Author Notes
My mom's recipe for simple roasted chicken proves that a delicious meal can be made with just a few ingredients. Lemon and herbs deepen the flavor and keep the chicken from drying out.
Mama never cared for desserts and they didn’t care for her either. She only baked on those rare occasions, when she wanted to surprise us or perhaps to prove herself that she can bake. But she can’t. You know how some people don’t have a green thumb in gardening? Well, mama doesn’t have whatever the equivalent is in baking. Her cakes always turned into an inedible mass that could probably be used as packing material and her baking, with time, turned into a joke. She eventually stopped trying.
But mama is an excellent cook! I learned from her the trade of making something out of nothing and for a while even supplemented my income with it. There were busy soccer moms and elderly ladies that missed my meals made with only a few ingredients when I stopped cooking for them. One of their favorite meals was this simple roasted chicken with lemon and herbs just like my mama makes it. Mama’s meals are always the best, no matter how old or how good of a cook you are!
—Jas
Ingredients
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3-4 pounds
chicken parts (like boneless breast and leg quarters)
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1 handful
mixed fresh herbs (such as sage, thyme and rosemary)
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2
lemons
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2 tablespoons
olive oil
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salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Directions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Rinse chicken pieces and pat dry with paper towels. Coat chicken with olive oil using your hands. Set the pieces in a roasting pan, skin side up. Squeeze the juice of one lemon over chicken; season with salt and pepper. Scatter with herb twigs and lemon slices.
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Roast for 45-60 minutes, depending on size, or until juices run clear.
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