Made a huge quantity of this Tuscan Lemon Chicken with chicken portions marinated overnight. Great for a crowd…Served some pasta with meat sauce as a first course, followed by the chicken with some roasted veggies….
| Tuscan Lemon Chicken (serves 2 or 3) | |
| 1 (3 & 1/2 pound) chicken, flattened (see note) Kosher salt 1/3 cup good 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 black pepper 1 lemon halved |
Sprinkle the chicken with 1 teaspoon salt on each side
Combine the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a ceramic or glass dish just large enough to hold the flattened chicken. Add the chicken, turning it in the dish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight, turning once or twice.
When ready to grill, prepare a hot charcoal fire on one side of a grill (or turn a gas grill on low heat). Spread most of the coals across half of the grill. Place the chicken on the opposite side of the grill skin side up, and weight it down with the dish you used for marinating. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until the underside is golden brown. Turn the chicken skin side down, weight again with the dish and cook for another 12 to 15 minutes, until the skin is golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. Place the lemon halves on the cool side of the grill, cut side down, for the last 10 minutes of cooking. Remove the chicken to a plate or cutting board, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Cut the chicken in quarters, sprinkle with salt, and serve with the grilled lemon halves.
NOTE: Stand the chicken upright and cut out the backbone with a large kitchen knife. Spread the chicken open on a board with the skin side down. Cut around and remove the breast-bone with a boning knife. (You can ask your butcher to do all of this for you.)
