WHY THIS ROASTED CHICKEN RECIPE WORKS
This chicken with lemon sauce is inspired by the lemon chicken served at Rao’s restaurant in New York. We substituted easy-to-find chicken parts that don’t require butchering for the small whole chickens used at the restaurant. Because home broilers are not as powerful as restaurant broilers, we browned the chicken skin in a skillet and then braised the chicken pieces in the pan with a lemon-juice-and-chicken-broth-based sauce; the skin was above the liquid, so it continued to brown and crisp while in the oven. To make crispy roasted chicken, we browned the dark-meat pieces on both sides so that they would finish cooking at the same time as the breasts, eliminating the need to remove the chicken from the pan in batches. A mere 1/4 cup of lemon juice in the sauce gave it just the right degree of brightness and adding lemon zest gave us more lemon flavor without adding acidity. Adding flour to the braising liquid ensured that our sauce had the perfect consistency with no need to reduce it further on the stovetop once the roasted chicken was done. Simply whisking the sauce brought it together before we garnished it with a fresh herb-zest mixture.
GATHER YOUR ROASTED CHICKEN INGREDIENTS
- ½ cup of salt
- 3 pounds bone-in chicken pieces (2 split breasts cut in half crosswise, 2 drumsticks, and 2 thighs), trimmed
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 4 teaspoons grated lemon zest plus 1/4 cup juice (2 lemons)
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley leaves
- 1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves
CHICKEN WITH LEMON SAUCE KEY EQUIPMENT
- Traditional Skillets
- Rasp-Style Graters
- Tongs
- All-Purpose Whisks
- Measuring Spoons
BEFORE YOU BEGIN OUR CHICKEN WITH LEMON SAUCE
We serve our chicken with lemon sauce version of Rao’s chicken with crusty bread, but it can also be served with rice, potatoes, or egg noodles. To ensure crisp skin, dry the chicken well after brining and pour the sauce around, not on, the chicken right before serving.
INSTRUCTIONS
To make the perfect roasted chicken recipe, dissolve salt in 2 quarts cold water in a large container. Submerge the chicken in brine, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Remove chicken from brine and pat dry with paper towels.
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat to 475 degrees. Heat oil in oven-safe 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place chicken skin side down in skillet and cook until skin is well browned and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes—transfer breasts to a large plate. Flip thighs and legs and continue to cook until browned on the second side, 3 to 5 minutes longer. Transfer thighs and legs to plate with breasts to make the crispy roasted chicken recipe.
To make the chicken with lemon sauce. Pour off and discard fat in skillet. Return skillet to medium heat; add butter, shallot, and garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Sprinkle flour evenly over shallot-garlic mixture and cook, constantly stirring, until flour is lightly browned, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in broth and lemon juice, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to simmer. Cook until sauce is slightly reduced and thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon zest and remove skillet from heat. Return chicken, skin side up (skin should be above the surface of the liquid), and any accumulated juices to skillet and transfer to oven. Cook, uncovered until breasts register 160 degrees and thighs and legs register 175 degrees, 10 to 12 minutes.
While chicken cooks, chop parsley, oregano, and remaining 1 teaspoon zest together until finely minced and well combined. Remove skillet from oven and let roasted chicken stand for 5 minutes.
Transfer chicken with lemon to a serving platter. Whisk sauce, incorporating any browned bits from sides of the pan, until smooth and homogeneous, about 30 seconds. Whisk half of the herb-zest mixture into sauce and sprinkle remaining half over chicken. Pour some sauce around chicken. Serve, passing remaining sauce separately. Here you have a delicious roasted chicken with lemon sauce.
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