A Great Way To Add Lemons To Your Cooking – By Melting Them!
First, thanks to Robin, from the Robin & Willow food site. She shared this recipe and I told her I was going to make it – and I did!
I have cooked chicken over onions and garlic before, sometimes tomato as well, but never with sliced lemon – and the method creates a great “melted lemon” base!
Here is the recipe from Robin – let’s start with the ingredients:
8 bone-in-skin-on chicken thighs
2¾ tsp kosher salt
3 lemons
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 large yellow onion
4 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp capers, rinsed (for garnish – note: I don’t use them at all)
½-1 Tbsp fresh oregano leaves (optional garnish)
Let’s cook!
The first thing you do is marinate your chicken—ideally the night before, but if not Robin says do it as long as you can before cooking it. Place the chicken thighs in a bowl or large Ziplock bag with the salt, the juice of one lemon, and the dried oregano. Massage the seasoning into the meat and refrigerate if you’re not cooking imminently.
When you’re ready to cook the chicken, bring it out of the fridge to come to room temperature. Heat the oven to 450 Fahrenheit.
Slice the onion in half and peel off the skin, then slice as thinly as you can into half rounds.
You know how easy it is – watch me do it:
Place the sliced onion in an 11 x 15-inch (or thereabouts) roasting or sheet pan.
Follow this with one lemon: slice the tip and butt off the lemon, then cut it in half lengthwise. Facing the lemon cut-side down, slice it as thinly as possible—these slices really need to be delicate so they can melt. Use a mandolin if you prefer. Get rid of any pips and place the lemon in the pan.
This is where Robin has you slicing the garlic cloves thinly and adding them to the pan, too. BUT I FORGOT THEM! For those who follow my cooking adventures, I put garlic in EVERYTHING! Huge oversight!
Cut the remaining lemon in half and squeeze the juice over everything. Follow with a tablespoon of olive oil and toss to coat.
Pour the chicken and its marinade over the lemon and onions. Attend to each thigh: remove fatty pockets on the underside and detach any skin below the chicken, pulling it outwards.
Place each thigh skin-up and splay excess skin so it rests on top of the lemon and onions.
Lay a double-sheet of paper towels on top of the thighs and press to wick away any moisture. Flip the paper and press again, discard. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over the dry chicken.
Here’s a short version of the process in action:
Bake, uncovered, until the thighs are cooked through, the skin is golden, and the lemon and onion have melted, about 45 minutes. If your thighs are cooked but the skin needs a little encouragement, turn the broiler on high and stand by, inspecting the thighs every couple of minutes until there are enough bubbly bits to get you excited.
Remove the chicken from the oven and taste the sauce before adding the fresh oregano. If you prefer more oregano flavor, sprinkle it into the sauce. The heat from the pan will keep the herb vibrant and help it infuse. Add the capers next and let the chicken rest for a few minutes before serving.
The result was delicious! The chicken was moist inside and flavorful, and the lemons and onions as you see were perfectly melted…a really delicious dish!
I’m holding off on a shot of the dish plated because I’m going to share my side dish with you in a few days, as part of the MKD Cookbook Club….
Here’s a look at the whole process of making the dish…
I love chicken, and why not? It was good enough for Benjamin Franklin! Here’s a recipe from his cookbook I shared!
I have also shared recipes from Franklin’s other “founding foodies” on July 4th:
Yes, there is a terrific book about how Franklin, Jefferson and George Washington as well were foodies! Did you know that Thomas Jefferson introduced macaroni to America?
So much more to share including two terrific recipes – just click here:
While Franklin was never President, he was everything to the US but…and much better than some of our “official” choices, like this guy:
This is President John Tyler…did you know he was a charlatan as well as a pie lover?
See his “Sugar Pie” recipe here!
Thanks again to Robin for the recipe – please go and check out her terrific website here:
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This sounds wonderful! I might exchange the lemon for a few orange slices as well!!!!
The chicken looks amazing! My lemon loving family would be happy with this.
Hi John, this sounds very good. I love a lemon flavour
Wow, that looks really good!
That lemon chicken does look delicious, but I am amazed that you of all people forgot the garlic! 😊🧄
Best wishes, Pete.
Sounds lovely, but if you marinate chicken in lemon juice for too long it starts cooking, so overnight is probably the max. Just in case people take “longer the better” literally!
That’s a great point, thanks for adding it to the conversation!