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I Am... An easy weeknight oven roasted lemon pepper chicken recipe

August 5, 2019 • 1 comment • Posted in: lemon pepper, oven roasted chicken, quarantine cooking

Everyone loves lemon pepper chicken, but if you use the premixed seasoning, you're probably cutting your life short from the sodium content alone. This is a healthier alternative that may or may not taste like the stuff you love, but it's way healthier and super delicious: perfect oven roasted chicken baked with a lemon pepper olive oil mix that sates your soul (and tummy). Cooking Notes Tempering your chicken on the countertop when you come home from the store will ensure faster, more even cooking. If you don't have a meat thermometer, you can cut one open to check if it's done, but a good thermocouple thermometer isn't very expensive and takes the guesswork out of cooking. Ingredient Notes Lemon Pepper Seasoning is a classic salt and pepper blend with lemon zest. If you want to go that route, let your lemon zest dry out and crush sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, dried lemon zest, and a tiny bit of garlic powder to make your own. Go for good quality first pressed olive oil. It's not too much more money and way tastier. What do you need? Just a baking dish. A zester is optional but makes life a lot easier.

An easy weeknight oven roasted lemon pepper chicken recipe Serves 2 Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes Total time: 25 minutes

• 4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
• 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 shallots, peeled and halved
• 2 green onions, trimmed and halved

1. Preheat your oven to 450ºF and season your chicken with salt and pepper. Allow to temper while making the sauce. 2. Zest your lemon and thinly slice half of the lemon. Reserve the zest and the slices. 3. In a small bowl (or directly in the baking pan if you’re feeling adventurous) add 1/4 cup olive oil, the juice of the remaining half lemon, and oregano. Taste and season with salt and pepper. 4. Place the chicken, shallots, green onions, and lemon slices into the baking pan. Pour the sauce over top and roast for 20 minutes, or until the meat hits 150ºF in the center. 5. While the chicken is roasting, use the back of a spoon to crush together 1 teaspoon of crushed black pepper with the remaining lemon zest. Remove and garnish with the lemon pepper mix.