Easy 'n Breezy Lemon Chicken

[estherhugenholtz]

I confess: I am a foodie and love cooking. So, as a new entry to this blog, I am posting one of my (many) recipes. Bon appetit!

This makes a great "but-I-only-have-an-hour-before-candlelighting" Shabbos dinner and it's also suitable for warmer weather due to its freshness and tangy-sweet lemon and honey flavor.

Ingredients (serves 4):
4 pieces of chicken (legs and thighs, preferably)
3 lemons
potatoes
1 onion
a few cloves of garlic
1 zucchini
2 carrots
honey
fresh mediterranean herbs (like thyme, basil or oregano)
salt and pepper
olive oil

Instructions:
Wash lemons, potatoes, zucchini and carrots.
Squeeze lemon juice from lemons into a bowl. Keep the peels
To the bowl, add chopped or ground garlic, mediterranean herbs, salt, pepper and a dash of olive oil.
Allow chicken to marinate in this mix for 15 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, chop up lemon peels, potatoes (either peeled or with their skins), onions, carrots and zucchini into generous chunks.
Grease casserole dish with olive oil and add the lemon peels, potatoes, onion, carrots and zucchini.
In a non-stick pan, sear the chicken so that they are crisp on the outside (but you don't have to cook them fully). Pre-heat oven at about 180 degrees Centigrade/400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place the chicken pieces in the casserole dish and glaze them lightly with honey. (This will caramelize nicely but do keep your eye on the chicken so that it doesn't burn). Add remainder of the marinade to the vegetables and chicken in the dish.
Allow to cook in the oven for about 45 minutes.

The veggies will cook in the juices of the chicken, herbs, lemon and honey and it's absolutely delicious.
Serve for an extra fresh touch with a simple green/spinach salad dressed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
Tip: are you in a hurry? Pre-boil the potatoes 'al dente' before putting them in the oven: this will save you time.