A simple recipe to make flavourful chicken that makes for a simple midweek lunch or dinner

Hello peeps! Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful start to a brand new year and I am delighted to be back with a new recipe today – a simple chicken roast that is easy to make. All you need is a few basic, readily available ingredients and you are ready to start. This is a recipe that I have tweaked over the years and it is something I fall back on whenever I can’t think of anything new and it never fails to deliver.

The marinade is simple and requires basic cooking skills to put together. While you can marinate the chicken for a good 8-16 hours for best results you need not wait that long if you are running short of time. I generally give the chicken a good 1 hour of marinating before popping it into the oven.

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1: Wash the chicken

First, wash the chicken in a couple of changes of water and drain it well on a colander. Use a clean kitchen towel or a kitchen tissue to pat it dry and remove any moisture. This step is essential to avoid excess water from the chicken turning your marinade too runny as we are using a few basic ingredients here.

Step 2: Make the marinade

In a bowl (which you will also use to place the chicken) mix the lime or lemon juice, pepper powder, melted butter, olive oil, chopped garlic, herbs & salt together to form a marinate.

Step 3: Marinate the chicken

Apply the marinade over all the chicken pieces. Run your fingers under the skin to create a sort of a pocket and apply the marinade inside as well. Keep aside for at least 30-45 minutes, overnight for best results as it gives the chicken enough time to rest & absorb all the flavours.

Step 4: Preheat the oven & bake

Now, while I normally use the bake mode in my oven, I switch it to ‘grill’ mode for the last few minutes. In this case, we can use the grill mode for the last 2-3 minutes, longer if you use the same recipe for a whole chicken. For this recipe you can bake at 170 degrees C for 20 minutes. Halfway during the baking time, flip the chicken pieces, baste them with the juices and return to the oven for another 10-12 minutes. Finally, change the oven setting to ‘Grill’ mode and grill for another 3-5 minutes or till the skin crisps up a bit and turns golden brown.

Step 5: Check doneness and remove

While the grill mode is on it is good to keep an eye on the chicken as oven temperatures vary and you could easily over brown the chicken. To check the doneness of the chicken insert a skewer to check if the chicken is tender. If done, remove it from the oven.

Step 6: Serve

Serve the chicken piping hot with any sides of your choice such as mashed or roasted potatoes or sweet potatoes grilled or sautéed vegetables, rice or any other grain. When I made this dish I just layered the pan with slices of potatoes and they roasted beautifully alongside the chicken. Mashed potatoes are always a hit with this recipe at my place.

Can I freeze the chicken for later?

You sure can! You can freeze it in a freezer safe container lined with baking parchment just to ensure that the pieces don’t stick to each other. When you are ready to use them again, simply pop them in the oven on a low temperature (about 100-120 degrees C) for 8-10 minutes or you can also microwave it on high for 60-90 seconds before serving.

Can I add additional spices to the same recipe?

Of course! This is just a basic recipe which you can build on. Add a dash of peri peri or cajun or your favourite spice blend to give it that extra zing! Do make sure to reduce the amount of pepper powder as it can take the spice level a notch higher – so adjust the level of spice depending on who you are going the serve the chicken to.

Lemon Garlic Grilled Chicken

A simple recipe to make flavourful chicken that makes for a simple midweek lunch or dinner

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Course: Accompaniment

Cuisine: International

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 1

Marinating time: 30

Total Time: 1 45

Author: Shireen Sequeira

Ingredients

1 kg chicken with skin, cut into big pieces
2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
2 teaspoons pepper powder
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
1-/2 teaspoons mixed dried herbs
salt to taste, approx 1 teaspoon

Instructions

. Wash the chicken and drain well. Pat dry with a kitchen tissue.
In a bowl mix the lime or lemon juice, pepper powder, melted butter, olive oil, chopped garlic, herbs & salt together to form a marinate.
Apply the marinade over all the chicken pieces and also in between the flesh & the skin. Keep aside for at least 30 minutes, overnight for best results.
Bake in a preheated oven at 170 degrees C for 20 minutes. Flip the chicken pieces, baste it with it's own juices and continue return it to the oven for another 10-12 minutes. Finally, change the oven setting to 'Grill' mode and grill for another 3-5 minutes or till the skin crisps up a bit and turns golden brown.
Insert a skewer to check if the chicken is tender. If done, remove it from the oven.
Serve piping hot with any sides of your choice such as mashed or roasted potatoes, grilled or sautéed vegetables, rice or any other grain.

Disclaimer

The nutritional values are only indicative.

Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment & rate the recipe below or share a photo on Instagram and tag me @ruchikrandhap