Summertime says ... Greek Lemon Chicken.
Few dishes are more distinctly "summertime", for me, than Greek lemon chicken. I mostly like Greek deserts, but this is one dish that just is perfect, for me, for kicking off the summer. I don't know why I think that, but it is probably because it just is a great dish to eat outdoors and the pungent freshness of the lemon flavor makes one think of ...
Prep is simple. This dish is a triple-score, because you get dinner for you and puppydog, chicken salad, and lemon-chicken soup...
Cut up some onions halves (yellow or, if you have on hand, Vidalia), until you can generously cover the bottom of the pan you are using. (tip: I alternate cutting crosswise, thin, and lengthwise, medium -- this affects the soup) Salt them generously, with a lite salt. Dot with butter. (tip: 2 tablespoons; cut into thirds on each side; on the last pass, let the dots slide up the knife - you'll get a perfect set with little effort). I cover the onions with oregano, fairly generously. Rosemary. (no thyme/sage)
Lemons get cut (halved), juiced into the pan, and then placed around the chicken. No need to purchase the expensive lemons. Add enough water to cover the bottom of the pan to about 3/8th inch, no more.
For the chicken, no prep needed. I go very heavily with the oregano, because it goes so well with the lemon. Salt, black pepper (course ground, if you are fancy). Paprika or cayenne for a little color. (I skip thyme/sage). The leg-plus-thigh cut is just as good, if not better, than split-breast (above).
Limonolio - a pantry necessityCover and cook for 90 mins at 350. Cook another 15-20 mins, uncovered (and hotter), if you like super crispy tops.
If you want to make in advance, it is fine to let sit in refrigerator overnight, cooked - the flavors will set a bit.
Sides:
Pilaf really is the best, especially if you love the lemon-chicken juices running around the plate into everything.
Cook chicken on a lower rack, and then, halfway through, you can put diced potatoes in a glass pan on the top. After the chicken is out, turn up the heat to brown the potatoes.
Take all that is left in the pan (or add stock) and make Lemon Chicken Soup (Avgolemono), which is really very good, when done just right.
You can make chicken salad out of any remaining chicken (tear it and put it in some pasta with shrimps for a cold lemon pasta salad, with a few slices of prosciutto, salami, etc. kicking about). Your favorite olive(s), too.
