can use other kinds of pans for this, but cast iron really browns the outside of the chicken into a beautiful crust. I made this again at my apartment with a different kind of pan and it just wasn't the same. Coat the pan with a little olive oil and let it warm. Season your chicken pieces with S&P.

2) Place the chicken pieces in the skillet and enjoy the awesome sizzling sound they make when you put them in the hot oil. Meanwhile, juice and zest some lemons. I'd say juice about 3 lemons if you're making a serving for 4, but you only need the zest from one of the lemons.

3) When the chicken is cooked through, remove from the pan and keep them warm in a low oven. Add the lemon juice and deglaze the pan, using a wooden spoon to scrape up the delicious brown bits left behind fromthe chicken. Add a little white wine (as much as you see fit) and some chopped rosemary, about 1 tsp. or so.

4) Make a slurry by combining cornstarch and water. We usually put about 1 Tbsp. cornstarch and 2 Tbsp. water in a small tupperware, put the lid on, and shake, shake, shake! If it sounds like fun, that's because it is. Whisk the slurry into the pan and bring to a boil. Once it boils, reduce the heat and add a pad of butter. Once the butter has melted, pour this sauce over the already cooked chicken and gobble it up!

someone couldn't keep their hands off the food long enough to get a picture. :)