Juicy Lemon Chicken Thighs
- PREP 15min
- COOK 30min
- TOTAL 45min
These lemon chicken thighs are juicy, flavorful, and super easy! You will love the spice rub made with lemon, oregano, thyme, garlic, and mustard. We prefer bone-in, skin-on thighs for the best flavor, but chicken breasts or drumsticks work, too. For skinless chicken, add a bit of extra oil.
You Will Need
1 ½ pounds chicken thighs, skin-on, bone-in, trimmed of excess fat
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1 tablespoon lemon zest, 1 teaspoon for rub and 2 teaspoons for sauce
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon for rub, 1 tablespoon for cooking
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1/4 cup (60ml) lemon juice, from 1 large lemon
1 ¼ cups (300ml) low-sodium chicken stock, see chicken stock recipe
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Directions
Prepare Chicken
Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C).
Make the rub for the chicken thighs. Combine mustard, one teaspoon of lemon zest, oregano, thyme, salt, and one tablespoon of olive oil in a small bowl. Use your fingers or a brush to coat the chicken with the mustard rub on both sides.
In another bowl or measuring jug, combine the remaining lemon zest (2 teaspoons), lemon juice, and the chicken stock. Set aside.
Cook Chicken
Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large oven-safe skillet or frying pan over medium heat.
Add the smashed garlic, then cook for one minute or until you can smell toasted garlic and the garlic has browned around the edges. Remove and discard the garlic, but leave the garlic oil.
Place the chicken thighs, skin-side down, into the hot garlic-infused oil and cook for two to three minutes or until the skin has turned golden brown.
Flip the chicken, then add the lemon juice mixture from before. Stir, then slide the pan into the oven and bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken reads 175°F.
To Finish
Remove the pan from the oven, transfer the chicken thighs to a plate, and loosely cover it with aluminum foil.
There should still be liquid in the pan. Place the pan over medium heat and bring the liquid to a gentle simmer.
Use your fingers to mix butter and flour in a small bowl, making a dry, crumbly paste.
Whisk the flour and butter into the lemony sauce. The sauce will thicken slightly and look glossy. Nestle the chicken thighs back into the pan, then serve.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Should you cover chicken thighs when baking? We like crispy skin, so we rarely cover our chicken thighs. This lets them get golden brown and delicious!
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We omitted salt from the calculations since you will need to add to your tastes.