Tuscan Lemon Chicken

During the winter, one of my favorite Sunday night dinners is a roast chicken. This is a great summertime version. The recipe is from BFC's Back to Basics cookbook.
You will need a whole 3-5 pound chicken, which has been butterflied. You can do this yourself, or have your butcher do it for you.
Once your chicken is cleaned up, dry it off & season both sides with a generous amount of kosher salt. Then begin the marinade.

Start by putting 3 minced, cloves of garlic, in a large rectangular, oven safe, baking dish.

To the garlic, add a 1/3 cup of olive oil,

the grated zest from 2 lemons,

a 1/3 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice,

a tablespoon of minced fresh rosemary leaves,

and a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper.

Whisk the marinade up to combine.

Place the whole, flattened chicken in the dish & rotate a few times to coat evenly. Cover the dish with plastic wrap & chill for 4 hours, or overnight. Flip the chicken around a few times while marinating.

When you are ready to cook, preheat the grill.
Lay the chicken on the grates, skin side up. Turn the grill heat down to medium-low & place the dish you used for marinating on top of the chicken to weigh it down.
I wrapped mine in foil, because I didn't feel like scrubbing off a charred mess later on. You could also use 1-2 bricks wrapped in foil as well.

Depending on the size of your chicken, it will need about 15-20 minutes per side. Check on it occasionally to make sure it doesn't char too much. If it is, turn the heat down.
After it's flipped, place the weight back on for the other side.

Using a meat thermometer, check to make sure the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the grill & let it rest a few minutes, before slicing into serving pieces.
Arrange them on a platter & serve.

Tuscan Lemon Chicken

Tuscan Lemon Chicken
From Barefoot Contessa
Serves 2-3


1 (3 1/2 pound) chicken, flattened
kosher salt
1/2 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
freshly ground pepper
1 lemon, halved

Season the chicken on both sides with 2 teaspoons kosher salt.
Whisk the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, & 2 teaspoons pepper in a small bowl. Put the chicken in a large baking dish, large enough so that it fits in flat. Pour the marinade over the chicken & flip to coat.
Marinate for 4 hours, or overnight. Flip the chicken occasionally while marinating.
When ready to cook, heat a grill on low heat.
Lay the chicken on the grill & place the dish you used to marinate on top of the chicken, to weigh it down. Cook for 15-20 minutes per side, or until cooked through. When done, tent with foil & let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Click here for printable recipe.