Lemon-Garlic Herbed Chicken

This lovely chicken dish imparts the aromas and flavors of the lemon, garlic, and herbs from soaking in the marinade. The preparation is so easy, it takes only minutes to make the marinade.

You can also place the chicken pieces in a freezer bag with the marinade so that it is ready whenever you want to have an effortless weeknight dinner.

Source: Lemon-Garlic Herbed Chicken, Complete Outdoor Living Cookbook, Williams-Sonoma

Ingredients
¼ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest
Juice of 1 large lemon
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary, plus sprigs for garnish
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme, plus sprigs for garnish
3 cloves garlic, minced
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 frying chicken, about 3 ½ lb, quartered
1 cup water

Directions
In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon zest and juice, soy sauce, chopped rosemary and thyme, garlic, shallot, cayenne, and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk until well blended. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Add the chicken quarters and turn to coat evenly. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours.

Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F. Remove the chicken from the marinade, reserving the marinade, and place on a rack in a large roasting pan. Pour the 1 cup of water into the pan. Roast, basting occasionally with the reserved marinade up until the last 10 minutes of cooking, until golden brown and the juices run clear when a thigh is pierced, 45-50 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh away from the bone should register 180 degrees F.

Remove from the oven and transfer to a transportable serving platter. Garnish with the herb sprigs, then cover with aluminum foil until ready to serve. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.