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Chicken That Rocks: Dinner for Six Part Two

Last week I shared with you the French Onion Panade which was the first course in my Dinner for Six. Below are the other two dishes that I prepared. This chicken recipe is super easy and because it needs to marinate you can get started on it the day before. And those wedges, OMG, they also could not be easier. Both dishes are perfect with the yogurt sauce.

Yes, there is a salad on the plate as well. It was just mixed greens and sliced pears. My vinaigrette was olive oil, lemon and white balsamic vinegar with a smidge of salt.

Fresh Herb Garlic Chicken

 

Middle Eastern Lemon, Herb and Garlic Chicken

INGREDIENTS

For the Chicken

6 chicken breasts or thighs
7 garlic cloves, minced
Juice and zest of 2 lemons
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, (plus more for searing)
2 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
4 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
4 tablespoons minced fresh mint
2 tablespoon minced fresh oregano
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, more as needed
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
¾ teaspoon sumac, more for garnish (optional)

For the Yogurt Sauce

1 cup plain Greek yogurt, preferably whole milk yogurt
Zest of 1 lemon
2 garlic clove, minced
Drizzle of olive oil

PREPARATION

In a large glass, ceramic or stainless steel bowl, combine chicken with 7 cloves of minced garlic, the zest and juice of 2 lemons, oil, parsley, mint, thyme, oregano, salt, sesame seeds and sumac. Make sure all pieces are coated in this marinade by tossing the chicken with your hands. Cover and marinate for 8 hours in the refrigerator; you can marinate it for up to 24 hours.

Preheat Oven to 425 degrees.

Heat a large cast iron or enameled cast iron skillet to medium-high. Once the pan is hot add a thin layer of olive oil to coat the skillet. Make sure the oil is hot. Please chicken in hot skillet skin side down to sear. Leave it alone for 4 to 5 minutes and then flip and sear for an additional 4 to 5 minutes. Remove and place on a lipped baking sheet skin side up until all pieces are seared. If your skillet is large enough to hold all your chicken, you can put the chicken back in skillet to bake for 30-40 minutes. (Otherwise, the baking sheet is fine) Juice should run clear (internal temperature 165 degrees).

While chicken cooks, place yogurt in a small bowl. Stir in the minced garlic, lemon zest, olive oil and season to taste with salt.

Fresh Herb Garlic Chicken

Serve the chicken alongside the Yogurt Sauce.

Download PDF of the Recipe:  Middle Eastern Lemon, Herb, and Garlic Chicken

Note About Chicken:

I always use chicken with skin and bone because in my opinion it is more flavorful and prevents the meat from drying out. If my guests prefer (and I always ask), I will remove the skin and debone for them. (I do it for Gary all the time because bones gross him out). Feel free to use boneless/skinless if you are so inclined, but I would marinate at least 12-24 hours if that were the case.

Fresh Herb Garlic Chicken


Fried Baked Potato Wedges

Ingredients

Baking Potatoes, Large
Stick of Butter
Olive Oil
Salt

Preparation

The number of potatoes you will need will depend on your guests. Each potato makes six wedges. Small eaters will eat 2-3 wedges, and big eaters will eat 3-4 wedges.

Bake your potatoes earlier in the day so that they have time to come to room temperature. Wash and pat dry the potatoes, then place directly on the middle oven rack of a preheated oven at 350 degrees to bake for about 50-60 minutes. A fork should slide in when done. Cool to room temperature.

Fresh Herb Garlic Chicken
I used six of these baked potatoes and had 8 wedges as leftovers

Slice each potato in half along the long side. Slice each half into three wedges. Set aside until all potatoes are wedged.

About 30-40 minutes before serving time begin to fry the wedges.

In a large, deep skillet, melt the butter and add enough olive oil to be about a 1/2 deep. When oil/butter is bubbling hot, add in potato wedges and fry until golden brown. Flip when needed. Do not crowd.

Continue frying all of the wedges to a golden brown.  Place fried potatoes on a lipped baking sheet.  Season with Salt.

You can put the fried potatoes in a warm oven until it is time to serve.

Fresh Herb Garlic Chicken

You can serve with the condiment of your choice. The Lemon Garlic Yogurt Sauce was perfect with these.

Download PDF of the Recipe: Fried Baked Potato Wedges

Fresh Herb Garlic Chicken


That is all for now!

 

Cheers,

rick

 

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