Slow Roasted Garlic and Lemon Chicken

Remember I mentioned earlier that I bookmarked alot of sweet lemon recipes but not much savoury ones? Then I found this other one from my favourite domestic goddess, Nigella Lawson :) It looks pretty easy peasy enough for me to attempt. All you need is time and once the chicken is in the oven, you can walk away for sometime ;) 

I asked Mr G if he wanted slow roasted garlic lemon chicken or lemon chicken  breasts? Immediately he said, the GARLIC one!! HAHAHA!! As I expected ;) So here it is.
This recipe is taken from Nigella's Forever Summer (pg 138).

Ingredients:

1 chicken weighing about 2.25kg (I used 1 packet of chicken drumsticks)
1 bulb of garlic (separated into unpeeled cloves)
2 unwaxed lemons, cut into one eighths
1 handful fresh thyme
3 tbsp olive oil
150ml white wine
black pepper

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celsius. (Don't be alarmed at such low temperature, later you will see why)
2. Put the chicken pieces into a roasting tin and add the garlic cloves, lemon and thyme; just roughly pull off the roughly pull the leaves off the stalks, leaving some intact for strewing over later. Add the oil and using your hands mix everything together, then spread the mixture out, making sure all the chicken pieces are skin side up.
3. Sprinkle over the white wine and grind on some pepper, then cover tightly with foil and put in the oven to cook, at flavour-intensifyingly low heat, for 2 hours.
4. Remove the foil from the roasting tin, and turn up the oven to 200°C I used 180°C as my oven gets hot pretty fast. Cook the uncovered chicken for another 30-45 minutes, by which time the skin on the meat will have turned golden brown and the lemons will have begun to scorch and caramelise at the edges.

I tried to turn the chicken before I removed the lid of the dutch pot but didn't realise the chicken was so soft and melted that it literally crumbled into pieces so hence, the deconstructed chicken look above @@ Hahaha!!

Anyway, the garlic is so soft and melted and best of all, creamy!! The chicken skin is absolutely crackingly good!! I love this simple dish where you need not stand by the oven and watch the dish cook. The trick I did was not even to use foil. I literally used the cover of the dutch pot to cover it so I can save the earth by not using foil :) The chicken tastes lightly of lemon and is lightly covered with the scent of thyme. It's perfect for us. Mr G and me finished it all!! Without any rice of course ;) 

I also roasted some lightly seasoned vegetables to go along with the chicken.

I'm linking this post to the event, Little Thumbs Up organized by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of my little favourite DIY which is hosted by me.

The Little Thumbs Up event begins every first Tuesday of the month until the last day of the month so you are just on time. Do join us! 

To join, simply cook or bake any recipe with the theme of LEMON for February 2014 and link up with us at this post anytime until 28 February 2014.

Do not forget to display your Thumbs Up picture or display the badge above. 

Your post should be:

1. a current post i.e. only for February 2014
2. Please mention 'Little Thumbs Up' in your label and post and link back to Bake for Happy Kids, my little favourite DIY or/and Grace of Life can be Simple. For more details, you may refer to this.

I'm also submitting this to Cook-Your-Books #9 hosted by Joyce of kitchenflavours.