| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 2 hr 40 min |
| Prep: | 10 min |
| Inactive: | 2 hr |
| Cook: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (2 to3 lemons, depending on size)
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 (3 1/2-pound) whole frying chicken, cut into 8 pieces
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups olive oil (approximate amount)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (approximate amount)
- Lemon wedges, for garnish
- 6 sprigs fresh Italian parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large casserole dish, whisk the lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, and salt to blend. Add the chicken pieces and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 1 day, turning the chicken pieces occasionally.
- In a large cast iron frying pan or other heavy frying pan, add enough oil to come 1/3-inch up the sides of the pan. Heat the oil over medium heat. Meanwhile, drain the marinade from the chicken. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with pepper. Working in 2 batches, dredge the chicken in the flour to coat completely. Shake off the excess flour and then carefully add the chicken to the hot oil. Fry until the chicken is golden brown and just cooked through, turning occasionally, about 25 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a paper towel-lined plate to drain the excess oil.
- Arrange the fried chicken on a warm platter and serve with the lemon wedges and parsley.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 1774 |
| Total Fat | 163 g |
| Saturated Fat | 28 g |
| Carbohydrates | 26 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 1 g |
| Protein | 54 g |
| Cholesterol | 202 mg |
| Sodium | 1065 mg |
Reviews
I did it and has become the favorite recipe
Was thinking of substituting flour for bread comes. I found a brand named prege that is awesome
I love it! We make this chicken multiple times a year. It’s extremely flavorful, moist, and easy. I do have to admit I add garlic to the marinade. We have served it to guests and prepared it for our weekend family meals. This is not supposed to be a replacement of southern fried chicken. It is an lite Italian twist. For those looking to replace southern fried chicken look elsewhere. Keep up the great work Giada!
I live in the south and we love fried chicken. I also love lemon. This recipe is perfect. My family was eating it right out of the skillet. The chicken comes out moist and tender. I will make this dish time and time again !
Bland. Terribly bland. Even after i added additional salt, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder and italian seasoning.
I fried this chicken yesterday(11/23/10, and i must say that this chicken was very moist. I brought a whole chicken and cut it up into 10 pieces and did use an equal amount of lemon juice and EVOO, along with sea salt and marinaded for over 24 hours. I too seasoned the flour with salt,pepper,garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. I also cooked this with “Garlic Mashed Potatoes” and frozen Peas and Carrots. My wife, who is a Filipino never had Mashed Potatoes before, and she loved it. This is a Keeper.
MY FAMILY AND I THOUGHT IT WAS MOIST,FLAVORFUL,LIGHT,CRISP AND DELECTIBLE. NO LEFT OVERS HERE:)
I TOO LEFT LEMON ZEST IN THE MARINADE TO STREGTHEN THE LEMON TASTE,ALSO DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH OLIVE OIL TO FRY IN,ONLY MARINADE,SO USED CANOLA OIL,WHICH WORKED OUT JUST FINE.
WILL MAKE AGAIN!!
I TOO LEFT LEMON ZEST IN THE MARINADE TO STREGTHEN THE LEMON TASTE,ALSO DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH OLIVE OIL TO FRY IN,ONLY MARINADE,SO USED CANOLA OIL,WHICH WORKED OUT JUST FINE.
WILL MAKE AGAIN!!
Gotta say that I love it but had to kick it up a notch by using 1 lemon per piece of chicken, marinating overnight with the zest and juiced lemons in a bag for extra flavor then I added a ton of lemon pepper seasoning to the flour… mmmmm. And of course you gotta squeeze fresh lemon juice on the hot chicken before eating. I had to go all out with a side of grilled polenta cakes and creamy basil mashed potatoes. Awesome!!!
This is the best fried chicken recipe I’ve ever tried. I didn’t leave enough time (1 hr) for the chicken to marinade so I used 4 lemons. The breasts weren’t as flavorful as the rest of the chicken. The chicken had a subtle lemon flavor, was very moist, the crust was crispy, and the meat fell off the bone – a perfect combination!
Excellent!!!