AuthorBen WatsonCategoryChicken and poultry, DinnerChicken with lemon and tarragon; was one of my mother’s favourite 'easy win' showstoppers and much appreciated whenever it surfaced. The triumvirate of ingredients has a definite holistic value – greatly improved by the addition of a sliced lemon, as well as the juice, to the mix. You don’t have to eat the charred lemon but the zesty, pithy flavours will leach into the sauce and chicken anyway.
Heat your oven to 185ﹾC.
Put the chicken pieces, skin-side up in a roasting dish or shallow casserole. Don’t crowd to much. Tap the garlic cloves with a rolling pin to squash slightly and tuck in around the meat.
Cut one of the lemons in half lengthways and slice into half circles. Place on, and in between, the chicken pieces. Zest the other lemon, keeping the zest for later, and squeeze the juice over the chicken. Season with salt and pepper, spread or dot a third of the butter on the chicken pieces and place in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
Mash the butter, lemon zest and tarragon together with a fork and dot/spread over the chicken. Return to the oven for another 20 minutes, basting at half time.
Serve straightaway or remove the chicken and lemon to a warm plate and deglaze the pan with a splash of white wine and/or chicken stock. Some will eat the slightly charred lemon slices but most people politely push them to the side of the plate – so you might like to bin them before serving.
Ingredients
Directions
Heat your oven to 185ﹾC.
Put the chicken pieces, skin-side up in a roasting dish or shallow casserole. Don’t crowd to much. Tap the garlic cloves with a rolling pin to squash slightly and tuck in around the meat.
Cut one of the lemons in half lengthways and slice into half circles. Place on, and in between, the chicken pieces. Zest the other lemon, keeping the zest for later, and squeeze the juice over the chicken. Season with salt and pepper, spread or dot a third of the butter on the chicken pieces and place in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
Mash the butter, lemon zest and tarragon together with a fork and dot/spread over the chicken. Return to the oven for another 20 minutes, basting at half time.
Serve straightaway or remove the chicken and lemon to a warm plate and deglaze the pan with a splash of white wine and/or chicken stock. Some will eat the slightly charred lemon slices but most people politely push them to the side of the plate – so you might like to bin them before serving.