Lemon Rosemary Chicken

This is a tangy, fragrant, garlic rosemary and chicken dish that goes great with buttery polenta or mashed potatoes. It’s fairly easy to put together, the key ingredient being the fresh rosemary.

Rosemary requires a little preparation, it must be stripped from its stem, and then bruised, either with a mortal and pestle, or another method is to hit the herb on a cutting board with the back of a heavy knife. This bruising method brings out all the flavor and scent within the herb. Rosemary is completely edible, just be sure to remove any of the woody stems. Also, herbs go through ‘seasonal’ phases just like vegetables. Winter rosemary will be drier, with thicker stems, and will require more care in preparation. Good spring rosemary is so young and new, that you can even eat the stem. (Easy test, if the stem bends easily in half without fraying or breaking, it’s soft enough to eat.)

The best part of this dish is the combination of the lemon, garlic, and herb to make a fantastic heady aroma. I pan fry the chicken for a nice crisp crust, and the crunch of the fried rosemary is wonderful. It’s a great dish for entertaining, with just a little effort the chicken can be plated to look just as fancy as any restaurant dish.
Serves 4

Lemon Rosemary Chicken
4 Chicken breasts (boneless skinless and thawed)
1 stick (8 tbs) Butter
1 tbs fresh minced garlic
1 tbs Lemon Juice
3-4 Good sized Rosemary branches (One case of the store bought)
½ tsp of Salt
2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive oil.

Allow at least an hour between preparation and cooking, so that the chicken has a chance to marinate.
In a medium microwave safe bowl, dice the butter into several smaller pieces. Add the minced garlic, and microwave 30-45 sec to melt the butter. Strip and bruise the rosemary leaves, and then add to the butter mixture. Finally, add the Lemon Juice, and the Extra virgin oil, and blend gently. Allow the rosemary to steep in the mixture for a couple minutes while its still hot.

Take the chicken, and trim off any fat. Score or poke the chicken with a fork a few times, then salt the meat rubbing it into the chicken on all sides. Place the chicken in a medium sized bowl, and pour the rosemary garlic butter over the chicken, stick a few sprigs of rosemary into the scores in the chicken, so that they’re tucked into the meat. Make sure the sauce evenly covers the chicken on both sides of the meat. Cover the bowl, and let sit for an hour. (If longer, refrigerate)

When ready to cook, take a large nonstick skillet (large enough to grill all four breasts, or at least two at a time), and place on the range at medium high, allow the pan to get nice and hot, then remove the chicken from the sauce, shredding most of the butter before going into the pan.
Sear the chicken until crispy on first one side, then the other, (around 3-4 minutes per side) then reduce heat to medium, and spoon the remaining sauce evenly over the breasts. (If you don’t use all the butter that’s okay, but the more rosemary and garlic you get in the pan the better.) Cook the breasts in the pan for another 10-15 minutes or until cooked through.
Serve the breasts on a plate and spoon rosemary and juices back over the chicken (and side dish). Inhale deeply and enjoy!