Ina Garten's Skillet-Roasted Lemon Chicken Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

Ina Garten's Skillet-Roasted Lemon Chicken Recipe on Food52? ›

What should I serve with lemon chicken? We like to highlight the bright lemony flavors in the chicken dish, and suggest this lemon-thyme risotto or Ina Garten's Mashed Potato with Lemon and this simple celery salad.

What should I serve with lemon chicken? We like to highlight the bright lemony flavors in the chicken dish, and suggest this lemon-thyme risotto or Ina Garten's Mashed Potato with Lemon and this simple celery salad.

Use your favorite preserves, chutney, barbecue sauce, or build your own thick and sticky concoction to coat the bird with. Think honey and lemon or brown sugar and soy sauce; just be mindful of how much salt the glaze contains as most store-bought rotisserie chickens are already seasoned with salt.

You can roast or bake anywhere between 325 and 450 degrees F. When roasting a whole chicken, a nice rule of them is to start at 400 to 425 degrees F and then turn the oven down to 350 after 15 minutes and cook until the internal temp of the chicken is 165 – 175 degrees F on an instant read thermometer.

Chicken is done cooking when its internal temperature reaches 165ºF (75ºC). 165ºF is the safe internal temperature regardless of cooking method, cooking temperature, and cut of meat—including white meat like chicken breasts and wings, and dark meat like drumsticks and thighs.

Here's why: Lemon juice helps to tenderize meat, but when left for too long, it will break down the proteins too much, making the meat tough and rubbery… sometimes even mushy. So, if you want tender, juicy, and flavorful chicken, make sure to only marinate the chicken for 2-3 hours.

The lemon also denatures proteins on the surface of the chicken, similar to how citrus "cooks" fish in ceviche. This will impart a tenderizing effect, making the chicken softer and juicier as a bonus. Vinegar also works as a cleaning agent due to its similar acidity.

Lemon: Pairs especially well with almond, apricot, basil, berries, black pepper, cardamom, cherry, citrus, coconut, hazelnut, ginger, mint, nectarine, peach, plum, prickly pear, rosemary, thyme, tropical fruit, and vanilla. For spirits, it mixes best with rum, vodka, and nut and orange liqueurs.

On the temperature front, the differences between roasting and baking are fairly cut and dry. Both roasting and baking involve cooking with dry, ambient heat, usually in an oven. Roasting temperatures are typically above 400 degrees Fahrenheit while baking temperatures are about 375 degrees and below.

Why is my oven roasted chicken tough? ›

Overcooking might play a role in your chicken's tire-like texture. Leaving chicken in a pan, oven, or grill for just a little too long can suck the moisture right out and leave you with a dry, rubbery bird. Without moisture, the protein fibers in the chicken become elastic.

Air-Dry Overnight

After rubbing the chicken with the mixture of salt and baking powder, it needs to air-dry in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours. By letting the chicken sit uncovered in the refrigerator, we allow the surface moisture to evaporate, leading to extra-crisp skin once roasted.

Marinating is good for flavouring and tenderising your chicken at the same time. It's best to marinate your chicken overnight to give the flavours plenty of time to infuse. A faster way to add flavour is to simply brine your chicken in salty water prior to cooking.

You see, without a generous sprinkling of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, your chicken is basically destined for blandness. After you've pulled your chicken out of its marinade (or even if you're not using a marinade), always sprinkle all sides of the breast with salt and pepper.

All poultry should reach a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F (73.9 °C) as measured with a food thermometer. A whole chicken must reach this temperature throughout the bird. Check the internal temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast.

Temperature and Timing

Our go-to temp for baking boneless chicken breast is 375 degrees, and the cook time is about 20 minutes. The chicken is cooked when a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees. It should be removed from the oven and allowed to sit for 10 minutes before slicing or serving.

For large boneless, skinless chicken breasts: cook them 20 to 30 minutes in a 375 degrees F oven. For large bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts: cook them 35 to 40 minutes in a 375 degrees F oven. For answers to all the rest of the questions you might have, the article How Long to Cook Chicken Breast In the Oven?