Zimmy's Nook

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chicken recipe

Grilled (Top Rack) Lemon-Oregano Chicken

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An oval platter with four grilled lemon-oregano chicken breasts, a bowl of sauce and a village salad. Four wine glasses surround this platter.

Grilled lemon, oregano, garlic chicken served with a village salad. It is one of our all-time favourites and tonight I think it tasted better than ever because it feels like forever since we’ve made it!

Ingredients
  • 4-6 chicken breasts, skin on, bone-in
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh oregano
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1-2 lemons, cut into, 1/3 inch thick, slices
Preparation

In a mini food processor, blend together lemon juice, oregano, garlic, salt, pepper, then slowly add oil while the processor is running to make the sauce.

Place the breasts in a baking dish or resealable bag and add 1 tablespoon of sauce for each breast. Brush or rub the sauce to coat each piece. Place chicken in the fridge (covered) for 30-60 minutes. Reserve the rest of the sauce for serving.

Four raw chicken breasts marinating in a tray.

Starting with a clean grill; preheat all burners on medium (medium-high) heat. Adjust heat to reach approximately 400°F.

Marinating chicken breasts are ready to go on the grill.

Arrange chicken breasts, bone side down (skin up), on top rack of grill.

Four chicken breasts just placed on the top rack of the grill.

Cook, with the lid closed, changing positions of the breasts twice, until cooked through, about 40 minutes (this will vary based on size and thickness of breasts, as well as actual temperature of grill). Remove chicken from the grill, when the internal temperature reaches 160-162°F.

Transfer chicken to a plate, pour a little sauce over each breast, loosely cover with foil, rest for 5-10 minutes. Internal temperature with rise to 165°F while resting.

Grill lemon slices, until grill marks appear, about 2-3 minutes/side. Serve each breast with 1-2 lemon slices and remaining sauce.

A close up of four grilled lemon-oregano chicken breasts with a bowl of sauce.

Cook’s note: I find cooking chicken on the upper rack (of a clean grill), takes the stress of flares up away. The occasional flame will add a little char and flavour. Also, the heat from the top of the grill will brown and crisp up the skin. However, if the skin doesn’t brown in your grill, put the breasts skin side down on the lower rack for 3-4 minutes, until desired colour is attained.

Also delicious using chicken legs! Cook legs to 165°-167°F, before removing from grill.

  • Prep Time: 10 Mins
  • Cook Time: 35-45 Mins
  • Total Time: less than 1 hour
  • Serves: 4-6

Hope you enjoy my Grilled Lemon-Oregano Chicken recipe! We would love to hear from you, please leave us your feedback in the comment box below.

Have a delicious day! James (aka Zimmy) & Elaine

Cooked on my gorgeous Hestan 36″ gas grill in Pacific Fog. Proud Hestan Ambassador. Opinions in this post are my own.

Leftover Chicken Grain Bowl with Peanut Sauce

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Two colourful chicken grain bowls with peanut sauce, boiled eggs and veggies.

Leftover Canadian Raised chicken NEVER goes to waste in our house! It’s perfect for lunches or to repurpose for a weeknight meal! This tasty grain bowl with peanut sauce, transforms “fridge-finds” into a satisfying (and pretty) dinner!

Ingredients For 2 bowls
  • 2-3 leftover cooked chicken thighs – skin on
  • 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa – cooked to package instructions (or grain of your choice)
  • Selection of fresh or cooked vegetables, herbs and nuts (use what you have available) – I used spicy cabbage slaw, carrots, green onions, jalapeños, cherry tomatoes, edamame, avocado, cilantro and cashews.
  • Hard boiled eggs – halved
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp Peanut sauce
  • 1/2 tbsp olive oil
Preparation

Remove the chicken skin and set aside.

Diced the chicken thighs into bit size pieces.

Heat a small non-stick skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and heat for 30 seconds. You don’t want the pan to get too hot or you run the risk of burning the skin before it gets crisp.

Toss in the chicken skin in a single layer—you should hear a sizzle when the pieces hit the oil. Pan-fry each piece for about 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Use tongs to transfer the crisp chicken skin pieces to a paper towel–lined plate and let them cool briefly. Like bacon, they will crisp even further as they cool. Once cool, break or chop into small pieces.

Add the diced thighs to the hot pan and coat with oil/ fat in the pan, add 2 tbsp peanut sauce, stir to blend in and cook until chicken is warmed through, 1-2 minutes.

Assemble bowl with quinoa, vegetables, cilantro, cashews & eggs around the sides. Add chicken to the middle, sprinkle with crispy skin and serve 1/4 cup of peanut sauce with each bowl.

Pour sauce over bowl, toss to combine an enjoy!

Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil 
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 2-3 tablespoons sambal oelek (add to spice preference)
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • small piece of fresh ginger, peeled
  • 1 clove of fresh garlic, peeled
  • 1/4 cup of water
Preparation

Blend all the sauce ingredients together in a small blender or food processor until smooth and creamy.

Prep Time: 5 mins

Makes: 1 1/2 cups (6 x 1/4 cup servings)

A colourful chicken grain bowl with peanut sauce, boiled eggs and veggies.

This Chicken Grain Bowl recipe was made with the thighs from my Sheet Pan Lemon Honey Chicken with Rosemary & Tarragon recipe that was developed in partnership with Chicken Farmers of Canada. Opinions in this post are my own. 

Sheet Pan Lemon Honey Chicken with Rosemary & Tarragon

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Large sheet pan with twenty chicken thighs on top of a variety of roasted vegetables.

Making extra chicken to use for the next day’s lunches or dinner is an easy way to take the stress out of weekday meal prep. This Sheet Pan Lemon Honey Chicken with Rosemary & Tarragon recipe is one of the easiest ways to make delicious tender chicken, while you go about your routine and let the magic happen on just one pan. The vegetables, rosemary and tarragon add even more amazing flavor to the dish, and the steam helps to create a lovely sauce at the bottom of the pan! Make a pot of rice and serve everything over the rice to sop up the delicious juices!

Ingredients
  • 10 Chicken Thighs – Raised by a Canadian Farmer
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 4 tablespoons local honey
  • 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 6 sprigs rosemary
  • 6 shallots, halved
  • ½ red onion sliced
  • 10-12 medium carrots (heirloom if available)
  • A handful of cherry tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Salt & pepper
  • 4 sprigs of tarragon – small tender leaves left whole and larger leaves chopped
Preparation

Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, Dijon mustard, garlic, ½ teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the chicken thighs to a resealable bag and pour in the marinade. Seal the bag and massage the chicken with the marinade to coat well. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.

Add the carrots, onions, shallots & rosemary, to a sheet pan that just holds everything (not to big as the chicken should sit on top of the vegetables). Drizzle with the oil and season with salt & pepper. Toss well to coat. Spread the vegetables evenly over the bottom of the pan. Place the chicken pieces on top of the vegetables allowing the marinade to drip off into the bag before adding to the pan. Add remaining marinade to a small pot, bring to a boil, turn off and set aside.

A sheet pan of veggies and chicken thighs ready to go into the oven

Bake chicken & vegetables for 25 minutes, then baste with reserved marinade. Add the tomatoes to the sheet pan and return to the oven. Cook for an additional 20 – 25 minutes until chicken is golden brown and cooked to 165 degrees F. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with the tarragon, and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving with the softened vegetables.

Close up photo of a sheet pan of chicken thights with rosemary, taragon and veggies.

This Sheet Pan Lemon Honey Chicken with Rosemary & Tarragon recipe was developed in partnership with Chicken Farmers of Canada who uphold quality standards we can trust! Opinions in this post are my own.