lemon chicken with roasted carrots

now with thanksgiving behind us and leftovers pretty much gone, you can cook some other comfort food good for you even though it’s not a special holiday.

you can make this recipe with a whole chicken, but with a family of only two, i like cooking with chicken breasts instead.

my husband and i actually decided to make this chicken and carrots with mashed potatoes {which i’ll post recipe later} for thanksgiving. if we cooked all the “amazingness” thanksgiving has to offer, we’d still have food! so since it’s too much and we wanted to mix it up, we went ahead and cooked something different :) and still absolutely delicious.

his take on the chicken was “the lemon explodes in your mouth and punches you in the tongue.” in a good way i shall add, haha.

lemon chicken ingredients:

4 chicken breasts
3 lemons, zested
4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp italian herbs such as rosemary or oregano
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp unsalted butter
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

serves 4 people.

directions:

preheat oven to 400°F.

juice two lemons in a bowl and add garlic, 2 tbsp chopped parsley, italian herbs, zest, salt and pepper, and 1 tbsp of butter. combine well until a paste forms. rub paste onto chicken breasts and place in baking dish previously greased with butter or cooking spray so it doesn’t stick. pour in lemon juice left in bowl to chicken. cut remainder lemon in thin slices and place throughout the pan.

bake for 25 min and set oven to broil. broil for 7 minutes or until golden brown. internal temperature should be 165°F.

once out of the oven, put chicken in a serving dish and let cool for 10 min. pour lemon/chicken juice left in the roasting pan into a sauce pan or skillet. bring to boil with 1 tbsp of butter and juices from the chicken cooling. whisk until thick and creamy. add a bit of flour or corn starch it it’s too liquidity. remove from heat and add leftover parsley. drizzle this delicious sauce over the chicken and serve!

oven roasted carrots ingredients:

6 large carrots, washed and cut in chunks
sea salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon, sliced

directions:

preheat oven to broil setting.

season carrots and coat with olive oil. add to roasting pan followed by sliced lemon and butter. broil for 30 min.

{i steamed carrots for 20 minutes prior roasting. if at 30 min they are not tender, broil for 15 min more}.