Who is a fan of skin-on chicken? To be honest I prefer chicken breasts unless I find or create a realllyyyyy good recipe. The skin has to be extra crispy otherwise it's a no-go for me. There are these great grill packs of organic drumsticks and split chicken breasts (bone-in) that Trader Joe's sells. TJ's has just been such a chore to get to lately so I've been functioning out of convenience and heading to Caputo's since it's a quick 7 minute drive away. Lucky for me, they had organic split chicken breasts!
This recipe is super easy and the extra step of brining the chicken before roasting it ensures a crispy skin, tender and juicy meat and the flavor that gets added into the meat is delicious. I used my Herb and Garlic Brine on these the day before I was set to make them. It takes 5 minutes, I throw the ice in, put in my washed drumsticks and chicken breasts and throw it right into the garage fridge. Out of sight, out of mind...at least until the next day when dinner rolls around and I start to get hungry :)
After brining the chicken, I let it soak in a bowl of cold water to get all of the salt brine off then pat dry. Easy peazy. I preheat the oven to 425° and get to work preparing the chicken. In all, it takes about 15 minutes to get these guys ready, they cook in the oven for about 55 minutes and out comes dinner!
I add the chicken to an oiled wire rack to ensure there is air under the chicken breasts and drumsticks. This allows the skin to get extra crispy. Add parchment paper under your wire rack for easy clean up. From there I create the herb/oil mix for the chicken breasts. I used chives, dill and thyme, because that's what I had, but a mix of rosemary, oregano, thyme would be just fine! If you don't have fresh herbs, dry herbs will do, just halve the amount of herbs used. I add in my salt, pepper, olive oil, fresh herbs and the juice of half a lemon. Mix it well and begin coating all over your chicken, top and bottom.
Once I got these into the oven, I started preparing my Lemon Garlic and Herb Aioli. Aioli is just a fancy name for mayo mixed with lemon juice. I have prepared my own mayo before, but for the sake of time I used store-bought. I mixed more fresh, diced chives and dill, garlic, lemon, garlic, and salt together well to create my aioli and stored in the fridge until the chicken was done.
After about 55 minutes of roasting, or until your chicken breasts and drumsticks register at least 165°, pull the chicken out and let rest for a few minutes before drizzling a bit of aioli onto the chicken. And done! I served these with a side of roasted green beans and cauliflower mash and it was delicious! The chicken is tender and juicy, the skin is crispy, and the aioli gives a nice pop of lemon and garlic.
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