Our summer barbecues often include the combination of ribs and chicken. The ribs are sourced locally from a pork farm less than ten minutes from our home. The rich, succulent meat pairs very well with a sweet hickory barbecue sauce. I didn’t want to duplicate the same flavor profile for the chicken. I was thinking of a nice contrast, lemon, garlic and herbs. My need wasn’t for a method of cooking the chicken, Joe has mastered that quite nicely, I just wanted a different way to finish the chicken.
I found this very well reviewed method from a 2002 issue of Gourmet magazine. What makes this recipe unique is that the chicken is only seasoned with salt and pepper, grilled, and THEN tossed in a dressing of lemon, oregano, salt, pepper and olive oil. My husband was a bit skeptical but was willing to give it a try.
Sounds too simple but resulted in a surprisingly moist and flavorful dish that we will definitely be making again. We had plenty of fresh oregano from the garden for this, I would imagine that fresh rosemary or thyme would work as well. It’s a dish that can be done out of season as well. Put the chicken, skin side up in a shallow baking pans in the upper and lower thirds of a 500°F oven, switch the pans halfway through baking. Bake until the skin is crisp and chicken is cooked through, about 40 minutes. The lemon slices can be grilled in a grill pan. Toss the chicken pieces in the dressing and serve.
Grilled Chicken with Lemon, Garlic and Oregano
Serves 8
Ingredients
- 2 lemons cut crosswise into 1/3 inch slices
- ¼ c fresh lemon juice
- ¼ c finely chopped oregano
- 2 T minced garlic
- ½ t kosher salt
- ½ t coarsely ground black pepper
- 1/3 c good quality olive oil
- 6 lbs or more, chicken parts, breasts, thighs and legs
Directions
- Whisk together lemon juice, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk in the olive oil in a slow stream.
- Season chicken parts with salt and pepper. Grill chicken according to your usual method on a gas or charcoal grill. Transfer cooked chicken to a tray and keep warm.
- Transfer chicken parts to the bowl and turn to coat the pieces
- Grill lemon slices until grill marks appear, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to platter with the cooked chicken.
