Searing chicken in a cast-iron skillet then finishing it in the oven is probably my new favorite way to cook chicken. It creates a crispy skin while maintaining a juicy center. This Lemon and Thyme Chicken Thighs from the Paleo Cupboard cookbook are the perfect simple dinner to make with ingredients you probably already have on hand!
Amy, from the blog of the same name as her new cookbook Paleo Cupboard, put together a beautiful collection of recipes from breakfast to mains to dessert. She focuses on using fresh and simple ingredients to maximize flavor! My favorite part is the meal plans in the front of her book. She shows how to cook different dishes and then eat the leftovers through the week. This is great to not only cut down on grocery shopping but also food waste. There are so many things that I cannot wait to make! The lemon bars, calamari fritti, pizza stuffed mushrooms and deviled scotch eggs!
Ingredients
- 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (2 pounds)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 1 large lemon, sliced
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Sprinkle the chicken on both sides with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Heat the ghee in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- Place the chicken thighs in the pan, skin side down, and cook for 2 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking the thighs without touching them for another 10 minutes, or until the skin has released from the pan (the skin will initially stick to the pan and then will release once the fat has rendered).
- Drain any excess fat from the pan, then transfer the skillet to the oven (remember, the handle will be hot). Cook for 10 more minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the oven and flip the chicken pieces over. Nestle the lemon slices and thyme sprigs between the chicken pieces, then return the pan to the oven for 5 minutes, or until the skin is crispy and the juices run clear when a knife is inserted and the meat is no longer pink inside, or the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F.
- Remove from the oven, drizzle with lemon juice, and serve.
Be sure to check out The Paleo Cupboard Cookbook!
Enjoy!
x Vanessa
This chicken dish is so simple and the flavors are perfect together! Great for a heart weeknight meal!