Roast Chicken Breast with Meyer Lemon Jus / by Judy Kim

by Judy Kim


Roast Chicken Breast with Meyer Lemon Jus

Yield: 4 servings

This is the ultimate comfort food, simple roast chicken. Which is great all year round, but when Meyer lemons are available I cannot resist. Meyer lemons and blood oranges are my weakness in the Fall and Winter months. If they are out of season, regular lemons are still great. The lemony jus is my favorite part of this dish, save it for dipping! And if you like cold leftover chicken like me, make extra.

Pro tip: Save the chicken bones and freeze them in a zip lock bag until you have enough to make bone broth. Don’t forget to mark the date. The bones are great for chicken bone broth or add them while making beef bone broth for extra richness and flavor.

INGREDIENTS

4 chicken breasts bone-in, excess fat trimmed

Extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 meyer lemon, zested and juiced

Flaky sea salt for finishing

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled

¼ cup finely chopped parsley

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Rinse chicken and pat dry thoroughly. Drizzle with olive oil; season with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Arrange chicken in a single layer on a rimmed sheet pan, skin side up and roast until it start to brown, about 25 minutes.

  2. Turn oven to broil and cook until skin is crisp and deep golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate to rest.

  3. Set sheet pan on the stove over medium heat; add 1 tablespoon meyer lemon juice or more to taste and 1 teaspoon of zest. Scrape bottom of pan and simmer for 1 minute. Season with flaky sea salt and add splash of chicken stock if you want more sauce. Stir in cold butter until emulsified. Pour jus and crispy bits into a small bowl or into a serving platter.

  4. Finish chicken with flaky sea salt, more meyer lemon zest and parsley. Serve with jus.