Are you a breast or thigh person might seem an odd question to be
asking but it does bear some relevance to your choice of lemon chicken
recipe. Traditionally most chicken lemon recipes use chicken breasts but
you can use a whole chicken and I personally prefer to use just the
thighs. You see lemon is acidic and in my opinion, this balances out
really well with the dark meat from the thighs and the fat from the
chicken skin. If you're watching your weight, you don't have to eat the
skin.
Marinade for extra flavor
A great tip to really penetrating the chicken with a gorgeous lemony flavor is to make up a marinade of lemon juice, lemon peel, thyme, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Score the skin of each chicken thigh in a couple of places and then pop them into a freezer bag along with the marinade. Gently move the bag about so that all the pieces are covered and then place in a bowl to refrigerate for a couple of hours. During this time all of the lovely zingy lemon flavor will penetrate the skin and get deep down into the flesh of the chicken. Once you are ready to cook them, remove from the bag and lay them on a baking tray. Keep the marinade and lightly brush each thigh with melted butter. Halfway through cooking, turn the pieces and base lavishly with the reserved marinade. Serve on a bed of rice with a little of the juices trickled over. Mmm
Chinese Stir fry
Most restaurants and indeed, most countries, seem to have their own versions of lemon chicken dishes. One of my favorites, using chicken breast this time, is a variation of a classic Chinese dish which uses stir frying as opposed to deep frying and makes this a more healthy option. It's made by coating the chicken slices in an egg white batter and then stir frying them in a mixture of stock, lemon juice, soy sauce, onion and white wine, allowing the liquid to reduce to a thick sauce. If you're watching your weight, an even healthier option is to omit the batter and steam the chicken strips. A lemon sauce can be made in a small saucepan and then poured over the steamed chicken.
A short history lesson
The first records of chicken being used as meat go back as far as 600 years BC when it appeared on Babylonian Carvings. It was also one of the most commonly used meats in the Middle Ages. Chicken consumption in the United States grew rapidly during World War Two when beef and pork were hard to come by. No one knows for sure who first invented lemon chicken but it was thought to have come from the Middle East.
Exotic chicken
Staying with the Middle East, an exotic version of the dish, which some of you may really enjoy, is to make up a simple mix of brown sugar, lemon juice, white wine vinegar and water. Then slice a lemon, or two and arrange the slices in the bottom of a baking dish along with some dried figs. Place the thighs on top of this and pour over the vinegar mix. Cook for about 50 minutes, basting half way through. Serve on a bed of rice or with a green salad, garnished with fresh cilantro.
Hopefully this has given you a few ideas and whether you are a breast or thigh kind of person, you can use either to make a simply wonderful lemon chicken recipe that will delight friends or family.
Marinade for extra flavor
A great tip to really penetrating the chicken with a gorgeous lemony flavor is to make up a marinade of lemon juice, lemon peel, thyme, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Score the skin of each chicken thigh in a couple of places and then pop them into a freezer bag along with the marinade. Gently move the bag about so that all the pieces are covered and then place in a bowl to refrigerate for a couple of hours. During this time all of the lovely zingy lemon flavor will penetrate the skin and get deep down into the flesh of the chicken. Once you are ready to cook them, remove from the bag and lay them on a baking tray. Keep the marinade and lightly brush each thigh with melted butter. Halfway through cooking, turn the pieces and base lavishly with the reserved marinade. Serve on a bed of rice with a little of the juices trickled over. Mmm
Chinese Stir fry
Most restaurants and indeed, most countries, seem to have their own versions of lemon chicken dishes. One of my favorites, using chicken breast this time, is a variation of a classic Chinese dish which uses stir frying as opposed to deep frying and makes this a more healthy option. It's made by coating the chicken slices in an egg white batter and then stir frying them in a mixture of stock, lemon juice, soy sauce, onion and white wine, allowing the liquid to reduce to a thick sauce. If you're watching your weight, an even healthier option is to omit the batter and steam the chicken strips. A lemon sauce can be made in a small saucepan and then poured over the steamed chicken.
A short history lesson
The first records of chicken being used as meat go back as far as 600 years BC when it appeared on Babylonian Carvings. It was also one of the most commonly used meats in the Middle Ages. Chicken consumption in the United States grew rapidly during World War Two when beef and pork were hard to come by. No one knows for sure who first invented lemon chicken but it was thought to have come from the Middle East.
Exotic chicken
Staying with the Middle East, an exotic version of the dish, which some of you may really enjoy, is to make up a simple mix of brown sugar, lemon juice, white wine vinegar and water. Then slice a lemon, or two and arrange the slices in the bottom of a baking dish along with some dried figs. Place the thighs on top of this and pour over the vinegar mix. Cook for about 50 minutes, basting half way through. Serve on a bed of rice or with a green salad, garnished with fresh cilantro.
Hopefully this has given you a few ideas and whether you are a breast or thigh kind of person, you can use either to make a simply wonderful lemon chicken recipe that will delight friends or family.
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