Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken

This is an old family recipe from a good friend of mine. The moment I tasted it, I had to have the recipe. It takes a bit of preparation, but is well worth it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

• Ready In: 1 hr 45 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 6  boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1  quart buttermilk or 1  quart  whole milk
• 1 (15 ounce) container  plain breadcrumbs
• 1  medium lemon, juice and rind of, freshly grated and squeezed
• 1⁄2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  coarse pepper
• 1  cup unsalted butter

Directions

1. pound each chicken breast flat (I found it easier to do this task between pieces of wax paper on my breadboard).
2. place each piece of chicken in a bowl filled with the buttermilk and/or whole milk. let the chicken marinate in the milk for several hours (3-4). note: if you don't have the time to marinate, just dip in the milk and move on to the next step. marinating makes the chicken more moist.
3. prepare the breadcrumb mixture as follows: place one (1) 15 oz. container of plain breadcrumbs in a large bowl. add salt and pepper to the crumbs. grate the rind of the entire fresh lemon and add to the crumbs. mix well. squeeze the lemon juice from the lemon and set aside to use later.
4. pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. use 1/2 stick (4 tbsp.) of the unsalted butter to grease (2) two 9x13 jelly roll pans.
5. dip each piece of chicken into the breadcrumb mix making sure to completely press-coat on both sides.
6. place the coated chicken into the pans trying not to let the pieces touch one another. generally, only three pieces will fit in one pan.
7. melt together: the remaining butter (1 and 1/2 sticks)and the freshly squeezed lemon juice. drizzle mixture over each piece of chicken.
8. bake uncovered for 1 (one) hour. the edges of the chicken will become crispy and slightly dark from the drizzled butter/lemon mixture.
9. serve with fresh cooked asparagus, potato of your choice (we like skillet cooked american fries), salad and bread.