Southern Lemonade Chicken Recipes

GRILLED LEMONADE CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place the chicken in a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish. Whisk together the lemonade, garlic, mustard, oregano, dried onion, cumin, 1 tablespoon salt and a few good grinds of pepper in a large liquid measuring cup until combined. Pour over the chicken, making sure all the pieces are fully submerged. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap, then refrigerate at least 4 hours or preferably 24 hours.
• Prepare a grill for medium heat, and lightly oil the grill grates.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade; reserve 2 cups of marinade and discard the rest. Place the chicken on a paper towel-lined baking sheet and pat dry. Sprinkle the chicken on both sides liberally with salt and pepper and arrange the pieces skin-side down on the grill, leaving some space between each. Cook until the skin is lightly charred and releases easily from the grill, about 2 minutes. Rotate the chicken pieces about 90 degrees so the skin won't burn and cook another 2 minutes. Flip the chicken skin-side up. Cover the grill and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of each thigh reads 165 degrees F, 20 to 25 minutes more. If the chicken pieces are getting too dark in spots, move them around the grill to cook evenly. Transfer to a platter and let rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
• Meanwhile, transfer the reserved marinade to a small saucepan and place on the still-hot grill. Bring to a boil, then continue to cook until it has thickened slightly and reduced by half, about 20 minutes.
• Finely grate the zest from 1 of the lemons, then sprinkle over the chicken. Squeeze the juice from half of the zested lemon (about 1 tablespoon) into the sauce and stir to combine. Transfer to a small bowl for serving. Cut the remaining 2 lemons in half crosswise.
• Place the lemon halves on the grill, flesh-side down, and grill until lightly charred, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve alongside the chicken and sauce.

LEMONADE CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a large resealable bag, combine the first five ingredients. Remove half of the marinade to a small bowl; cover and refrigerate. Add chicken to the bag; seal and turn to coat. Refrigerate overnight, turning occasionally., Drain and discard marinade. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 10 minutes on each side, basting occasionally with reserved marinade. Grill 5-10 minutes longer or until chicken juices run clear; basting and turning several times.

SOUTHERN-STYLE VANILLA LEMONADE

Steps:

• Cut the lemons in half and scoop the pulp into a blender. Add half of the rinds along with sugar, vanilla extract, and 2 cups of water. Blend until smooth, then strain into a serving pitcher and stir in the remaining water.

LEMONADE FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Mix lemonade concentrate and water in a small bowl. Pour over chicken in larger bowl. Refrigerate 2 hours or longer. Drain chicken and reserve liquid. Mix together the flour, salt, and pepper in a small paper bag. Add well-drained chicken, one piece at a time, and shake to coat evenly. Heat oil in large skillet over moderate heat. Add floured chicken; cook until evenly browned, turning pieces over carefully. Remove chicken and arrange in a single layer in a shallow baking pan. Brush chicken with melted butter; add reserved lemonade. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven uncovered about 1 hour, basting chicken with lemonade from pan every 15 minutes. About 15 minutes before chicken is done, drain off excess juice from pan. Serve hot.