Roasted Chicken Breast with Meyer Lemon

This is the food of my people.

Who are my people? Anyone who enjoys food. I suppose I could stop there but I’ll go a little further to give you a clearer sense of where we’re headed today…

Who are my people? Anyone who enjoys the flavors of Italy. Anyone who will happily drive around the block a few times waiting for the parking spot that sits closest to the tiny joint that serves up the best Italian comfort food in town. Anyone who longs for the smell of minced garlic and fresh basil or the sounds of pots bubbling and crusty bread crunching…these are my people.

I took a short hiatus from the blog last week. With the final touches of our renovation occurring in the rooms where I normally work, I decided to use this opportunity to let the blog breathe, to utilize other forms of social media and to actually go back and read posts I have long forgotten.

I reflected on my beloved Ciao Chow Bambina.

And with this, something struck me. I fear CCB has moved away just a little from the stuff that ignited my desire to start this blog in the first place. The stuff that if I had known as a child would be so important to me as an adult, I would have done differently. Growing up, I watched my mom and grandmothers from a short distance – never really getting my hands dirty, but always enjoying the fruits of their labor. Regret? Yes. I couldn’t possibly have known then that their artistry in the kitchen was one of the most important tracks they would lay for me.

So my blog – originally born from wanting to create and re-create dishes from my Italian heritage will once again take more center stage…Italian recipes that will keep alive the flavors and memories that I am so passionate about. Yes, dishes with a slant toward Calabrian cooking, along with jewels from my childhood and my children’s childhood, like this Roasted Chicken Breast with Meyer Lemon, for example.

My dad’s mom, Gram, made a mean roasted Italian chicken with a side of Italian potatoes that still haunt me to this day. Perfectly crisp, perfectly tender with just the right amount of herbaciousness. Gosh, Gram also fried a mean pork chop and knew her way around a cube steak like nobody’s business. There was something spectacular that happened in her kitchen that always caused us butterflies the moment we pulled into her driveway. We knew that just beyond her tiny flower garden adorned with deep purple and red petunias and through her front door, we’d be treated to her style of comfort and hospitality in all its splendor. She even designated a drawer in her kitchen for Juicy Fruit gum. Treats at every turn.

I’m starting with her roasted chicken because – well – because. How’s that? Sometimes there are no words, we just have to trust.

Swimming in  lovely lemon, garlic and Italian herb marinade, let the chicken rest overnight in the refrigerator. By doing so we’re guaranteed juicy moist flavor-infused meat with every bite. Once ready, crank the oven to scorching hot and let the chicken do its thing while slicing some Meyer lemons for squeezing as soon as it comes out.

I’m not sure Gram used Meyer lemons in her cooking but the juice of this special lemon with its notes of orange, along with a generous crank of sea salt and black pepper are enough to transport me to the bright and savory meal she prepared for her family. I am nine again, sitting at Gram’s tiny island in her kitchen, savoring the tastes and aromas of her Italy.

I hope you will, too!

Buon Appetito!

Roasted Chicken Breast with Meyer Lemon

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• Author: Ciao Chow Bambina
• Category: Dinner

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Ingredients

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• 1 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 heaping Tbsp. minced garlic
• 2 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 5 lbs. bone-in, skin-on chicken breast
• 2 –3 Meyer lemons cut into wedges
• Salt and cracked black pepper to taste

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Instructions

1. To create the marinade, in a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
2. Place chicken in a gallon sized zip-lock bag and add marinade to the bag.
3. Close and shake, making sure all chicken pieces are sufficiently covered in marinade.
4. Place in refrigerator for as little as two hours or overnight.
5. When ready, heat oven to 450 degrees.
6. Roast chicken for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until meat thermometer measures 165 degrees F.
7. Meat will be juicy and the skin browned and caramelized.
8. Squeeze lemons over chicken as it comes out of the oven.
9. Salt and pepper generously.
10. Serve.

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Ciao!