Recipe No. 7 – Sticky Lemon Chicken

 

Lemons have been used as a cooking ingredient since the 11th century, both for it’s properties as a flavour enhancer and for it’s nutritional benefits. Although most of the Vitamin C, that it is famed for containing, is destroyed in cooking, the acidic taste gives a lift to foods that might otherwise be bland. Lemons have been heralded by natural healers as a therapy for cramps, inflammations, gout and arthritic pain, and lemons do this without adding calories [A medium lemon containing about 17 calories and no fat.].

The British navy gave rations of lemons to all it’s sailors in the late 1800’s to combat scurvy. It was this ration that led to the nickname “LIMEYS”, in the belief that they were in fact over-ripe limes. Perhaps we should be more correctly referred to as “LEMONIES”?

There are many variations of this recipe around the internet including a Gordon Ramsey's one, the recipe I used came once again from “Eating for Lower Cholesterol”.

 

Ingredients.

• 8 Chicken Portions [I used leg joints but thighs or drumsticks would work]
• 3 Lemons
• 2 Tablespoons Runny Honey
• 3 Garlic Cloves – unpeeled
• 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2-3 Sprigs of rosemary

 

 

 

1. To reduce the fat content remove the skin from the chicken. [I actually didn’t do this!!].
2. Squeeze the juice from the three lemons into a large roasting tin, add the honey,garlic and olive oil and mix well.
3. Add the chicken and put the empty lemon halves all around.
4. Add the rosemary to the top of the chicken and place in a pre-heated oven [180 C / Gas Mark 4] and cook for around an hour or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked.

I served it with new potatoes and a small salad although it would go well with rice also. The lemons can be eaten as they come out sticky and caramelised.

The chicken was very moist and tender and was well cooked, if anything the overall flavour was a little too lemony, which I enjoyed. Sylvia wasn’t overly impressed as the promised “stickiness” just wasn’t there. This was certainly not one of her favourites!

Poppy, who ever since the couscous last week has been telling her mother that every meal “lacks flavour”, thought it was lovely and gave it a “thumbs-up”. However after squeezing a lemon on the chicken half way through her meal, no further chicken was eaten! Victoria [who had just popped by] loved the flavour but the extra Poppy lemon flavour was even too much for her.

Having seen some of the other recipes on the internet I think that next time I’ll try a slightly different variation to try to get more of the honey coming through. As there was some left over I will be trying the dish cold for my lunch tomorrow – I’ll let you know what that is like.