Rao's Famous Lemon Chicken

What they say about this dish is that every table at Rao’s has at least one of these in their order!  That means it has got to be crazy good!  We have never been to the restaurant in New York, which I think is virtually impossible to get in to due to size and ongoing reserved tables.  But we have been to the one in Vegas and Tom said this dish was really amazing when he went one time! 

With all of these accolades, we thought we should give this a shot.  I went to Saveur to find the recipe since the last time we tried something from a restaurant was the cioppino from Tadich Grill over the holidays and that did not disappoint!

It is such an easy recipe (other than the 8 lemons you have to juice!) that I can’t believe how much flavor it had.  There are a couple adjustments that seem like a good idea based on our first run … make it 2 garlic cloves, ½ cup less lemon juice and go 5 minutes per side shorter on the broiling.  Then it is perfect!  The dish is incredible if you like really good chicken with a pronounced lemon flaver!!

Rao’s Famous Lemon Chicken

Recipe by Saveur http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Raos-Famous-Lemon-Chicken and photos by FT – Food Tasty!

serves 6

2 cups fresh lemon juice (8 large lemons)

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

½ tsp dried oregano

salt and ground black pepper

2 2 ½ lb. chickens with legs, thighs and wings separated and breasts quartered on the bone (I used 1 - 4 lb so just make the chicken pieces the same size)

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Place oven rack in upper third of the oven, preheat broiler for at least 15 minutes.

Whisk together lemon juice, oil, vinegar, garlic and oregano in a large bowl.

Place chicken, skin side down, on a baking sheet and broil for 15 minutes.  Turn chicken skin side up and broil until skin is crisp and golden and juices run clear, about 15 more minutes.

Remove chicken from broiler and toss in lemon mixture.  Return chicken to broiler, skin side up, and broil for 3 minutes.  Transfer chicken to a platter.

Pour pan drippings into a saucepan, add lemon sauce, and bring to a boil over high heat until thickened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in parsley, drizzle a little sauce on chicken, and serve remaining sauce on the side.

 Enjoy!  Sheri