When we visited Hillary and her family last February we had a wonderful dinner prepared be Hillary. The star of the meal was her Lemon Chicken and it was really delicious. I’ve made it several times since watching Hillary do it and my family loves it just as much as Hillary’s family does. I figure you all might like it, too, so I’m going to show you how to make it.
I use boneless skinless chicken breasts, the same as Hillary. In the morning, throw ‘em in a ziploc bag and pour in some lemon juice. Put that in the fridge and go to work – or whatever it is that you do all day. When you’re ready to cook dinner take the chicken out of that ziploc bag and put them in another ziploc bag. This one will have flour, salt & pepper, and paprika in it, too. Shake that chicken all around until it’s coated with the flour.
Now heat up some oil. I like to use my cast iron fry pan for this part. It makes me feel old-fashioned. And it also is just about the best thing ever for frying chicken. And steak. In butter. There is nothing like steak cooked in butter in a cast iron fry pan. Mmmm. Oh wait, sorry, we’re talking about chicken. So fry your chicken on both sides in that oil.
Slice up some lemon. You know what sliced lemon looks like but this picture is pretty so I’m showing you.
Once your chicken is browned on both side put the pieces in a baking dish. Sprinkle the top with a bit of brown sugar and then put a couple of lemon slices on each piece. Pour some chicken broth in there, enough to come up about an inch or so. Cover the pan with foil and put it in a 350° over for about 45 minutes.
The chicken is moist and flavorful and lemony. I like to serve it with rice and broccoli – which is what Hillary served it with, too, I think. And yes, I forgot to take a picture of the finished meal. I just couldn’t wait long enough to gobble it up!
I hope you’ll gobble it up, too. Enjoy!
Karen Said,
That looks yummy!!
Nora Said,
Mm, I can almost smell the lemony goodness! Thanks, Carole – I’m going to try this!
margene Said,
Oh! It looks delish!
Kathy Said,
Sounds yummy. And perfect for Shabbat — we always have chicken.
Ruth Said,
My family would LOVE this.
deb Said,
Oh yum! I bet it would be really good cold the next day too!
Beth Said,
Yum!!!
Kate Said,
Oh, I know what we’re having for dinner this weekend!!!!
Not today though. Today is going to be hot enough to fry chicken on the street in Boston– no, today is a crockpot day.
Barbara-Kay Said,
Soaking it in the lemon juice all day not only imparts flavor, but begins to tenderize the chicken, too. You could get a lot of flavor and still control the sodium level (if you chose to limit the salt). Good recipe!
Hillary Said,
You crack me up. So happy to hear that you liked it that much. It’s a family favorite.
Kim Said,
Yum!!!
Patty Said,
I cut and paste this comments and all. I’ll be cracking up each and every time I make it!
Cookie Said,
Yummy!
Lucia Said,
The Diet From Hell is a lot less hellish since I figured out that I really can eat a lot of the things it forbids without ill effect. Sadly, lemon is not one of those things. I love it, but know better than to eat it. (Dang, I just got an earworm from the 60s.)
Your spinning is lovely btw. I’ve been knitting quite a bit, spinning not so much. I should get busy again.
Amy Said,
That looks really yummy!
Robby Said,
We love grilled lemon chicken, but this looks like a nice changeup. I find letting my chicken sit in lemon juice all day starts to cook the chicken from the acid (where it’s turning white). Instead, I use a vegetable peeler to zest my lemon(s) and put zest on both sides of the breasts and let them sit all day (possibly even a bit longer depending on how life works). Then for the last 30-60 minutes, I add the lemon juice. Super delicious lemon flavor, not pre-cooked chicken spots. Just a cooking tidbit.
NOTE to Lucia: If you are having trouble with the acid in lemons, you could still get nice flavor using my method without ever adding the juice.
Sara Said,
That looks really good…I’ll be trying that…I haven’t had chicken in a couple of weeks so it’s about time.
Karen Said,
Yum! I was just looking yesterday for a new way to make chicken.
--Deb Said,
That really DOES look good! (And, I agree. The lemon slices are beautiful.)
(formerly) no-blog-rachel Said,
Yum – and simple too. Thanks for sharing!
vanessa Said,
my mouth is watering
Norma Said,
No-Blog-Rachel thinks this sounds simple? Too many steps for me. Heh. If you want to make it for me, though, I’ll happily devour it! This would be awesome with asparagus.
Laurie Said,
Yum! Thank you! I’m bookmarking this one.
maryse Said,
i think joe might actually eat this. it looks yummy.
claudia Said,
That looks delicious and easy enough for even me to do.
Wanda Said,
Wow, this look so tasty. I just bought a huge bag of frozen chicken, so I will need some ways to use it up. Chicken soaking all day in lemon juice sounds delish. It won’t work for the veggie in my household, but I will find some fish to cook for him, along with veggies. I think asparagus and brown rice would set this off.