If there’s one food holiday we can’t resist celebrating this April, it’s National Garlic Month! This time of the year, we’re commemorating all things pungent, sweet and spicy with the ultimate delicious vegetable bulb. Fragrant and flavorful, garlic is one necessary go-to ingredient found in most cuisines around the world. We can never get enough garlic in our lives and what better way to get into the spirit than with a classic roasted chicken recipe? It’s simple to put together and has all the great flavors of a comforting home-cooked meal. Lemon, garlic and fresh herbs are such a fantastic combination that melds together beautifully with chicken. We roast the chicken in an easy butter and herb mixture along with plenty of onions, lemons and of course, garlic. Nothing goes to waste with this chicken recipe as we even cook up the juices at the end with a little chicken broth to serve along the side. The result is one flavorful, fall-off-the-bone tender and juicy main course that’s packed with all that garlicky, lemony goodness we all love.
You can never have enough garlic. The many benefits it touts far outweights its pungent reputation. Sharp and spicy when eaten raw, the flavors of garlic mellow and sweet considerably during the cooking process. Here at Melissa’s, we have an excellent selection of garlic items such as classic Organic Garlic, which can be used in all sorts of recipes from Italian to French to Asian and more. Garlic can be used whole but is even better crushed, chopped, pressed or pureed to release more of their essential oils and reveal an even more pronounced flavor, which is where our Peeled Garlic come in handy. We also have ready-to-use Roasted Garlic and Minced Garlic for your convenience, both of which can be used to add flavor to main dishes, stir-fries, sauces and more. Another National Garlic Month-worthy item that you might not have ever come across is our Elephant Garlic. Now don’t let its size fool you. Although they’re big in size, they’re actually quite mild in flavor and are less pungent than regular garlic. If you’re looking for something more flavorful, then you’ll love our Black Garlic. Aged for a month in a special fermentation process under high heat, black garlic boasts a soft melt-in-your-mouth texture and sweet molasses-like rich flavor with tangy garlic undertones. We promise you won’t have tasted anything like this before!
Roasted Lemon Garlic Chicken
Yields: 3-4 servings
Ingredients
- 3-4 large chicken thighs
- 4 organic lemons or seedless lemons, cut into rounds
- 1 large onion, cut into wedges
- 4 cloves of organic garlic, minced
- 6 cloves of organic garlic, crushed
- 1/2 lb of sliced bacon
- 1 cup of white wine
- 1/2 cup of chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon of minced fresh thyme
- 2 bunches of fresh thyme
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Rinse the chicken under cold running water and use paper towels to pat the chicken dry.
2. In a bowl, combine the butter, minced garlic, minced thyme, lemon zest and salt and pepper.
3. Add salt and pepper to the outside of the chicken. Rub the herb butter under the skin and on the outside of the chicken.
4. Set the chicken skin side down onto a cast-iron or roasting pan. Scatter the garlic cloves, onion wedges and lemon rounds around the pan. Add 1/2 cup of water to the pan.
5. Roast the chicken for around 30 minutes. Then remove from the oven and use kitchen tongs to turn the chicken skin side up. Add another 1/2 cup of water and roast for around 20 minutes until the meat is cooked.
6. Once finished cooking, remove the chicken from the pan and set aside
7. Make a gravy by taking the pan with the remaining chicken juices and scrape up any remaining browned bits. Spoon off any fat on top. Add chicken stock to the pan and cook over medium high heat. Once finished cooking, place the chicken thighs back into the pan and serve with the gravy.