These chicken thighs are amazingly crisp and flavorful, and you won’t believe how easy this is to make!
As Jason and I are trying to stay away from red meat, we’ve been eating a lot of chicken, from this BBQ chicken salad to this easy lemon chicken. But as I still had a Costco-sized bag of lemons to use up, I decided to put them to good use in this pan roasted chicken. Now when I say “pan roasted“, I mean a 2-step process. But there’s no need to be alarmed – it’s unbelievably easy and foolproof!
A lemon rub is made first with a handful of pantry ingredients and of course, lots of lemon goodness. One that’s brushed onto the chicken, you’ll give it a nice sear in a hot pan to get that amazingly crisp skin. Then you’ll pop that right in the oven until it’s cooked through. Done and done.
I told you it was easy! And with that crusty skin and the juicy meat just oozing with lemon-herb goodness, this dish is sure to be a hit with the entire family.
- 1 ¼ cups chicken stock
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the lemon rub
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- To make the lemon rub, combine olive oil, mustard, lemon zest, oregano, thyme and salt in a small bowl. Using your fingers or a brush, work the lemon rub onto both sides of the chicken.
- In a large bowl, whisk together chicken stock, lemon juice and lemon zest; set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken, skin-side down, and sear both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Add chicken stock mixture.
- Place into oven and roast until completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 25-30 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
