Lemon chicken revolution: Tangy twist on a classic favourite
I have found something for chicken enthusiasts who are tired of traditional oven-baked drumsticks. You might think these ingredients don't go together, but trust me – this chicken is a true masterpiece. It pairs excellently with rice and a salad of fresh vegetables. It's light, juicy, and perfect.
Lemon chicken offers a delightful variety in the kitchen. Its aroma stimulates the senses, and the addition of citrus gives the meat slightly tangy notes, providing a feeling of lightness. You bake the meat in white wine, which positively affects its texture.
Drumsticks, breasts, or whole?
You can prepare chicken drumsticks, wings, or breasts in a lemon marinade. You can also bake it whole, but doing so makes it challenging to brown the meat in garlic olive oil.
The choice of chicken parts depends on your taste and the sides you plan to serve it with. If the lemon chicken is to be a component of a salad, choose breasts. For dinner dishes, drumsticks will work better.
Drumsticks contain more fat than breasts, and fat is a carrier of flavour. Additionally, baked with the skin on, it retains everything absorbed from the marinade inside.
How to make a lemon chicken marinade?
Here are the proportions for 12 chicken drumsticks:
Pour 3 tablespoons of olive oil into a dish, add 1 tablespoon of dried thyme, 1 tablespoon of grated ginger, a tablespoon of honey, juice from half a lemon, salt, and pepper.
Rub the meat thoroughly with this marinade and place it in a sealed container or a zip-lock bag. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Should you brown the chicken before baking? It's worth it, it will be more juicy
Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and sauté cloves peeled from 1 head of garlic in it. Be careful with the heat. Burnt garlic is bitter in taste. Remove the garlic and brown the chicken in the oil – just 2-3 minutes on each side. You can then place the prepared meat in a baking dish.
Lemon chicken from the oven
Pour 250 millilitres of dry white wine into the pan with the remnants of olive oil and chicken marinade. Cover the prepared drumsticks for baking with this marinade. Add sautéed garlic cloves and half a lemon, sliced. Place in an oven preheated to 200 degrees Celsius. Bake for 30 minutes uncovered.
Serve with rice, roasted potatoes, fresh vegetables, or slaw with young cabbage.
