Roast Chicken with Lemon, Dates, Garlic & Rosemary

Serves 4

This rustic roast chicken could not be simpler: toss the cut-up chicken in a large resealable bag with some olive oil, sliced dates, garlic, lemon and rosemary and let it all marinate while you go about your day. When it’s dinnertime, dump everything in a baking dish, pop it in the oven, and you’ll have a juicy chicken dinner on the table in less than 45 minutes. The tart lemon is complemented by the sweet dates and roasted garlic while the rosemary will make your entire kitchen smell amazing. You can serve this chicken with mashed potatoes and some crisp broccolini, but I prefer a light green salad and a crusty loaf of bread to sop up the addictive sauce.

Ingredients:

• One 4-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces 
• ½ cup cup olive oil
• 8 Rancho Meladuco Medjool Dates, pitted and sliced into coins (see Note)
• 12 garlic cloves, smashed
• 3 sprigs rosemary
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• Kosher salt and pepper
• Crusty bread, for serving

In a large bowl or resealable plastic bag, combine the chicken pieces with the olive oil, dates, garlic, rosemary, and lemon. Season generously with salt and pepper. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to overnight, tossing occasionally if possible.

Preheat the oven to 475°F. In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, arrange the chicken in a single layer. Pour the juices from the marinade over the top and tuck the dates, garlic, rosemary and lemon in around the chicken. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 160°F. Let rest for 10 minutes. Serve with crusty bread.

NOTE To cut your dates into coins, remove the pit from the top of the date with pliers or strong tweezers before slicing. Check out the Rancho Meladuco Instagram page for a quick video tutorial on how to do this.