Lemon Rosemary Chicken

I'm very happy right now that I made this meal not too long ago and I still have leftovers because.... drum roll please.... I broke my first bone!  (Funny side note: when I told my dad he thought I said "phone" and then asked nonchalantly, "You do have a warranty right?" to which I just dumbly sat silent and tried to process why my daddy was making a joke about his only child breaking a bone. LOL)  It's a fracture on the tip of my ring finger on my right hand.  How did I fracture the tip of my finger, you may ask?  It's a bad combination of me being stupid, watching two classes at the same time, and a child who didn't see me there.  I was standing in front of a door jam between two classes holding onto the side which the hinges are and leaning into one of the class rooms.  A student from the other class didn't see me and slowly closed the door which my finger happened to be near the hinges... neither one of us realized what was happening until I heard the cracking of my nail and bone.... "AAAHHHHHH, OPEN THE DOOR, OPEN THE DOOR!"  Instant blood and guts and tears (ok, maybe not the guts part, but it was traumatic for both me and the poor child).  Now my finger is in a splint and is all sorts of interesting colors, according to the doctor it should be all better in a month.

This too shall pass.  Now onto happier things!  Sorry about the weird intro.  

This is an incredibly tasty and easy meal, I'm so happy that I became a follower of Annie's Eats because every recipe that I've tried from her blog is absolutely as advertised: delicious!  Seriously, you should stop by her blog soon, it's incredible.  I made this with her recipe for Garlic Rice Pilaf....YUM!

 (Love my new photogenic counter tops!)

Lemon Rosemary Chicken

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. lemon zest (1 lemon)

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2-3 lemons, at least the way I hand squeeze)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

1 tsp. fresh rosemary leaves, finely minced

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

2-4 lbs. of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or drumsticks

2-3 tbsp. melted butter

Thinly sliced lemons, for garnish

Directions:

Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper in a large zipper-lock plastic bag.  Seal the bag and shake well to blend.  Place the chicken pieces in the bag with the marinade, pressing out excess air and sealing once more.  Refrigerate and let marinate for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 425˚ F.  Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and transfer to a baking dish, skin-side up, reserving the leftover marinade.  Brush the top of each piece of chicken with melted butter.

Bake for 50-55 minutes, until the skins are crispy and well-browned.  Halfway through baking, pour the remaining marinade over the chicken pieces in the baking dish.  Once fully baked, cover loosely with foil and let rest 10 minutes before serving.  Transfer to a serving platter, garnish with lemon slices and serve.

Source: Annie's Eats and adapted from Simply Recipes Pin It Now!