Chicken with Lemon, Cumin, and Mint with Orzo

When I made this recipe the first time, I didn’t have a food blog (oh horror of horrors!). I honestly can’t remember what I thought of it the first time, so I figured let’s do it again. I was pleased and I have some ideas about what to do next time. The orzo was my idea because I love orzo. It always cooks perfectly and just wants to be friends with lemon and garlic. It was the perfect accompaniment.

Chicken with Lemon, Cumin, and Mint from epicurious.com with Orzo:

Serves 2-3

Zest of 1 lemon
½ c. fresh lemon juice (about 2 large lemons)
1/3 c. olive oil
2 Tb. finely shredded fresh mint leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp paprika, preferably hot
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
6 chicken legs, skin on
Lemon wedges for serving
1 c. cooked orzo
A little extra lemon zest
A little extra minced mint
A little extra minced garlic

Stir together the zest, lemon juice, olive oil, 1 tablespoon of the mint, half the garlic, the paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper with a fork, in a large bowl. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, turning occasionally. I found it easiest to mince the garlic and mint together in a small food processor.



Preheat the broiler. Place the chicken on the broiler pan and broil 4 to 5 inches from the heat, turning once, for about 5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and just cooked through. Meanwhile, cook your orzo, mix with the extra lemon zest, mint, and garlic, and set aside.



Transfer the chicken to a platter, garnish with the lemon wedges, sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon mint and garlic, and serve.

I also quickly fried a couple of lemon slices to serve with it. I ended up eating both, but I think they went very well.

My ideas for next time are to marinate the chicken for far longer. Like an overnight amount of time or something of that nature. The flavor is there, I just don’t think 30 minutes is enough. I’d also love to do this on the BBQ. Good thing spring is coming!