Herb-a-liciously Delicious!
Roasted Oregano Chicken with Lemons, the perfect easy weeknight dinner. It’s so tasty, fast, and delish! The marinade comes together in a blender or food processor, then one pan and you’re done. The marinade is so versatile. It goes great with this recipe or cooked the same way with either roasted veggies, potatoes, beef, or fish.
If you find yourself with a little extra time these days, here’s a great way to spend some of it. You don’t have to go all-out vegetable garden. Just plant your own seasonal herb garden. So many delicious reasons to enjoy your own herb garden.
Home Is Where The Herbs Are
If you have even the tiniest yard, a balcony, or just a window ledge, your own seasonal herb garden will add new life to your dishes.
I usually do work from home, but the difference during this crazy time is that now I spend much less time on the road, traveling from place to place like I used to. That equals a bit more time to spend on home projects. This year, my garden got a little extra love. Although it’s October, I’m still reaping all the benefits of a little, select herb garden. Not to mention the savings. I break out in a sweat and start to shake if I have to pay grocery store prices for fresh herbs. I like to use them with abandon!
Still, when I get a little time off, I go to my garden. It’s totally therapeutic and as the saying goes, it’s cheaper than actual therapy and you get tomatoes (and other veggies, and fresh herbs).
By the way, If I could alter weeds to make it a (good tasting) food source, I’d be not only rich, but at certain times, I really think could end world hunger.
Oregano and Other Herbs For Your Garden
Oregano is one of the herbs I can’t do without. It’s great for this Roasted Oregano Chicken with Lemons and It’s an essential ingredient at our house. If oregano is a bit too strong for your liking, Marjoram is a great substitute. Close, but lighter in flavor, you can substitute for anything you might make with oregano. Fresh herbs get costly to buy in the grocery store and so inexpensive to grow in a pot or in your garden.
My “gotta-have-it- herbs” for our garden are sage, marjoram or oregano, chives, basil and thyme. Rosemary grows around here everywhere, so that’s covered. We first added tons of rosemary around our house because I read it’s a deterrent for ground squirrels.
Well, that didn’t work, but the bonus is so much rosemary!
Grow what you love and add as you like. I love that I can cut fresh herbs as I need them. I don’t ever have to buy them, ’cause I’m cheap like that.
Oregano Marinade or Vinaigrette
This recipe starts with a fresh marinade. The best part is as easy as throwing the ingredients into your blender or food processor and letting it go.
Into the bowl of your food processor or blender, add the juice of 2 lemons (about 1/3 cup) plus all of the zest and 1/3 cup of dry white wine. (I’ve always got some chardonnay at the ready!) Add 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil and 1/4 cup of fresh oregano. Use only the fresh leaves and none of the stems.
That sounds like a lot of oregano, but by only using the leaves, in a marinade, you want to flavor of oregano to really come through. Oregano is not a pleasant herb raw, it should be cooked. It’s great dried and fresh. If you don’t have fresh oregano or marjoram, substitute with 2 tablespoons of dried oregano or 3 tablespoons of marjoram.
Add 2 tablespoons of fresh thyme leaves and 2 chopped scallions, about 1/3 cup, 2 cloves of very finely minced garlic. Next, add 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper.
Turn on the blender or food processor and let it blend until very smooth.
You can keep this in a jar with a tight seal, refrigerated for a few weeks.
Roasted Oregano Chicken with Lemons
You can make this recipe with any cut of chicken you like best. Even a whole spatchcock chicken would be perfect. For this version, I’m using skin on, bone in chicken thighs.
Remove chicken from packaging and pat dry. Into a shallow dish, add 1/2 the marinade. Lay the chicken into the marinade and toss to coat. You can also put the chicken and marinade into a plastic bag and seal shut. Let the chicken marinate anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours in the refrigerator.
Preheat oven 400º
When ready to cook, remove from the refrigerator and set out to come to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
Heat a cast iron pan on medium high with about 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Once hot, remove the chicken from the marinade, removing as much of the marinade as you can. Discard the marinade. Add the chicken to the pan, skin side down. Cook for about 10 minutes. Turn over and cook skin side up, about 5 minutes.
Add 2 split lemons to the pan, skin side down. Put in the oven for about 15 minutes to cook fully. The internal temperature should be 165°
Serve over rice, roasted potatoes or vegetables and serve with the roasted lemons. Roasted lemons taste great and the roasting really helps to release the juice.
Enjoy!
Roasted Oregano Chicken with Lemon
Notes
The marinade recipe is enough for 1 whole chicken, or up to 10 pieces of chicken. Extra marinade can be used within a few weeks if kept refrigerated in a sealed container.
Roast small potatoes right with the chicken. Use small fingerling or small new potatoes (cut in half). Coat with the marinade, add after browning the chicken, right before it goes into the oven.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup lemon juice, plus the zest
- 2 lemons, cut in half
- 1/3 cup dry white wine (such as chardonnay)
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup packed fresh oregano (leaves only)
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 large shallots, finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4-6 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on
Instructions
For the marinade
- Into the bowl of your food processor or blender, add the juice of 2 lemons (about 1/3 cup) plus all of the zest and 1/3 cup of dry white wine.
- Add 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil and 1/4 cup of fresh oregano, leaves only.
- Add 2 tablespoons of fresh thyme leaves and 2 chopped scallions, about 1/3 cup, 2 cloves of very finely minced garlic.
- Next, add 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper.
- Turn on the blender or food processor and let it blend until very smooth.
- You can keep this in a jar with a tight seal, refrigerated for a few weeks.
For the Roasted Oregano Chicken with Lemon
- Into a shallow dish, add 1/2 the marinade.
- Lay the chicken into the marinade and toss to coat.
For the Chicken
- Let marinate anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours in the refrigerator.
- When ready to cook, remove from the refrigerator and set out to come to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven 400 degrees
- Heat a cast iron pan on medium high with about 2 teaspoons of olive oil.
- Once hot, remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry.
- Discard the marinade.
- Add the chicken to the pan, skin side down.
- Cook for about 10 minutes.
- Turn over and cook skin side up, about 5 minutes.
- Add 2 split lemons to the pan, skin side down.
- Put in the oven for about 15 minutes to cook fully. The internal temperature should reach 165°
- Serve over rice, roasted potatoes or vegetables and serve with the roasted lemons.
Enjoy
Karen Harris https://www.bittersaltysoursweet.com
