Tuscan Lemon Chicken

We had this for dinner on Saturday.

It was amazingly fast, easy, and oh-so-tasty!

I also added fresh thyme because I have it growing in my garden and I love thyme with chicken.  It just adds a bit of slighly lemon-ish goodness to it.  I found on my gas grill that it needed to cook the 15-20 minutes on each side.  I did not grill the lemon halves.  It was the first time I have cut the back out of a chicken and flattened it whole.  I used my kitchen shears and 1-2-3 it was done!  If I would have known it was that easy I would have tried doing it long ago.



Tuscan Lemon Chicken
By:  Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa

Prep Time: 20 min 

Cook Time:  40 min

Level:  Easy
Serves:  2 to 3 servings  (I cut it into individual pieces and it served 5)

Ingredients

• 1 (3 1/2-pound) chicken, flattened
• Kosher salt
• 1/3 cup good olive oil
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)  [I used 1/2 of this.]
• 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

Directions

Sprinkle the chicken with 1 teaspoon salt on each side. Combine the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, and 2 teaspoons pepper in a small measuring cup. Place the chicken in a ceramic or glass dish just large enough to hold it flat. Pour the lemon marinade over the chicken, turning it in the dish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Turn the chicken 2 or 3 times while marinating.

When ready to grill, prepare a hot charcoal fire on 1 side of a grill (or turn a gas grill on low heat). Spread 1/4 of the coals across the other side of the grill. Place the chicken on the cooler side, skin side up, and weigh 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 in quarters, or individual pieces, sprinkle with salt, and serve with the grilled lemon halves.