Summer and grilling just go hand in hand like lemon and garlic! You know I love to cook and bake with lemons. It’s such a bright flavor, it truly makes everything better. This morning I went to the grocery store to pick up some a few things when I saw some nick chicken legs and thought they would be perfect for a quick dinner. I made a simple lemon garlic marinade that is delicious on just about anything.
Lemon Garlic Marinade: 1/2 cup olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of Italian Seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and 2 garlic cloves grated with a rasp. That’s it! Simple and easy. The secret is grating the garlic – no chunks or pieces to burn. The grated garlic just melts into the chicken.
I placed the chicken in a glass Pyrex dish and poured about half of the marinade over the chicken. Tossed well to coat and added a light sprinkle of salt, black pepper and Italian seasoning. Placed dish in the refrigerator.
About 30 minutes before grill time, I brought the chicken out of the refrigerator and allowed it to get the chill off and prepared and preheated the grill.
Tip: If you don’t allow it to come to room temperature, the meat won’t cook properly in the center.
Grilling time! Using tongs, I greased the grids by wiping a paper towel with some olive oil on it. The grill reached a temperature between 350° – 375° degrees and I placed the chicken legs without crowding or touching. I covered them and grilled the legs for 5-7 minutes before opening, re-positioning and brushing with the reserved marinade. Now, I’m not a grill master by any means, but I do my best and this method works for me.
About ten minutes before the chicken was done, I threw in 2 lemon halves. Grilling lemons only enhances the lemon flavors. Fine steak houses often serve a grilled lemon wrapped in a cheese cloth to capture the seeds. Too fancy for this meal so I just removed the seeds before grilling.
This was a quick and easy Sunday summer dinner. I love the texture of the crispy chicken skin with the bright tang of the lemon. Just perfect! If you don’t like chicken legs, marinade thighs or chicken breast!
