Lemon Chicken with Croutons

If you know me, you know of my deep and abiding respect for Ina Garten.  If Ina says, “how easy is that?”, it’s that easy.  This is her recipe and it is super good.

This recipe is so versatile.  For example, we had company for the weekend.  For dinner Friday night I roasted 2 chickens for the 9 of us.  The next day for lunch, we had baguettes with a thin schmear of cream cheese, sliced chicken, arugula and thinly sliced red onion for 3 of us.  The Hunka-hunka just cut the rest of the chicken off the bone.  I’m freezing it until I’m ready to make an old-fashioned chicken pot pie.  (I always wait for the first frost.  I don’t know why.)  I will also freeze the drippings and onions left in the baking pan to make the gravy for the pie.

It looks impressive when carried to the table.  The lemon and onion combo is the perfect flavoring.  As you can see by the picture, we have a bit of a pepper problem; we love pepper.  You should salt and pepper to your liking.  Greg would normally carve the chicken and layer it over the croutons.  They absorb the juices in an absolutely delightful way.  You’ll make this over and over again.

 Lemon Chicken with Croutons

1 4 to 5 pound chicken

1 large onion, sliced

Olive oil

S & P

1 lemon

Butter

6 cups cubed bread (I use Pugliese)

Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Toss onions, oil and S&P in roasting pan.  Place the washed and dried chicken on top.  S & P the inside.  Put cut up lemon in the cavity.  Brush outside with butter.  S & P outside of chicken.  Roast 1 ½ hours.

Bake croutons.  Place bread cubes on cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Liberally sprinkle with S & P.  Toss and bake about 15 to 20 minutes turning once.  If oven space is an issue, make the croutons the same way only in a well-oiled frypan on the stove top.

To serve, place croutons on platter.  Carve chicken and place on top of croutons.  Top with pan drippings.

Fabulous!

*  From the Recipe Box:

Best chicken recipe ever from my hero Ina Garten

I make our Thanksgiving turkey this way now, too.  It makes a truly fabulous gravy using all those roasted onions.

The croutons are Beth’s favorite snack.

I only use one half lemon per chicken.

This has become my favorite company meal.  It looks totally classy, yet so easy with great leftovers.

And remember what Dr. Seuss said:  Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets.  So, love the people who treat you right, forgive the ones who don’t and believe everything happens for a reason.  If you get a chance, take it.  If it changes your life, let it.  Nobody said it would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it.  Big kiss, Lynn