Lemon Chicken Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

What does adding lemon juice to chicken do? ›

Lemon is acidic and helps balance the stronger flavor of the dark meat in thighs and legs, and the fat from the chicken skin.

The sauce has garlic, thyme and lemon, and has so much flavor," Garten says. "And the whole thing takes like 5 minutes to put together... The best thing about this is that it makes the chicken and the sauce at the same time." Serve it over rice or quinoa, and the grains can absorb all of the sauce, Garten recommends.

Many marinades use vinegar as an acid substitute but lemon juice is more effective as it lends a citric flavor. Depending on how tender you want the chicken to be, and how zingy you want it to be, use anywhere from 1 tablespoon to ¼ cup lemon juice for marinades.

Ingredients For Lemon Chicken

Part of what makes a Lemon Chicken recipe good is a nice amount of lemon without too much tartness. So in addition to lemon juice, mine includes lemon zest—it's a good way to boost flavor without risking tartness. Plus, we add lemon slices near the end of the bake time.

Do use a squeeze of lemon in pan sauces to add a bright note once a dish is off the heat, but don't add lemon while the sauce is cooking as the lemon can become acrid. Do enliven cream-based savory recipes with a squeeze of lemon, but don't add too much or the dairy will curdle.

The one meal Ina simply couldn't live without is roast chicken. She even cites it as one of the reasons her husband, Jeffrey, proposed marriage in 1968.

Washing raw poultry in a diluted lemon juice or vinegar solution is an inefficient method for removing pathogens and results in pathogens both in the wash water and on the chicken, increasing the risk for cross contamination and potential foodborne illness.

If you're baking a lemon loaf or citrusy crinkle cookies, you'll get the most concentrated citrus flavor by adding lemon zest to the mix. While lemon juice adds an acidic punch to salad dressings and countless other dishes, lemon zest holds all the fruit's fragrant, floral notes.

The reason you do not want to marinate chicken for longer than 4 hours is that the acidic ingredients in the marinade (like vinegar, wine, or lemon juice) will begin to break down the structure of the meat too much and it will start to “cook” before ever touching a heat source.

What is lemon chicken made of? ›

But basically, we coat the chicken breasts in a thick, olive oil-based herb paste flavored with oregano, thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Make the lemon chicken sauce! Stir together all of the zingy things—white wine, fresh garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice—to make the sauce that the chicken breasts will bake in.

Low and slow cooking methods like braising, stewing, or smoking are most effective when trying to create tender, succulent chicken.

Getting a good sear through medium high heat, then reducing the heat to LOW and COVERING the chicken while it cooks. The butter, oil, and chicken juices create a super flavorful liquid that acts as a way to steam the chicken at a low temperature, ensuring that it is moist & tender on the inside.

For this method, we recommend baking your chicken breasts at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bonus: baking chicken breasts in the oven doesn't require babysitting. No flipping or turning.

Lemon juice is added to cooked chicken to enhance its flavor and tenderness, and to add a tangy and acidic taste to the dish. The acid in the lemon juice helps to break down the muscle fibers in the chicken, making it more tender and juicy.

Tenderizing: The acidity in lemon juice can help break down the proteins in the chicken, making it more tender and juicy. Health benefits: Lemon juice is a good source of vitamin C and antioxidants, which can help support immune function and protect against cell damage.

How lemon juice tenderises the meat. An acid-containing marinade not only helps to flavour meat; it also helps to tenderise it. Acid causes The protein and connective tissue in meat are broken down by acid. At a molecular level, meat proteins have a spiral shape.

Over time the acids in the lemon juice can start to “cook” the chicken before it even hits the grill or the heat source, turning it white and affecting its texture. If a protein spend too long marinating in lemon juice, the texture can start to break down and become mushy.