Lemon Chicken

Spring is a transition time for me in many ways. My body’s circadian rhythm starts to adjust to the longer days and the warmer weather. I come out of my winter slumber and start thinking about things to change or fix. For me it’s my time for new resolutions because I never seem to have the desire to make a commitment in January like the rest of the world. Get more organized, rearrange the living room, lose weight, change my diet, entertain more. The list can become endless. Its weird but I’ve become accustomed to this yearly routine.

But like all transitions, sometimes it’s hard to figure out what is appropriate for a given situation and what to cook during this time of year. As I question what clothing to wear -- Will it be too cold for short sleeves? Can I get away with wearing white --I also question what I can cook. Will it be too hot to make that stew? Is it too early for a barbecue? Summer’s bounty of fruits and vegetables has yet to show up at the markets and yet I know I need to shed those winter recipes and move on to spring. So, I look for lighter recipes that don’t require a long, slow cook in the oven yet are more substantial than what I would want to eat during the dog days of summer. I’m usually trying to slim down too and lose the weight that I gained during my winter hibernation so it shouldn’t be too rich either

That is why I love this recipe from Joel Robuchon called Lemon Chicken. It’s terrific, it satisfies all requirements and it looks beautiful even before it’s cooked.

I’ve made a slight modification to his recipe, which calls for sautéing the chicken prior to roasting. I’ve left this step out with successful results. You can prep this dish in the morning and leave it sitting in your refrigerator until you are ready to bake.

Ingredients:

One whole chicken quartered
3 large onions
3 tablespoons olive oil
Marjoram, Rosemary and Herbs de Provence
2 lemons

Instructions:

1. Thinly slice three large onions and spread in a baking dish large enough to hold a chicken that’s been quartered.
2. Lay the chicken pieces on top of the onion slices.
3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
4. Thinly slice two lemons and scatter over the chicken pieces.
5. Sprinkle with fresh marjoram, or as I did, herbs de provence. Rosemary would be good too.
6. Drizzle with a little bit more olive oil and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more.
7. Preheat your oven to 410o F and when ready to bake slide the lemon slices down the sides the chicken onto the onions.
8. Bake the chicken for around 45 minutes or until well done and the skin is crisp and brown.

I like to accompany the chicken with asparagus. So while the chicken is resting and the oven is still on, I’ll toss the asparagus with olive oil and salt and roast single file in a baking dish until tender. Usually 5 to 7 minutes depending upon the thickness of the asparagus. If I have fresh parmesan in the house, I’ll thinly shave the parmesan to serve on top of the asparagus. With a salad of fresh greens, you’ll have a great spring dinner of which you can be proud.