(Updated in 2022)
Have you always looking for a simple chicken recipe? You have found it! These chicken thighs are moist w/ a crispy skin and cooked w/ lots of aromatic. Easy perfect weeknight dinner!
When it comes to a simple chicken recipe, this is my go-to. This is also one of Bryan’s favorites. I have been making this for more than a decade. Not much skills is involved. The cooking is mostly done in the oven.
I first watched this being made by Ina Garten on Food Network. Ina never disappoints. The recipe sure looks easy enough, so I tried the recipe and made some slight changes. Since then, this recipe has been on my list of dinner rotation.
To start, you first need to heat up some olive oil. Once it’s warm, stir in the garlic for just a minute. Remove from heat and add some more aromatic (fresh thyme, dried oregano, lemon zest, lemon juice), white wine and salt. Pour that sauce into a baking dish.
Next, add your chicken thighs into the baking dish over the sauce. Lightly brush the skin with olive oil. Give it some salt and pepper. That’s it. Your chicken is ready to go into the oven, and you’re free to do whatever you want while waiting for dinner.
To ensure the chicken skin is crispy enough, check it 5 minutes before finishing. If they’re not brown enough, turn on the broiler and just cook for a few more minutes. Remove from heat and dinner is served.
You truly get everything all at once with this recipe, moist chicken, crispy skin and an incredible flavorful sauce. Most importantly, you didn’t even have to put in that much work. I like to serve this dish with couscous. Because the sauce is one of the best part about this dish, you want the starch that can really soak up all that flavors. So delicious! Give this recipe a try!
Simple Lemon and Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 10 garlic cloves (minced)
- ⅓ cup dry white wine
- ½ tablespoon grated lemon zest (1 lemon)
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (½ lemon)
- 1½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (minced)
- 4 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (about 1½ lbs)
- 4 lemon wedges (½ lemon)
- salt
- ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F (200˚C).
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the olive oil. Stir in the garlic, and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Remove the pan from heat. Add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt. Pour the mixture to a 9½-inch (or bigger) round baking dish. Cool for 5 minutes.
- Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Place them skin side up over the sauce in the baking dish. Brush the chicken with little bit of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Put the lemon wedges in between the empty spaces.
- Bake in the oven for 30 – 40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked. If the chicken skin is not browned and crispy enough, put the chicken under the broiler for 2 minutes. Serve with couscous or rice.
Notes
- I used a 9½-inch baking dish, which is slightly tight before baking. You can use a bigger dish (round, square, rectangle) for a little bit more space.
- If you want to add an extra chicken thigh, you can just use add that. No need to adjust the amount of sauce. Just use a bigger baking pan.
Leave a Reply