Amanda Hesser's Lemon ChickenAmanda Hesser's Lemon Chicken

Let’s all thank Wednesday Chef for sharing Amanda Hesser’s excellent recipe for lemon chicken. I made it because she described it as “the dish that made [my boyfriend] look up from his plate a few days ago and proclaim firmly that this was the best thing I’d ever cooked for him.” What is it about lemon chicken that drives men crazy? Nathan’s little head almost exploded from all the crème fraîche goodness.

There’s nothing to this recipe. It seems the key is to brown and season the chicken extremely well, and to use enough real crème fraîche and fresh lemon juice. It’s easy, it’s cheap, and it’s delicious.

Comments

I can’t believe that chicken leg-thigh combinations will cook in 15 minutes. Does this sound right?

Leland, I’m so glad you liked this so much! Aunt Sue – the roasting time is 15 minutes, but you take additional time to properly brown each side of the chicken.

I actually roasted it for about 25 minutes, because I kept seeing blood when I cut. Maybe it was my imagination. Anyway it was tender and delicious.

I made this again last night and tried pressing one clove of garlic into the simmering lemon juice. It didn’t change the dish completely, but it was good. I always want garlic when I taste lemon in a savory preparation.

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