» Tastes like chicken, only chicken-ier

Tastes like chicken, only chicken-ier

lemon garlic chicken by Shawnee TX, on Flickr

I love recipes. It may be kind of hard to tell sometimes, because I’m so loose with them. Changing them around, adapting, adjusting, and otherwise abusing the original intent. But I really do love them. I just rarely accept them for what they are.

So you might think that the fact that this recipe was made exactly the way it was written is pretty amazing. But actually, it’s not. ‘Cause Nick did all the assembly. I only applied the heat.

This wonderful chicken recipe was sent to me by Debbie, one of our customers. We’d asked her to write a testimonial about our chicken for our website, and not only did she say amazing, heartwarming, this-is-the-reason-we-do-this things, but she also sent along a delicious recipe for Garlic Lemon Chicken.

First, here’s me immodestly telling you what she said:

I thought I would never again enjoy the wonderful flavors of chicken that I recalled from my childhood. Thank goodness I was wrong. The flavor and quality I get from your chickens, not to mention the superior nutritional value from the way they are fed and raised, is second to none. I had been concerned about my family’s health when having to settle for so much of the food found in the stores nowadays. As a result I have searched a long time, locally and online, to find this kind of quality and consider you a real treasure. To be able to find sources of food that I know will contribute to the good health of my family is invaluable. Thank you and your family for providing mine with a choice!

And now, here’s Debbie’s amazing, deceptively simple roasted chicken recipe. Of course, I’ll only guarantee it’s the best chicken you’ve ever had if you make it with one of our chickens!

Enjoy…

Garlic Lemon Chicken

Take one whole Pastured Sensations chicken. You can cut the chicken into pieces or just cut it down the center into two halves that lay flat. Poke holes in the chicken with a fork. Mix together:

1/4 c Olive, Grapeseed or Coconut oil, or just a little more if you feel it is necessary
2 large lemons, zested & juiced
8 cloves garlic, crushed (or 1 T crushed garlic from the jar)
2 T Tamari sauce (or soy sauce), low sodium is fine
1 – 1/2 t kosher or sea salt
1/2 t pepper, fresh ground
Sprig of thyme (optional)

Rub some of mixture onto chicken. Place in large bag and add any remaining marinade. Allow to sit for 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350. Brown chicken in pan on top of stove using a small amount of oil. Place chicken in baking dish (I just used a stainless steel pan to brown the chicken then put it straight into the oven.) Pour remaining marinade over chicken. Bake about 1 hour or until done.

Remove chicken from pan. Place pan on stove top, boil to reduce sauce by half. Season to taste with salt and pepper. With sauce boiling, quickly whisk in 1 T cold butter. Serve pan sauce on the side.

Oh…and when you put the pan on top of the stove after you take it straight from the oven, don’t forget the handle is VERY hot.

And if you do forget the handle’s hot, just make sure you have an aloe vera plant growing in the window to soothe your burn.

Trust me on this.