Classic Lemon Oregano Chicken with Pasta

Lemon Oregano Chicken

Our oregano is just going gang busters in the garden. I seriously thought it had died last winter but it re-grew even bigger and better. I love the classic combination of lemon and oregano. It goes well on so many dishes. Here I used it in the most common form with chicken.

You can’t grill or roast for any substantial length of time with fresh herbs because they burn so easily. It is much better to make a dressing and pour it over the finished product. Here I roasted chicken thighs in the oven so the skin would be nice and crispy then poured just a tablespoon or two over the chicken when it was done. I like to use pasta for a dish like this because it really absorbs the dressing well and it complements the chicken nicely.

Roast Chicken Thighs

8 large chicken thighs with skin and bones

3 Tablespoons of olive oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 large lemon, ¼ “sliced, seeds discarded

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

In 2 large sauté pans, heat the olive oil on medium-high heat. Rinse & pat dry the chicken thighs. Season liberally with salt & pepper. Place the chicken thighs skin side down in the sauté pan and cook for 8 minutes. Do not turn. On a large rimmed baking sheet, place the chicken thighs skin side up add the lemon slices and roast for 20 minutes.

Lemon Oregano Dressing

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup fresh oregano, chopped

1 Tablespoon of minced garlic

½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes

½ Tablespoon of kosher salt

½ teaspoon of black pepper

1/3 cup olive oil

Heat the olive oil on medium low heat for 3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and remove from the heat. Let the garlic infuse the olive oil for 5 minutes. Whisk the lemon juice, oregano, red pepper flakes, kosher salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the garlic olive oil.

Pasta

1 lbs. of spaghetti cooked according to package directions, drain

1 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated plus more for serving

Add half of the lemon and oregano dressing to the hot pasta stirring frequently until most of the dressing is absorbed. Add the parmesan and toss well until it is all melted into the pasta.

Assemble the dish:

Plate the pasta. Top with the roasted chicken thighs and lemon slices. Add 1-2 tablespoons of dressing over each chicken thigh. Top with Parmesan cheese and serve.

Serves 4-6