This chicken is stupid easy. Like, really, really easy. I’m just considering it a part of the “back to basics” theme I’ve been running (see: Easy Crusty Bread and Simple Breakfast Hash). That’ll be changing soon: I’ve got some seriously tasty Indian and Ethiopian recipes up my sleeve.
This dish is great for a weeknight meal: you can prep the whole thing the night before or that morning and then throw it in the oven when you get home. It also makes a great meal for friends who are moving/having a baby/just had surgery/don’t want to cook/etc. because it reheats so well.
It starts with one of my favorite things: potatoes. Cut them into smallish bite size pieces. You want them small to make sure they get nice and soft- no one likes a crunchy potato. Unless it’s a french fry. Everyone likes that.
Throw the potatoes in a baking dish with a roughly chopped onion, broccoli, and cauliflower. Carrots and/or brussels sprouts would be a great addition to this. Somehow the veggies magically don’t get overly soft and disgusting, so don’t worry about that. Drizzle a little olive oil over the veggies, then toss with minced garlic, salt, pepper, lemon pepper, and Italian seasoning. Be liberal with the seasoning. I mean it.
You’re gonna need a lemon. And you’re going to use every last bit of that lemon, because we want lots of bright lemony goodness to shine through. First, zest the whole thing then cut it into eight wedges.
Season four chicken thighs and four drumsticks with the same seasoning as the veggies, including a little drizzle of olive oil and minced garlic. Before you put the chicken on top of the veggies, squeeze three of the lemon wedges over the veggies and sprinkle with about a quarter of the zest. Top with the chicken and squeeze three more lemon wedges over them and sprinkle with half the remaining zest. Shove as many lemon wedges as you can in between the chicken pieces and down with the veggies.
Throw the whole thing in the oven, and about an hour later, you’ll lemony chicken heaven. Squeeze the remaining lemon slices over the whole thing and finish it off with what’s left of the zest.
Beautiful, golden chicken skin is one of my favorite things.
And the veggies get flavored so wonderfully by the chicken fat and juices!
This is filling and relatively healthy, and everyone will think you put a lot more effort into it than the little bit of chopping you actually did.
Get the Recipe:
Easy Lemon Chicken & Veggie Bake
Ingredients
Veggies:
- 2 large russet potatoes, chopped into 3/4 × 3/4 inch pieces
- 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 1 small head of broccoli, chopped into florets
- 1 small head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
- 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp lemon pepper
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Zest the lemon completely, making sure to not zest the white part of the lemon. Slice the lemon into 8 wedges.
- Add the potatoes, onion, broccoli, and cauliflower to a 9×13 inch glass baking dish. Season with olive oil, minced garlic, salt, black pepper, lemon pepper, and Italian seasoning. Squeeze three of the lemon wedges over the veggies and sprinkle with a quarter of the lemon zest. Toss to coat.
- Season the chicken pieces with olive oil, minced garlic, salt, black pepper, lemon pepper, and Italian seasoning. Arrange on top of the veggies. Squeeze three more lemon wedges and sprinkle half the remaining zest over the chicken.
- Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Set oven to broil and broil for 3-5 minutes, or until chicken skin is golden brown. Remove from oven, flip chicken, and broil for another 3-5 minutes until skin on other side is golden brown.
- Remove from oven and squeeze remaining lemon wedges and sprinkle remaining zest over the chicken and veggies. Let the chicken rest for five minutes before serving.