Herbed Chicken Breasts
Instructions:
- The flavors here mimic those that have made Tuscan cooking a North American favorite: lemon zest, rosemary, and olive oil. Although expensive extra virgin olive oil isn’t necessary, a good bottle of syrupy balsamic vinegar will work wonders.
- Makes 6 servings
- Six 10- to 12-ounce bone-in skin-on or skinless chicken breasts, cut in half the short way
- 4 garlic cloves, slivered
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional for oiling the baking sheet
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary leaves
- 11â„2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
- 1â„2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
- Toss the breasts, garlic, olive oil, rosemary, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, and salt in a large bowl until the chicken is coated in the spices. Alternatively, place all these ingredients in a zip lock plastic bag, seal it, and shake until the chicken has been well coated. Refrigerate for 1 hour, tossing occasionally.
- Position the rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly oil a large baking sheet.
- Remove the breasts from the marinade with all the spices adhering. Place bone side down on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes.
- Increase the oven temperature to 450°F. Brush the vinegar evenly over the breasts without knocking off the spices. Continue baking until well browned, until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a breast registers 165°F (our preference) or 170°F (the USDA recommendation), 8 to 10 more minutes.
- Let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes. If desired, skim and discard any visible fat from the pan juices and spoon the juices over the chicken when serving.