Chicken With Lemon & Herbs

 

 

I haven’t had a lot of time to blog recently, but I have been in the kitchen. Yesterday I tried a recipe for chocolate caramel walnut bars which I saw on line. They looked like a blondie topped with chocolate frosting. I couldn’t wait to bite into one and planned on sharing with our neighbors. Even though following the directions to a tee, they were saturated with butter and I wasn’t able to slice them. Into the trash it went. I suppose I could have spooned some into a bowl and topped it with ice cream, but I was too disappointed and didn’t want to be reminded of my baking failure.

On the other hand this chicken dish from our Lucca cooking class is a recipe I will turn to again and again. It’s the perfect do ahead dish and if you have leftovers it’s just as tasty reheated the next day. I prefer chicken thighs, but if you like white meat better go ahead and use breasts. I  usually serve this dish with a small pasta such as orzo or acini di pepe topped with a little bit of the lemony sauce. Buon appetito!

Chicken with Lemon, Olives and Aromatic Herbs

10 bone in chicken thighs, skin removed
3 lemons, rind cut off
5 cloves garlic, minced
Fresh sage, about 20 leaves
Fresh rosemary, 5 large sprigs
Extra-virgin olive oil
White wine, about 3/4 cup
Chicken broth, about 3/4 cup
Black olives-a handful (Italian or Nicoise)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Place chicken thighs in a bowl. Slice lemons into thin slices and add to bowl with chicken pieces and toss together. Let marinate together for about 1/2 hour.

Finely chop rosemary and sage leaves together. Cover bottom of a large saute pan with olive oil over low heat. Add chopped herbs and saute for a few minutes. Add minced garlic and saute until softened. Turn the heat up and add chicken thighs (reserve lemon slices) and brown, about 5 minutes on each side. Add the wine and reduce until it’s almost evaporated. Add chicken broth to the pan, season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat down to medium low and add lemon slices and olives. Cover pan and cook for about 30-40 minutes.

Uncover and if there’s a lot of liquid left, reduce to thicken sauce.