In this easy baked chicken recipe, both lemon and lemongrass are used to create a delicious garlic inflused lemony chicken that literally melts in your mouth. Quarter chicken pieces (leg and thigh) are perfect to use, and make nice individual portions for serving guests. In fact, this has become one of my standard 'company is coming' dishes because it's so easy to make, yet beautiful to serve. And because it's mild in flavor, everyone loves it, even picky eaters like my step-kids (they always want seconds!). Give it a try!
Prep Time: 12 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 00 minutes
Ingredients:
- SERVES 2-4
- 2 to 4 quarter chicken pieces (leg & thigh)
- pinch of salt
- optional garnish: lemon slices and fresh coriander
- LEMON SAUCE:
- 3 Tbsp. prepared lemongrass (can be purchased frozen at Asian stores) OR 1+1/2 stalks fresh lemongrass, prepared
- juice of 1 lemon
- 6 Tbsp. fish sauce (available by the bottle in Asian/Chinese food stores)
- 5-6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2/3 cup liquid honey
- 1 fresh red chili, minced, OR 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. dried crushed chili
- 1 cup good-quality coconut milk
Preparation:
For instructions on how to prepare fresh lemongrass, see: All About Cooking with Lemongrass.
- Make the lemon sauce by stirring all the lemon sauce ingredients together in a bowl.
- Be sure not to remove the fat from the chicken pieces (most of this will seep out and won't be eaten anyway, but what remains will help flavor the chicken and keep it moist). Spread the chicken pieces out in a flat-bottomed glass baking dish, such as you would use for lasagna (not piled on top of each other).
- Pour 3/4 of the lemon sauce over the chicken pieces. Turn the chicken pieces in the sauce several times, ensuring they are well saturated. Reserve remaining sauce for later.
- Leave the pieces turned upside-down in the sauce and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours ahead of time.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Turn the chicken pieces right-side-up and sprinkle each one with a little salt. Add 3-4 Tbsp. water to the bottom of the dish around the chicken, ensuring it won't dry out.
- Bake uncovered on the middle rack of your oven for 1 hour. Half-way through baking, drizzle chicken pieces with the remaining lemon sauce. Chicken is done with it turns a beautiful golden-brown.
- Serve with either rice or potatoes (I sometimes add some baby potatoes or potato wedges to the baking dish and let them bake in the lemon sauce alongside the chicken - very tasty!). Also excellent served with Coconut Saffron Rice. Garnish with lemon slices and a sprinkling of fresh coriander, and ENJOY!
