I made this last week as I was energized by some warmer weather that has been slowly revealing itself as spring starts to bloom. It is very easy to put together and is just so mouth-wateringly delicious. This is a recipe by Ina Garten. I have several of her cookbooks and have made quite a few of her recipes and none have failed —– and this is no exception. I made the recipe as it is written two times and will be one of my go to recipes. It would be fantastic for a casual dinner party. You could make it ahead before your guests arrive so you can relax and enjoy your company. Have a salad prepared in the refrigerator and dinner is EASY PEEZIE! Several people have asked me if you can use other cuts and types of chicken and I say yes, even though I have not trialed in my kitchen. I think you could easily use split chicken breasts with the skin on, boneless chicken breasts if you want to avoid the extra juices (aka fat) that come from the skin. However, those juices dripping into the lemons, garlic and onions make an amazing sauce for the chicken. If using boneless chicken you could add some extra chicken broth halfway through cooking to allow for more softening of the onions and thickening of the sauce. Wine is added half way through the cooking process for this same reason but you can easily substitute chicken broth as well for an equally tasty result.
Prepare your baking dish by layering the lemon, onions, and garlic in that order. Mix together olive oil and herbs. I butterflied a whole chicken but you can ask your butcher to do this for you. You can ‘you-tube’ it as well, that is how I learned how to do it. The 2nd time was way easier and quicker. By butterflying the chicken, it makes for more even and faster cooking. Pat the chicken dry on both sides.
onions, garlic and lemon in casserole dish 
olive oil and herbs mixed together 
prepared butterflied whole chicken
Lay the chicken breast side down and drizzle some of the oil mixture on the up side, using your hands or a brush to spread it evenly. Then turn chicken so breast side is up and use the rest of the oil mixture to spread evenly over entire chicken.
I served this with a couscous salad made with tri-colored couscous and then I add a ton of vegetables (whatever I have in the house), olive oil, butter, salt and pepper, and spices, and parmesean cheese. I will be posting that recipe in the coming weeks. It is a light, satisfying and easy to prepare salad that saves well in the refrigerator for a few days. It’s great for dinner with this chicken or take it for a light lunch.
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
- 1/3 cup good olive oil
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lemon, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 1 yellow onion, sliced thick
- 2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 4-pound chicken, backbone removed and butterflied
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- juice of 1 lemon
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Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
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Place the thyme, fennel seeds, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a mini food processor and process until ground.
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Pour the olive oil into a small glass measuring cup, stir in the herb mixture, and set aside.
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Distribute the lemon slices in a 12-inch cast iron skillet and distribute the onion and garlic on top. Place the chicken, skin side down, on top of the onion and brush with about half the oil and herb mixture. Turn the chicken skin side up, pat it dry with paper towels (very important!), and brush it all over with the rest of the oil and herb mixture.
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Roast the chicken for 30 minutes. Pour the wine into the pan (not on the chicken!) and roast for another 15-30 minutes, until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 155 to 160 degrees.
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Remove the chicken from the oven, sprinkle it with the lemon juice, cover the skillet tightly with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
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Cut the chicken in quarters or eighths, sprinkle with salt, and serve hot with the pan juices, cooked lemon, and onion.
- although I haven’t made it with other types of chicken, I think you could use split chicken breasts with bone-in and the skin on, chicken thighs with bone-in or boneless (have more dark meat and may not dry out as much as breast meat),
- you could use boneless, skinless chicken breasts but I would add a little extra liquid in addition to the wine added about halfway through cooking.
- you can substitute chicken broth for the wine and add extra if using cuts of meat without skin or off the bone.
- the only change I made to Ina Garten’s recipe is the cooking time after the addition of the wine from 10-15 min to 15-30 min. Monitor the meat temperature with a meat thermometer to determine the right timing.
