This recipe is spectacular. I’ve actually made it before, but since I found it on Pinterest originally, it definitely counts! It’s so simple and quick that it works perfectly for a busy weekday night, but it’s so pretty that it works for a nice dinner, too! It’s one of the prettiest dinners that I make, and it only takes about 3 minutes of hands-on time. See the notes at the end for my additional tips!
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (4 to 6 thighs)
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 medium lemon, thinly sliced
- 5 to 6 fresh thyme sprigs
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 400°F. Drizzle the chicken thighs with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper.
Place the thighs skin-side down in a single layer in a large, cold cast iron skillet. Place the skillet over medium heat. and cook undisturbed for 14 to 15 minutes. When a lot of the fat has rendered out and the skin is crispy and brown, flip the thighs so they are skin-side up.
Scatter the lemon slices and thyme sprigs over the chicken.
Roast in the oven until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, 13 to 15 minutes.
RP Servings: As many thighs as you make.
Stars: 5 stars!!! This has become one of our very favorite dishes!
Alright so my tips:
- DON’T crowd the thighs in the pan! Make sure there’s a good amount of extra room. This means that I often end up making more than one pan at a time!
- Make sure the chicken has a lot of salt on it, on both sides. You want it on the bottom especially, otherwise you’ll have really flavorful skin, and chicken that tastes like almost nothing.
- Don’t touch the chicken while it’s cooking!
- Use an extra lemon. After you flip the chicken over and before you put the pan in the oven, squeeze the juice from the extra lemon into the pan on the side. This will give you an amazing sauce to drizzle over rice.
- When you add lemon slices on top of the chicken, be aware that the skin under the lemon slices will lose it’s crispiness and get soggy. Only place the lemon in places that are already not super crisp.
That’s it! Enjoy your beautiful, incredibly easy meal!
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