Lemon-y Chicken

Lemon Pepper Chicken

Here is a perfect summer recipe. I saw this recipe on Plain Chicken's blog recently. She has many good recipes, but this one really sounded like one I wanted to try. I have been in and out of the house so much lately that the kitchen here at the farm has been a little quiet.

At the lake over Memorial Day weekend, we ate all of the meals right there, sitting on the screened porch. I kept everyone fed. Brought a few things from home, from the freezer. I did some simple cooking there. But it had been some time since I had really cooked.

So on my first full day at home last week, I made orzo salad and mixed the marinade for this chicken. Daddy-O did the actual grilling after he came in from moving hay bales out of the field. But at least I had everything ready to cook! The marinade was perfect. Lemon-y, but not too strong. Flavorful is how I would describe it. It was perfectly seasoned chicken.

You don't have to plan a day ahead to make this. This is not one of the "longer the better" marinades. The lemon juice will make the chicken "mushy" if it is left in the marinade for a long time. One hour is long enough.

I used bottled lemon juice because I had some that needed to be used up. (I think I bought it for another recipe that never happened. Do you ever do that?) I know fresh is always better. But the bottled juice was so easy and it was pretty tasty. Maybe one day, I'll squeeze a bunch of lemons and see how much difference it makes. 

I also pounded the chicken to make it thinner and easier to cook. Place chicken in a plastic bag (I like to use a freezer ziploc bag.) Leave the end open while you pound out the thick end to make it all one thickness.

LEMON PEPPER CHICKEN

1 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons lemon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 to 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used 4, package weighed about 2-1/2 lb.)

Whisk marinade ingredients together. Pour over chicken and let it marinate for 1 hour (not longer) in the refrigerator. Remove chicken from marinade. Grill until chicken is done.


This was so good. I WILL be making this again during the summer. We enjoyed it along side the orzo salad. The leftovers were sliced to make grilled chicken salad. I would also consider putting the grilled chicken in the freezer for another time. My new vacuum sealer would work great. (I've worn two out over the years.) I am always looking for ways to keep my freezer stocked for those days that go crazy. Or, days I just don't want to cook. On those days, we still have to eat!