Juicy Lemon Chicken

Awesome boyfriend and I were shocked at how much moisture this chicken retained.  Sometimes when you put chicken on the grill it can dry out, but this recipe made for a perfect crunchy crust and a juicy inside.

Ingredients
1 lemon
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp minced garlic*
1 Tbsp oregano*
5 bone in chicken thighs*

Directions

1. Use a lemon zester to collect 2 Tbsp of lemon zest from the outside of the lemon.  If you have no idea what I'm talking about, see video below.  Add lemon zest to a small bowl.  
2. Cut lemon in half and squeeze 2 Tbsp of lemon juice into lemon zest.  
3. Add olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and oregano to lemon.  
4. Add chicken thighs to a container with a lid.  The container should be big enough that all of the chicken can lay flat.  
5. Spoon lemon mixture onto the chicken thighs.  Cover and marinate for at least 30 minutes.  
6. While chicken is marinating, turn on grill to medium heat and brush with olive oil.  
7. After 30 minutes, add chicken to grill.  Cook covered for 10 minutes on each side.  
8. Remove chicken from grill and serve hot.  

Notes on ingredients*
Lots of cooks prefer fresh garlic, and if you are one of them that is fine.  I am lazy and I hate chopping garlic so I buy the stuff in the jar.  Whichever one you choose will be delicious.

Same deal with the oregano- buy the fresh stuff if you like it better but I use the oregano that you can find in a jar in the spice section.

I know that chicken thighs are dark meat and some of you may not like that.  If that is the case you can substitute a chicken breast, but you'll have to add more olive oil to the marinade.  You could also try cooking this in a pan instead of on the grill.  The dark meat is known for retaining flavor and moisture, so it is preferable for this recipe.




I use a zester to zest lemons which looks like this.  They sell them in the grocery store for around $4 so you might as well buy one.  Plus, next time you have friends over for drinks, you can use it to make lemon twists.  They will either be with the kitchen tools or maybe with the lemons.

Citrus zester.  

Lemon zest and juice.