Food & Drink

Lemon Chicken from Heirloom Cooking

What’s old is new again–particularly when it comes to this superflavorful recipe for lemon chicken from Marilyn and Sheila Brass’s Heirloom Cooking with the Brass Sisters. Short on unusual ingredients and long on flavor, it’s sure to put a little zest back into your weeknights.

Photo © Andy Ryan

Anna Morse’s Lemon Chicken

Serves 4–6

Anna Morse was a member of a group of women who commuted daily from their Marblehead and Swampscott homes to Boston during the 1950s and 1960s. The friends enjoyed chatting and exchanging recipes during their train rides and referred to themselves as The Railroad Club. Eventually they formed an investment club. Most of the members have passed on, so we are grateful to Anne Kemelman, one of the club’s members, who gave us the background for this recipe. Anne was married to mystery writer Harry Kemelman. A talented artist, Anne still paints at the age of 98.

6 to 8 pieces chicken, or 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
5 tablespoons lemon juice
⅓ cup flour
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon paprika
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
2 lemons, sliced ⅛- to ¼-inch thick
3 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup low-sodium chicken stock

1. Coat the bottom and sides of a 9-inch by 13-inch ovenproof glass baking pan with vegetable spray. If using a metal baking pan, line it with foil, shiny side up, and coat with vegetable spray. Rinse chicken under cold, running water and pat dry with paper towels. Place lemon juice in a shallow bowl. Dip chicken in lemon juice, place on a platter, and set aside. Pour leftover lemon juice into prepared pan.

2. Place flour, salt and paprika in a plastic bag. Add chicken, seal, and shake to coat with flour. Place chicken in a strainer and tap over sink to remove excess flour. Set aside.

3. Set the oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

4. Melt olive oil and butter in large, heavy frying pan over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until both sides are golden brown. Remove chicken to prepared baking pan and scatter lemon slices over. Sprinkle with brown sugar.

5. Pour chicken stock into frying pan set over medium heat, and simmer, scraping with a wooden spoon to retrieve all of the browned bits clinging to bottom of the pan. Cook until slightly thickened. Pour sauce into a corner of the baking pan, being careful not to disrupt the lemon slices and the brown sugar topping. Gently shake pan to distribute sauce over bottom. Cover pan with foil and bake until chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes for boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 40 to 45 minutes for bone-in pieces of chicken. Baste with pan juices at least once during cooking.

Marilynn and Sheila Brass have spent a lifetime collecting vintage handwritten cookbooks and living recipes, and in this book they skillfully update 135 of the very best. The result is a timeless collection of heirloom dishes updated for the modern kitchen.

For more recipes like this, make sure to check out Heirloom Cooking with the Brass Sisters by Marilynn Brass and Sheila Brass—just $2.99 this month!