I’m pretty set in my ways when it comes to cooking chicken. However, Easter Sunday I tried a new recipe that turned out well and received lots of compliments.

Lemony Rosemary Chicken
1 stick of butter, melted
4 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
6 chicken breast halves

Combine butter, rosemary, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a re-sealable plastic bag. Add chicken and massage to cover the chicken breasts with marinade. Refrigerate for 3 hours.

Take the chicken and marinade out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature. Using a paper towel, wipe excess marinade from chicken and sear each side in a hot oven-safe skillet. Reserve the marinade.

Squeeze or scoop marinade over the seared chicken. Cover and finish cooking in a 375-degree oven for 25 minutes or until done.

I think this marinade would also be good spread under and over the skin of a whole roasting chicken (about 5-6 lbs.). Then put the leftover lemon rinds and rosemary twigs in the cavity of the bird. Roast in the oven as usual at 425 degrees for 1-1/2 hours or until the juices run clear when testing a cut between the leg and thigh.

Calf Liver Pâté
1 pkg. or 12 slices bacon
2 c. chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, minced
2 Tbsp. fresh thyme, minced
1 lb. sliced beef liver
1/2 c. melted coconut oil
1/2 tsp. salt

Cook bacon until crispy in a cast-iron skillet. Remove the bacon to drain on a paper towel. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook onion, garlic, rosemary and thyme in the bacon fat for about 20 minutes. Do not let them burn. Reduce heat if necessary.

Dry the slices of liver with paper towels. Move onion mixture to one side of the pan and lay half the sliced liver in the skillet. Scoop the onion mixture over the liver and lay down the rest of the liver. Spread the onion mixture evenly over all the liver. Cook for 4 minutes.

Then flip the liver slices, cover again with onion mixture and cook for another 4 minutes. Turn off heat and let cool about 10 minutes.

Purée onion mixture and liver in a food processor with coconut oil and salt.
The recipe recommends sprinkling chopped bacon over the pâté when serving. I saved the bacon for BLT sandwiches since I believe pâté should be smooth and creamy. Crispy bacon is not.

I served the pâté with wheat crackers and thinly sliced gherkin pickles as an appetizer before the Easter dinner with my family. The verdict from the group was that if you like liver, you’ll love this pâté. If you don’t like liver, you’d be willing to eat it if you were starving. I guess that’s a win.