Amanda Freitag's Foolproof Lemon Chicken Recipe

Yahoo Food
Updated

By Rochelle Bilow

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Photo: Condé Nast Entertainment

Quick: Name a dish that’s simple to prepare, citrusy, roasted, and ranks with the best comfort food there is. You said lemon chicken, right? This weeknight staple might even be on your roster of easy dinner dishes. But according to chef Amanda Freitag of Empire Diner, there are a few pro tips you can use to take your chicken from an easy weeknight dinner to an easy weeknight dinner that’ll knock your socks off.

Related: Watch Chef Amanda Freitag sharing her lemon chicken tips

Brine Your Bird

One of the easiest ways to bring restaurant cooking techniques into your kitchen is to brine your meat. Freitag uses a salt, sugar, water, and lemon juice solution for her recipe. Bring the brine to a boil, then cool it completely before submerging the chicken and placing it in the refrigerator for at least three hours, and up to one day. The meat will soak up the brine, rendering it more moist and infused with flavor from the inside-out.

Season With Your Hands

“In pro kitchens, we season with our hands,” explains Freitag. Sprinkling salt over the brined meat before roasting it is the only way you’ll know exactly how much seasoning you’re adding. Shaking salt and pepper over it from a container could result in an over- or under-seasoned bird. Just make sure that your hands are clean (no touching the raw chicken!) before dipping your fingers into the salt container.

Start on the Stovetop, Finish in the Oven

Freitag first cooks her chicken in a hot pan on the stove to get the meat started. Once it’s a golden-brown, she finishes cooking it in the oven, where it will roast more evenly without getting too dark. Be sure to use a pan with an oven-proof handle. Once the chicken registers 165 degrees, remove it from the oven. You’re almost done!

Char Your Lemons

Charring citrus gives it a sweeter, totally unique flavor, according to Freitag—not to mention, it’s a technique that never fails to impress dinner guests. To replicate Empire Diner’s charred citrus at home, get your pan screaming hot (“It’s the only way you’re gonna get a good sear on anything,” she explains) and add in halved lemons, cut-side down. As they cook, they become caramelized, and the juices they release are a perfect balance of sweet to tart—perfect for squeezing over the roasted chicken.

Garnish with Chicken Skin

Crispy, crunchy things that crackle under your teeth are too good to pass up—that’s why Freitag garnishes her lemon chicken with a sheet of chicken skin that’s been pan-roasted. Simply remove the skin from a chicken breast and season with salt and pepper (of course) before placing it in a hot pan. Cover it with a second, smaller pan to weigh the skin down and flatten it. Cook it over a low flame for about 7 minutes, then sprinkle the hot skin with salt and place it over the cooked chicken.

Related: How to Make Amazingly Crispy (Double!) Fried Chicken, According to Dale Talde

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Photo: Condé Nast Entertainment

Get the recipe: Amanda Freitag’s Lemon Chicken

Serves 2.

Brine

  • 1 pound lemons (about 4 large), halved

  • 1 large onion, chopped

  • ¼ bunch parsley

  • 1 garlic clove, sliced

  • 1 bay leaf

  • ½ cup kosher salt

  • ½ cup sugar

  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Chicken

  • 1 3½–4-pound chicken, quartered

  • 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

  • 2 lemons, halved

  • Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

  • 2 pounds small carrots, scrubbed

  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

  • 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice

  • ½ cup fresh ricotta

Brine

Bring lemons, onion, parsley, garlic, bay leaf, salt, sugar, peppercorns and 4 cups water to a boil in a large heavy pot, stirring occasionally until salt and sugar are dissolved. Let cool, then add 2 cups ice to brine; stir until melted.

Chicken

Cut wings from chicken breasts. Cut through leg joint to separate thighs and drumsticks; set thighs aside. Use a sharp knife to score chicken skin along the length of each drumstick (this will make it easier to remove it in one piece). Remove skin from drumsticks; set skin aside (reserve drumsticks and wings for making stock). Place breasts and thighs in brine. Chill at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.

Preheat oven to 425°. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a medium skillet over high heat. Cook lemons, cut side down, until charred, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Remove chicken from brine. Rinse, pat dry, and season with salt and pepper. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to skillet, skin side down. Cook until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Turn and cook 4 minutes longer. Transfer to oven and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh registers 165°, 12–15 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss carrots with 2 Tbsp. oil on a rimmed baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper and roast, tossing halfway through, until browned and tender, 15–20 minutes; keep warm.

Cook chicken skin, fat side down (the side that was closest to the flesh), in a cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat, pressing down to flatten and help skin make contact with the pan, until golden brown and crisp, 5–7 minutes. Turn and cook until other side is brown and crisp, 5–7 minutes. Drain on paper towels; season chicken crackling with salt.

Transfer roasted chicken breast and thighs to a cutting board. Bring broth and lemon juice to a boil in skillet, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, and cook until liquid is reduced by half, 6–8 minutes; season pan sauce with salt and pepper.

Stir ricotta, lemon zest, and remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper.

Serve chicken with carrots and a spoonful of lemon ricotta, drizzled with pan sauce, with crackling and charred lemons alongside.

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