Lemon Chicken and Tomato Mozzarella Salad

I'm back from Miami!  It wasn't quite as exciting as a trip to Miami should be, although I did manage to sneak out to the pool for long enough to burn the front half of my body.  My shins?  Bright, lobster red.  My calves?  White as a (white) baby's bottom.  The front of my arms and my shoulders and painfully burned, but the backs appear that they've never seen the light of day.  Ever.  Its a pretty good look, if I do say so myself. 

The meeting part of my trip kind of left a bit to be desired, too.  It was super fun to fly all the way to Florida to make a presentation to a room full of people who INVITED me to come make a presentation, only to have them answer emails and have side conversations the entire time I was presenting.  And then they had the audacity to ask me questions at the end, the answers to which were CLEARLY covered in the presentation.  Honestly, this isn't third grade, people.  You are 45 years old and surely it wouldn't kill you to be courteous to your guest in a professional setting.  Jerks.  Anyway, I declined lunch with my new "friends", and enjoyed a Cuban sandwich and a glass of wine (okay, it was two.  Geez!!!) with the company of only my Kindle. 

Anyway, I made this chicken before I left, but haven't had a chance to blog about it yet.  It was awfully delicious - I served it with tomato mozzarella salad and roasted asparagus.  I'll definitely make it again, probably with boneless thighs next time.  I'm not a huge fan of meat on a bone.  Just feels creepy.

Enjoy!

Lemon Chicken
Source: Adapted from Annie's Eats

2 TBSP lemon zest
1/3 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp. fresh rosemary leaves, finely minced

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup white wine

few shakes of grill seasoning
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
2-4 lbs. of bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces
2-3 TBSP melted butter
thinly sliced lemons, for garnished

In a large plastic bag with a zipper top, combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, rosemary, grill seasoning, oil, wine, and salt and pepper.  Seal the bag and shake well to blend.  Put the chicken pieces in the bag with the marinade, press out the excess air, and seal again.  Refrigerate and let marinate for at least two hours and up to eight hours.

Preheat the oven to 425˚ F.  Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and transfer to a baking dish, skin-side up, reserving the leftover marinade.  Brush the top of each piece of chicken with melted butter.

Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the dish from the oven and pour the remaining marinade over the chicken.  Return the chicken to the oven and bake 15-20 more minutes for light meat and 20-25 more minutes for dark meat.  

Once fully baked, cover loosely with foil and let rest ten minutes before serving.  Transfer to a serving platter, garnish with lemon slices and serve.

Tomato Mozzarella Salad

2 large, ripe tomatoes, sliced thick
1 ball fresh mozzarella, sliced
fresh basil
drizzle olive oil
drizze good balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste.

Stack cheese on tomato slices, drizzle with oil and balsamic vinegar.  Top with basil and salt and pepper.