Why Ina Garten Adds Citrus To Roast Chicken Right Before Serving

At times, adding a squeeze of lemon or lime to food may yield lackluster results. Either there's not a hint of citrus to be found or the natural sweetness has led to sharp, bitter flavors. Luckily, when it comes to cooking with citrus, there are tips to follow for amazing, citrus-tinged dishes.

Citrus brightens up every dish, tenderizing your meat or fish and balancing out the salt, spices, and herbs added to every meal. Whether you opt for the zest over the juice or choose the best of both worlds, Ina Garten has a tip that will enhance the flavor of the dish rather than mask it.

In her recipe for Skillet-Roasted Lemon Chicken, the Barefoot Contessa adds lemon juice to her chicken after it's done cooking in the oven. This technique ensures that the full flavor of the citrus is present, rather than turning bitter, which happens when the juice is cooked too long.

Just like the juice of citrus, add in the zest of the fruit closer to the end. A few minutes before your sauce finishes cooking, stir it in to bring out the specific citrus flavor without the sourness found in the fruit. When you're done zesting a lemon or orange, you don't have to toss the whole fruit.

Slice the citrus into thin pieces and candy them to add to cocktails and desserts, like lemon bars, for example. Candied lemons, which are simple to make, are a sweet, punchy addition to whatever you add them to. Boil the lemon slices in water and sugar until the latter dissolves. Drain them and let them cook in the oven on low heat for around an hour.

If you find that you love the acidity of a lemon or lime, you can add vinegar to the mix, as well. Choose something sweet to pair with it, like rice or balsamic vinegar. The extra acid may seem like it's too much, but it actually balances out the tartness. Of course, you can choose to cook with orange instead — as far as citruses go, it's sweeter and goes surprisingly well with many things.