Chicken with Lemon and Oregano

Yummy, yummy, yummy! This Greek-inspired recipe from Williams-Sonoma was soooo good and, even better, soooo easy. Since most Williams-Sonoma recipes are wonderful as is, I hardly made any adjustments at all. I didn’t even make enough changes to put “adapted from” in my source. All I changed was using chicken breasts instead of chicken pieces. This of course changed the oven time, which I’ve noted in the recipe. I served this chicken with an olive oil whole wheat couscous. Delicious!

Chicken with Lemon and Oregano
Williams-Sonoma
Ingredients:

2 TBSP olive oil1 chicken, about 3 1/2 lb., cut into 8 serving pieces (I used boneless, skinless breasts)Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste2 TBSP chopped fresh oregano2 garlic cloves, mincedGrated zest of 1 lemon1/4 c. fresh lemon juice1 c. pitted black olives, such as Kalamata, slivered1 c. unsalted chicken broth

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 400°F.

2. In a 3-quart deep sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil until nearly smoking.

3. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper and sprinkle 1 TBSP of the oregano evenly over the pieces.

4. Working in batches, arrange the chicken skin side down in the pan and cook, turning once, until crispy and golden, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken pieces to a platter as they are browned.

5. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the garlic and half of the lemon zest to the pan. Sauté, stirring often, until the garlic is tender and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.  Stir in the lemon juice, return the chicken to the pan and transfer to the oven.

6. Roast the chicken, turning occasionally to coat with the pan juices, until the juices run clear when a thigh is pierced with a knife, about 1 hour. (It took about 20–30 minutes for chicken breasts.)

7. About 15 minutes before the chicken is done (I did it ten minutes before because of reduced cooking time), add the olives, sprinkle the remaining 1 Tbs. oregano over the top and continue roasting.

8. When the chicken is done, transfer the pieces to a warmed platter and set the pan over medium heat. Add the broth and bring to a simmer, stirring to scrape up any browned bits. Cook until the juices are reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.

9. Pour juices over chicken, garnish with the remaining zest and serve immediately.