This meal is a collaboration between Sun Basket and Rustic, the Sonoma County restaurant of film legend Francis Ford Coppola. One of our favorite recipes at Rustic is the lemon chicken inspired by Martin Scorsese’s mother, whom Francis visited with often. The chicken is drowned in lemon juice with fresh oregano, and cooked to a golden brown.
Heat the oven to 425ºF.
Scrub the potatoes; cut them into quarters.
Trim the ends from the baby broccoli, strip the rosemary leaves from the stems; coarsely chop the leaves. Set aside.
On one end of a sheet pan, toss the potatoes and rosemary with 1 tablespoon olive oil, bake for 20 minutes.
Peel and finely chop the shallots.
Finely chop, press, or grate enough garlic to measure 1 teaspoon.
Strip the oregano leaves from the stems; coarsely chop the leaves
After potatoes have cooked for 20 minutes, remove pan from oven add the baby broccoli with 1 to 2 teaspoons oil and toss. Season the broccoli and potatoes with salt and pepper. Place back in the oven and roast until tender and lightly browned, another 15 minutes or so.
Transfer chicken to a plate; pat dry with a paper towel. Cut thighs in half, season generously with salt and pepper.
Thinly slice half the lemon; juice the other half and set aside for finishing the dish.
In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned but not yet cooked through (3 to 5 minutes a side). Transfer to a plate.
Add the lemon slices to the pan; cook until browned on one side, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to the plate with the chicken; do not clean the pan.
In the same pan used for the chicken, if dry, add 1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil and warm over medium heat. Stir in the shallots, garlic, oregano, and as many chili flakes as you like. Season with salt and pepper and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add ¼ cup white wine (or water) to the shallot mixture; bring to a boil, loosening any browned bits. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the broth, bring to a boil for 3 minutes. Add chicken, and lemon slices; bring to a simmer. Cook at a vigorous simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 4 minutes or so. Stir in the lemon juice; season to taste with salt and pepper.
Remove vegetables from oven when they are browned and slightly crispy, plate. Add chicken and pour sauce over the top!