I made this for dinner the other night and it was absolutely delicious , it is a bit complicated sounding but honestly it wasn’t . This recipe is really all in the technique of pan roasting. You will cook the thighs skin side down in a cast iron skillet or a Le Creuset type of pan. The fat from chicken will render out and make the skin nice and crispy. It just was a lot of in and out of oven onto stove-top kind of thing. Worth the effort for sure. I served with brown rice and burnt broccoli . If you’re feeling ambitious give it a go.
Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 lemons, 1 lemon will be sliced thinly and other lemon you’ll just need about a quarter of.
4 large or 8 small skin-on boneless chicken thighs
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 sprigs oregano
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1/2 garlic clove, minced
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
Directions:
Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Slice up 1 lemon thinly, discard all pits. Cut up the second lemon into wedges, you’ll only need 1 wedge. Dry and pat chicken with paper towels, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Spray your pan with Pam and 1 – 2 teaspoons olive oil. I heated up oil a little bit at medium-high heat and added chicken side down, letting skin render and brown ,cooking on medium-high for about ten minutes. Nestle chicken thighs in to the pot as pictured. Don’t play around with chicken while its browning.
I then removed chicken to a warm plate using tongs, a fork will pierce the skin and let go of some of those wonderful juices. ( heat the plate in microwave for 1 minute) I poured off excess fat from pan and kept a thin coating of oil placed 1/2 of lemon slices on bottom of pan and placed chicken back in skin-side down and scattered other 1/2 of lemon slices over the chicken. The slices on the bottom of the pan will caramelize and the ones on top of chicken will soften. Transfer skillet to oven , leaving chicken skin side down. Roast until chicken is almost cooked through about 8 more minutes.
I then removed chicken again from pan onto a plate skin side up, remove lemon slices from bottom of pan as well. Return skillet to stove top and at medium heat add oregano sprigs, shallot, garlic and red pepper flakes, cook, stirring frequently for about a minute. Add wine, cook down for about 2 minutes, add broth and cook for another 3 minutes or so. Squeeze one of the lemon wedges from second lemon and season sauce with salt, pepper and juice from another lemon wedge if desired for a very lemony flavor. Return chicken to skillet skin side up and place back in oven till skin crisps up , I probably cooked for another 13 – 15 minutes, checked internal temperature with a meat thermometer for 165 degrees. Skin should be crispy not blackened, if temperature is too high you can lower to 425 degrees.
* if you don’t want to do sauce and just want to pan roast chicken thighs. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat , heat till oil is hot not smoking. Nestle chicken in pan, skin side down and cook for a few minutes. Reduce heat to medium , continue cooking skin side down, until fat renders and skin is golden brown , about 12- 15 minutes. Then transfer to hot oven and cook for another 13 minutes or so. Flip chicken, continue cooking until skin crisps and meat is cooked ( 165 degrees) , this should take between 5 – 8 minutes.
I served over brown rice but any rice will do . Add caramelized lemon slices to top of chicken before serving.
Cooking with Candi 