A good friend of mine asked me for more dark meat chicken recipes. I'll be the first to admit I was stumped, simply because the Witch is a chicken breast kind of girl. Boneless and skinless, please! That's all I really knew growing up, so it makes sense that it'd be what I know today. For some reason it was drilled into my head that dark meat is gross, stringy, greasy, funky tasting. So, I avoided it like the plague!
The Kitchen Witch decided that she was being far too discriminatory against a whole half of a bird. What had the dark meat ever done to deserve this reputation? The Witch decided to be a grown up and do what I've been trying to teach the little Witch, try a bite. How do you know you won't like it if you don't try it?
So I did. And I liked it! Not funky. Not greasy. Not stringy. It actually has flavor. The left overs are about a million times better than breast meat; they don't get that fridge flavor that white meat seems to pick up. Add the fact that dark meat is half the price of its pale counterparts and I'm a happy Witch. So here it is Kelly. Simple, flavorful, and easy to prepare! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Thanks again for the gentle push outside of my comfort zone, it is appreciated :)
Lemon herb roasted quarters
makes 5 servings
8-10 leaves sage
4 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs oregano
1 small handful parsley
4 cloves garlic smashed
3/4 to 1t kosher salt & a few grinds of pepper
zest and juice of 1 lemon
3T EVOO
5 chicken quarters, or 5 legs & 5 thighs
Mince herbs. Add everything but the chicken to a bowl and whisk well. Pour over chicken quarters, rub it in. Allow to marinate for 2-4 hours.
Roast on a sheet pan in a preheated oven set at 375. Roast uncovered for 45 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 180.
Look at how golden and crispy the skin got. It was delicious!Nutrition Facts Provided by SparkPeople Recipe calculator
5 Servings, skin removed
Amount Per Serving
Calories 233.4
Total Fat 12.9 g
Saturated Fat 2.3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.9 g
Monounsaturated Fat 7.5 g
Cholesterol 105.0 mg
Sodium 347.0 mg
Potassium 320.8 mg
Total Carbohydrate 1.6 g
Dietary Fiber 0.1 g
Sugars 0.2 g
Protein 26.5 g
What you did is very like the way I've cooked legs and thighs many times. I adore fresh sage. I prefer dark meat chicken (unless I'm making paillards). Great minds!
ReplyDeleteI actually prefer dark meat...Good for you for trying it.
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job.
ReplyDeleteVery beautiful Andrea! Personally, dark meat is my favorite...usually more flavorful and moist then white meat...but of course Chris can't stand dark meat and I even made him try it again. He says its too gamey for him...grrr.. will you please trade kids with me? hehehe
ReplyDeleteI am just like you; I usually never eat the dark meat, but like you, I always hear people say it is better. You have convinced me; I need to grow up too:) Your recipe sounds wonderful...thanks!
ReplyDeleteHeck yes! Finally (!) a nutritious and DELICIOUS option for the over-abundance of sage I have growing on my patio. This looks super. Thanks, Andrea!
ReplyDelete~Bethany
www.brkfstatbethanys.blogspot.com
Do you think this survive all the way to me in the mail?
ReplyDeleteLeg quarters were on sale today, so I used your recipe to roast them. Delicious! However, use a baking pan not a "sheet pan", because there was an awful lot of grease that came out of those legs.
ReplyDeleteHi Andrea! I featured your photo in a post about the different cuts of chicken on Craftsy. Have a look at the feature - and if you'd prefer I remove the picture and link, you just let me know.
ReplyDeletehere's the link: http://www.craftsy.com/blog/2013/11/cuts-of-chicken/