Lemon and Garlic Chicken Bake

Lemon and Garlic Chicken Bake

In keeping with the Italian theme (I have a couple others up my sleeve still too), I thought I would share this version of my chicken baked in foil recipe.  Since my son loves everything lemon, and enjoyed the orange and fennel chicken I cooked a few days prior, I decided to try this. It seems like there are lemon chicken recipes popping up all over social media as well, so I know it is a popular combination, and I remember a delicious version my mom made as a kid, so I was hoping to recreate that flavor.  If you slice the lemon thin enough, the pieces become so tender you can eat them whole like I did, and the garlic just soaks up the lemon juice (and oils) as well.  I served this dish over mung beans (a Dr. Oz favorite), cooked with bell peppers, capers and sun dried tomatoes.  It was like a flavor explosion in my mouth, and one of my favorite dinners I have had in awhile.  So grab some lemons and go!

Orange and Fennel Chicken Bake

Orange and Fennel Chicken Bake

After returning from Sorrento Italy, this meal seems appropriate to share. Amongst all the rows of lemon trees, which the region is famous for, there is always a spattering of orange trees and the few oranges we did try while there, definitely rivaled the best that Florida might have to offer. In addition to oranges, it seemed as if fennel was a local specialty since every vegetable plate we ordered had fennel on it and they even make a liquor out of fennel, which unfortunately I never got around to trying.  Needless to say, when I came home and was going through old recipe drafts that I haven't yet posted, this combination of ingredients caught my eye.  It was the first chicken foil packet I ever attempted, and the inspiration for a lot of other varieties to follow because it came out so well.  The chicken is moist and tender, and the oranges and fennel cook down and become a delicious sauce that is perfect to drizzle over rice, couscous, or pasta (al dente, of course!)