I’m still recovering from this, so not a whole lot of jibber-jabber from me today. (You’re crushed, right?) Let’s just get straight to business…
My friend Anne pointed me in the direction of this Lemon Chicken – apparently it was all the rage back in 2006. (You know a recipe is popular when the blogger closes his/her comments for the post.) But I was busy being sleep-deprived after birthing my first kid, and there wasn’t a lot of cooking going on.
I checked it out. Sometimes you can just tell a dish is going to be a winner by the ingredients – Chicken, lemon, butter, and creme fraiche? I didn’t need further convincing. While the Balsamic Lemon Chicken still wears the crown in my house, this is definitely a runner-up.
Further proof that simple meals can, and do, hit it out of the ballpark sometimes. And we are grateful, no? I still haven’t really caught up on my sleep…
So in case you missed this back in 2006 like I did, without further ado, enjoy!
Lemon Cream Chicken
Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 chicken legs
• Coarse sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 fresh thyme sprigs
• Grated zest and juice of 1 large lemon
• 1/2 cup creme fraiche
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. After 3 minutes, add the butter and oil. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Place the chicken, skin side down, in the skillet and brown well, 4 minutes per side.
Scatter a few thyme sprigs over the chicken and transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the juices run clear when the chicken is pierced with a fork.
Transfer the chicken to a platter to keep warm and return the skillet to the stovetop over medium heat. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet. Add the lemon juice, and stir to scrape up any brown bits. Simmer for 1 minute, then add the creme fraiche and stir until melted and bubbling. (If the sauce is too thick, add a tablespoon of water.) Pour the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with lemon zest, additional pepper, and garnish with fresh thyme sprigs, if desired. Serve hot.
This was wonderful, no changes followed it to the letter.
We served it with baby red potatoes and Caesar salad.
Thanks so much for sharing.
Can someone please explain what cream fraiche is?
Forgive me for being nearly two weeks behind (and I don’t even have kids as an excuse), but I just had to stop in and tell you how AMAZING this looks. I’m pretty sure it will be going on my menu for next week…
I make a lemon chicken recipe that doesn’t have a cream base, but I love the addition of that creme fraiche here! It looks wonderful.
Lemon cream chicken! I always usually roast the chicken pieces coated in lemon juice and topped with slices of lemon…but lemon cream sounds even better. I have to try out your balsamic lemon chicken too!
I barely even knew that blogs existed in 2006! and by barely I mean, I really didn’t at all in any way. So weird to think that a time like that even existed!
you must be very young. that was only 6 years ago. not that long ago. there were many great food blogs started before your awareness of them.
Lemon cream sauce?! Sounds great!
So, let me get this straight… I don’t have to pick the thyme off of the stem AND I get to scrape up the brown bits? This is, indeed, winner, winner, chicken dinner! Thanks, Amy!
Kathleen! Hahahahaha. Based on our recent conversation, that made me laugh out loud. The stars are aligned for you on this one!
This looks SO yummy. I clicked on the “original”, and yours looks better – much more appetizing, while screaming “Make me now! You know you want me!” Added to my pile of recipes I must make. :o)
Thanks, Jen! That picture even makes me want it again right now. I added more lemon and thyme to mine, which I think gave it that extra somethin’. I think you and Jay would really love it. I served it with a green veggie.
This looks lovely and delicious–and believe it or not, I just printed off the recipe for your balsamic lemon chicken and I’m making it tonight (my in-laws are unexpectedly dropping in for dinner, so I needed something fabulous and easy).
Oh Jenna, you and the in-laws are in for a treat! That chicken dish makes my toes curl :D Hope you all like it as much as I do.