Lemon Pepper Chicken

Anyone can make lemon pepper chicken.  You sprinkle a little lemon pepper over some chicken and bake it. Right?  You do if you want dried out baked chicken that tastes a little like lemon with a hint of pepper and sits in your fridge for a week because nobody wants it.  Now on the other hand, if you want really good Lemon pepper chicken you really want to take the extra steps to make sure it's done right.  

I never met a chicken I didn't brine first. It's a must if you want delicious moist chicken every time you make it.  I soaked (brine) these incredibly moist and juicy chicken breasts in a mixture, lemon and garlic, with sea salt, thyme and black pepper.  Then I used Star Fine Foods Hojiblanca Extra Virgin Olive Oil for Poultry and Fish which brings a wonderful harmony of flavor to the drippings.  I used those drippings to baste my chicken and bring out a wonderful rich flavor. These are truly incredible.

Use 3-4 boneless chicken breasts, with skin   See my brine recipe below.

Lemon Pepper Chicken 

1 cup flour 
2 tablespoons of Star Fine Foods Olive Oil for Poultry and Fish 
3 tablespoons butter 
Lemon Pepper seasoning 
1 whole lemon, cut in half 
2 shallots, peeled and cut in half lengthwise 
1/4 cup of chicken broth 

First brine your chicken and make sure you have rinsed and patted it dry. See my brine recipe below.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.   Drizzle two tablespoons of olive oil into a baking or roasting pan and add in three tablespoons of butter. Put your pan into the oven while it preheats. 

Add a cup of flour and a teaspoon of pepper in Ziploc bag.  Seal the bag and shake to mix well.   Add the chicken breasts and close and seal the bag again.  Shake the chicken in the flour to coat. 

Remove chicken one breast at a time and shake off most of the flour coating.  You only want a very light coating of flour on the chicken.  Repeat this step with each chicken breast. 

Once the oven is preheated, carefully remove the roasting pan. Place each flour-coated chicken breast into the roasting pan.  Add in the peeled, halved shallots, the lemon halves and pour in 1/4 cup of chicken broth into the pan around chicken. Next sprinkle each chicken breast with the lemon pepper seasoning.  You can add as much as you like.  Return the roasting pan to the oven and roast for about twenty minutes.  

Baste the chicken with the drippings and roast for another 20 minutes. Remove pan again and baste with more of the drippings.  This time sprinkle a little more lemon pepper over chicken and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes more or until the skin is crispy and golden brown.  The internal temperature should read at no less than 165 degrees when chicken is done and ready to serve.

Brine

6 tablespoons kosher salt
6 tablespoons sugar
6 cups water
3-4 boneless chicken breasts, with skin
zest of 2 lemons (2-3 tablespoons)
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
1/2 lemon sliced thin

In a ZipLoc resealable bag, combine water, salt, thyme, garlic, sliced lemon and black pepper.  Add chicken breasts and seal bag tightly.  Place bag in a large bowl and refrigerate for a minimum of 12 hours.  Do not brine longer than 15 hours.  Once chicken has been refrigerated in brine for 12 hours remove and rinse well under cold water.  Dispose of leftover brine.  

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Star Fine Foods Hojiblanca Extra Virgin Olive Oil for Poultry and Fish is available at Select Raleys, Save Mart, Food Lion and Walmart stores and online here: http://bit.ly/HojiblancaEVOO. 


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Disclaimer: I have an ongoing relationship with STAR Fine Foods for my recipes and photography using their wonderful products. This post is sponsored by STAR. I am compensated for my time and work and I am sent products as I request them. However, all opinions of the product stated in this post are 100% my own. I truly love their products!