Today I'm sharing a simple dinner that we've been enjoying regularly for a couple years now. I don't know why I haven't blogged about it yet! This marinade is my absolute favorite for chicken. Bursting with the punchy flavors of lemon zest and fresh garlic, this chicken is so deliciously bright and satisfying. Use the lemony marinade to make chicken drumsticks exciting without any fried coating. Drumsticks are so nice because they're an inexpensive cut of meat and always turn out so beautiful when roasted. It's is also a great dinner idea to keep in mind if you have package of chicken thighs with the bones and skin on, like I did here-- another budget-friendly choice. (Side note: if we happen to have boneless, skinless thighs, I always set those aside because they make the best stir-fry.)
The best thing about this meal is that it's really just a matter of shaking up a marinade. So, a couple minutes of work at the beginning and then it's just
1. Stick it in the fridge.
2. Stick it in the oven.
And you have a really nice dinner! I'd serve this with some rice and sautéed zucchini, or green beans, or you could put a pan of veggies in the oven and roast them at the same time as the chicken.
Delicious Lemon Garlic Drumsticks/Thighs
lightly adapted from The Nourishing Gourmet
In the past I've made these right around dinner time and skipped the marinating time- they're still awesome without it. But they do have a deeper flavor if you marinade longer.
6 chicken drumsticks or thighs
Lemon Garlic Marinade:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons yellow mustard
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
zest and juice of one organic lemon
Combine marinade ingredients in a small jar and shake well. Rinse and dry drumsticks or thighs. Place chicken in a large glass bowl and cover with marinade, mix it up a bit to make sure each piece will be well marinated. Cover and place in refrigerator, let marinade for 2-12 hours.
When ready to roast the chicken, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place drumsticks in a baking dish and bake for about 45 to 55 minutes, or until done. If using thighs, bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until done. The juices should run clear when chicken is pierced with a knife.
Mmm. Keep this marinade recipe around. It comes in handy.
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11 comments:
Can't wait to try, looks delicious! I love a lemon, garlic and fresh basil marinade in the summer so I know I'll love this!
I don't know why, but I always had an issue with lemon chicken as a kid. This though makes me want to try it all over again. yum!!
The marinade sounds delicious! I will give it a try next week.
yum! p.s. LOVE the new banner.
This looks delicious! And I love your new blog header!
I wonder if my kids would go for this-they don't care for a lemon chicken that I make, but with the garlic and basil, they might go for it. I also love your new header-it looks fabulous!
It took me awhile, but I finally noticed your new header and it's adorable! Someday I'll hire you to make one for me.
Recipe looks great, too.
I'm curious what kind of mustard you used for this? Dijon? Spicy Brown? Yellow?
@Jenny Klein -- I use yellow mustard, but feel free to pick whatever you prefer! :)
thank you!! sorry, saw that in the recipe after I commented! trying this tonight :)
Two potentially silly questions
1. If I have boneless, skinless thighs will they still work with the marinade? I noted you said you usually use those for stir frys.
2. Do you put the pan with the marinated chicken directly in the oven vs. removing from the marinade to a new pan?