It should come as no surprise that Skillet-Roasted Lemon Chicken is our most popular Ina Garten recipe of all time. But if we had to guess why, it would probably start with the fact that it's delicious, simple, and cost effective.
The recipe calls for a butterflied chicken to be lacquered in a mixture of thyme, black pepper, fennel seed, and olive oil, then roasted with garlic, onions, lemon, and white wine. After about 40 minutes in the oven, you’ll have a moist bird with crisp skin and lemony, garlic-forward goodness.
As is the case with many of Ina’s greatest hits, this recipe lets you create complex flavors with simple techniques. Other than hitting the “pulse” button on your food processor and then slicing some garlic, onion, and lemon, there isn’t much work to be done—you’ll need to open the oven a few times, but that’s manageable. With big flavor and little preparation, this is one of the rare recipes that succeeds as the star of a dinner party or as a last-minute weeknight meal.
My favorite part of this recipe is that it stretches your dollar by using an entire, butterflied chicken instead of individual breasts or thighs. When buying a bird, do as Ina says and ask your butcher to butterfly the chicken for you (they’ll usually do it for free). If you already have a chicken but it needs to be butterflied, you can refer to our tutorial here.
Don’t just take my word for it: If you scroll down on the recipe page, you’ll find a sea of comments lauding Ina’s chicken. Some of my favorites include Eric sharing that it “was a huge Sunday night hit,” Sue proudly announcing she “has made this more times than [she] can count!” and David labeling Ina’s creation as “perfection.” What more reason do you need to make this your dinner tonight?
| 2 | teaspoons fresh thyme leaves |
| 1 | teaspoon whole fennel seeds |
| Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| 1/3 | cup good olive oil |
| 1 | lemon, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick (see Notes) |
| 1 | yellow onion, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick |
| 2 | large garlic cloves, thinly sliced |
| 1 | (4-pound) chicken, backbone removed and butterflied |
| 1/2 | cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio |
| Juice of 1 lemon |
| 2 | teaspoons fresh thyme leaves |
| 1 | teaspoon whole fennel seeds |
| Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| 1/3 | cup good olive oil |
| 1 | lemon, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick (see Notes) |
| 1 | yellow onion, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick |
| 2 | large garlic cloves, thinly sliced |
| 1 | (4-pound) chicken, backbone removed and butterflied |
| 1/2 | cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio |
| Juice of 1 lemon |
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Written by: Paul Hagopian
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