Lemon Rosemary Chicken

Lemon Rosemary Chicken in a Staub Cast Iron Skillet

I absolutely love my Staub Paella Pan and all the creative dishes I can cook in it. I have added Lemon Rosemary Chicken in a Staub Cast Iron Skillet to my long list of delicious meals you can cook in a Staub Paella Pan.

I often make this version of Lemon Rosemary Chicken dish at home for my family. It’s pretty easy to make. I do recommend using fresh rosemary oppose to dry rosemary for this dish, if possible. It will make a big difference in the taste.

My husband loves lemon chicken dishes. He loves chicken picatta which is another delicious dish. This particular Italian dish is named Pollo e Limone e Rosemarino, in Italian. I was inspired to make this dish because of the Santa Barbara I Madonnari, Italian street festival at the Santa Barbara Mission this weekend. It’s a 3 day street painting festival with artists painting life size art pieces in chalk on the street. The festival also has some food booths serving caprese, gelato, Italian ice cones, and other yummy Italian dishes. The sister festival is in Grazie di Curtatone, Italy where the first International street painting festival started in 1972.

It’s been a while since I have been to Italy, but this dish always reminds me of my trip to Italy. I traveled to Europe one summer with a friend while I was in college and visited England, France, Spain, and Italy. It was such an incredible and enriching experience to travel to all of those countries. While I was in Italy, I went on the Euro-raile and visited in Florence, Sicily, and Rome. It was planes, trains, and automobiles.

In Sicily, we stayed with my friend’s family in a small town, and we experienced life through the lens of true Sicilian’s. I was really grateful for them to open their home to us and it was a beautiful experience. One morning we woke up pretty early to go to a picnic that our friends boyfriend prepared for us. He was up at 4am making dishes for our picnic. Then he gave us each this beautiful sculpture of a man on a horse made of wire that he created.

My trip was incredible, with the great company, the thoughtful gift, the delicious food. I was experiencing the fruit of living. Traveling helps to elevate each human experience. And this was one of the many elevated moments in my life.

This dish is zesty with a nice hint of lemon.

I hope you enjoy our recipe.

Serves 4-6

Marinade:
10 Garlic  Cloves
1/3 cup of olive oil
3 Tbsp. of Rosemary
Salt
Pepper
Cayenne
Lemon Zest,
1 whole Lemon, Juiced
1 whole Orange, Juiced
Lemon zest

Chicken:
2 Springs of Rosemary
2 lbs. of chicken drumsticks and thighs
1 Red Onion, cut into wedges,
10 Cloves of Garlic, crushed
1 whole Lemon, sliced

For the Marinade:

In a food processor, mix all of the ingredients and pulsate a couple of times until pulverized. Add 1/3 of the mixture In a bowl or a bag for marinading add the mixture with the chicken and marinade for 1 to six hours.

Roast the Chicken:

After the chicken has been marinated, pat each piece dry. Heat the oven to 450 Degrees. Heat the cast iron skillet on the stove and add olive oil to the hot pan. Lower the heat to medium and when the oil is hot, add the chicken and saute one each side. When the chicken is browned, place the crushed cloves, lemon slices, onion wedges, all around the chicken.  Place into the oven for 30 minutes or until the chicken has reached 160 degrees.

Serve with a side of potatoes, pasta, or arugula salad.