Broiled Lemon-Garlic Chicken
- Difficulty: Easy
- Servings: 4
- Nutritional Info (Per Serving): Calories 453, Total Fat 29g, Saturated Fat 10g, Cholesterol 149mg, Sodium 491mg, Carbohydrates 3g, Dietary Fiber 1g, Protein 42g
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Preparation: 15 minutes
- Cooking: 25 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 lemons
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 2 to 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 half chickens (total weight 3 to 3 pounds)
Instructions
- Set the oven rack about 8 to 10 inches from the broiler and preheat it. Zest the lemons and mix the zest in a small bowl with the softened butter, minced garlic, teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Use a fork to mash everything into a smooth paste.
- Carefully loosen the skin from the breasts, legs, and thighs of the chickens using your fingers. Spread the lemon-garlic butter evenly underneath the skin. Cut the lemons in half and squeeze juice from two halves over the chicken, then season with salt and pepper.
- Arrange the chicken, skin-side up, on a broiler pan or a rack set over a baking sheet. Place the chicken pieces about 2 inches apart with the thick ends of the legs toward the center. Position the remaining lemon halves cut-side down alongside the chicken.
- Broil the chicken until the skin turns a light brown and becomes crispy, about 8 minutes. If the chicken starts browning too fast, adjust the oven rack lower. Flip the chicken and lemons, then continue broiling until the chicken is nearly cooked through (a thermometer inserted into the thickest part should read 160F), about 15 minutes. Remove the lemon halves if they have darkened too much. Turn the chicken again and broil until the skin is deeply browned and crisp and the internal temperature reaches 165F, about 2 more minutes. Serve the chicken alongside the broiled lemon halves for squeezing over the top.
Photograph by Antonis Achilleos
Courtesy of Food Network Magazine
