Roasted Chicken in Lemon Sauce

Having chicken for dinner has always been one of the best ways to get a good, quick meal without any special prep. Roasted Chicken in Lemon Sauce is a recipe you don't need to prepare in advance, but it really gives the chicken the out-of-the-box treatment. The chicken produces an amazing lemony smell that spreads all over the kitchen — a flavor that's a perfect combination of grilled chicken and the sourness of the lemon sauce. Getting this Roasted Chicken in Lemon Sauce on the table for a casual dinner will take you about 30 minutes. The idea is to create a balance between the chicken and lemon flavors. I used chicken thighs, skin on — we need that precious skin to keep the chicken moist inside and to get that amazing outer crisp that a good roasted chicken must have. The lemon sauce gives the chicken thighs their distinctive flavor — fresh and tangy. One thing to keep in mind: we don't want the sauce to be too sour, so instead of squeezing a bucket of lemon juice we use just 1 lemon, and the rest of the flavor comes from the lemon zest. For an extra crispy skin, I start by searing the chicken on a skillet over high direct heat, getting a good char on the skin that'll get even crispier once it goes into the oven for a few more minutes. You can add a lot of variations to the sauce if you're looking for rounder flavors. Cream is the best choice for a classic garlic and white wine sauce, which will definitely complement this recipe. I wanted to keep this dish on the low-fat side, so I skipped the cream — but I did use flour as a thickener, ending up with a thick sauce that'll be the star of the meal. Make sure you have a good bread on the side to wipe all that delicious sauce straight from the skillet!