Lemon Chicken Breasts (Ina Garten)

By Foodiewife

This recipe comes from Ina Garten's most recent cookbook 'How Easy Is That?" She's right. This is a very simple, and flavorful way to service chicken. I used chicken breasts, bone-in, so I adapted the recipe a little bit by searing the chicken before baking them in a lemon-garlic-herb infused sauce. Using boneless chicken breasts would be easier, if you don't mind the extra cost.
Excellent recipe, especially served with brown rice to absorb all that extra flavorful sauce.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic (9 cloves)
• 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

Preparation

Step 1

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.
**NOTE: Because I used chicken breasts, bone-in, I quickly seared them before adding them to the sauce.

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.