Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy - Skillet Lemon Chicken Recipe

Image Credit: Pexels, Free to Use Licence. 

Some flavor combinations were just meant to be together and lemon, garlic, and chicken are one of them. If you’re not particularly confident with seasoning meat or you find that most chicken you cook is bland then this lemon chicken recipe is easy and I found it over at themediterraniandish.com. In this recipe, all of the flavors come from a delicious marinade that can be made in advance and used when you need it. The marinade does all the hard work for you so all you need to do is grab your skillet or fire up the grill and watch as the flavor profiles come to life. 

As such an easy dish this lemon chicken makes a great midweek dinner as a part of a meal plan served with rice, or a Mediterranean salad, but can also be brought out for summer BBQs and served with vegetable kebabs or jazzed up with some fresh herbs for a zero-effort dinner party. 

Here’s how to make it. 

You will need: 

For the spice mix

• 2 teaspoons of dried oregano
• 1.5 teaspoons of ground coriander 
• 1.5 teaspoons of ground cumin 
• 0.75 teaspoons of ground nutmeg 

For your marinade

• 80ml of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 60ml of olive oil 
• 3 tsp of crushed garlic (approximately 3 cloves) 

For your chicken

• 1.5lb of chicken (You can use thigh or breast)
• Salt and pepper of course 
• A large onion
• 2 whole lemons 
• Some olive oil 
• Optional parsley to garnish 

The method

1. Combine all the spices for the spice mix in a small bowl and give them a stir
2. Combine the lemon juice, olive oil and garlic for the marinade in a separate bowl 
3. To make your chicken sizzle, pat it dry with some paper towel and then season with the salt and pepper.
4. Next, cover the chicken on all sides with your spice mixture 
5. Put the chicken into a glass container or dish and add in your diced onions  before pouring over the marinade
6. To make sure the marinade gets into all the nooks and crannies gently massage the chicken until it’s covered all over
7. Place some plastic wrap or a plate over the marinating chicken and leave for up to 8 hours in the fridge to ensure maximum flavor penetration. If you need the chicken sooner then leave at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. 
8. When you’re ready to cook, cut your 2 lemons in half and add them to a heated skillet pan cut side down. Once they have begun to soften and have some nice grill marks, remove the lemons and set to one side. 
9. Next, add a little olive oil to the skillet before adding your chicken in a single layer. 
10. You can now throw away any remaining marinade. 
11. Cook the chicken until it is well-cooked through which should take about 7 minutes on each side. To check, gently open a piece of chicken and make sure it is no longer pink inside. 
12. Finally, when done transfer the chicken to a serving dish and squeeze over some of the grilled lemon juice. If you’re using parsley then garnish the finished dish now and eat immediately.