Lemon and Sage Roasted Chicken
It's almost impossible not to get a tasty chicken, no matter the way it's cooked. But, with certain spice mixes, you can turn it into a real delicacy. I have a beautiful sage shrub in my garden and I'm looking to use it in as many recipes as possible. I successfully used sage in gnocchi (the recipe coming next), but with the chicken, it was a real hit! I highly recommend the combination, the chicken cooked in this way is tender, aromatic and very tasty.
You can also find sage in supermarkets, in the section of fresh herbs packed in boxes, or you can use dry sage. If you have a garden, though, you should definitely plant it, it's a perennial, not fussy, very decorative and useful.
For this recipe, I used boneless chicken thighs, but you can use this sage marinade for bone-in thighs, or even the whole chicken.
Clean and wash the chicken. Place in a large bowl.
I used boneless chicken thighs in this recipe, but next times I will surely use bone-in or the whole chicken.
Prepare the rest of the ingredients.
In a deeper bowl, combine the olive oil with crushed garlic, grated lemon peel and juice, squeezed from the two lemons.
Wash and chop the sage very finely, place in a bowl, together with salt and ground black pepper.
Add the sage to the lemon mixture and stir well. This is the marinade for the chicken.
Pour the marinade over the chicken and massage with your hands to coat well.
You can let marinate for a few hours in the refrigerator or bake immediately.
Arrange the chicken in a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake in the preheated oven at 200 degrees C, with the fan on (if you have), for about an hour.
The parchemnt is to make the cleaning easier after cooking.
At times, grease the chicken with the juice released in the pan.
And finally, when you remove from the oven, brush the chicken again with the fat, for a softer and shinier skin.
Serve with any side dish or salad you like. Hot, will be particularly tasty, but not only.
Enjoy!
