Best Crispy Chicken Thighs With Caramelized Lemon Rinds Recipes

CRISPY LEMON CHICKEN THIGHS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Slice half of the lemon into thin slices and set slices and remaining uncut half aside.
• Pat chicken thighs dry and sprinkle both sides with salt, pepper, and a light dusting (about 1/4 teaspoon total) of thyme.
• In a large oven-safe skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, swirl oil around the pan so that it is completely coated. Place thighs in the skillet skin-side down, and cook until well-browned and crispy, about 4-6 minutes.
• Remove from heat and flip chicken thighs. Nestle lemon slices in the pan between the chicken pieces and squeeze juice from remaining lemon half over the chicken.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes (longer for very large thighs), until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the thighs reads 165°F.
• Remove from oven, allow to rest for 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

CARAMELIZED LEMON CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Season the lemon curd with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper.
• To butterfly the chicken, place the chicken on a cutting board, breast side down. Using sharp kitchen shears, remove the backbone by cutting on either side of the backbone. (Save the backbone for stock.) Flip the chicken, setting it breast side up, and flatten by pressing firmly in the center; you should hear a crack.
• Pat chicken dry. Season the chicken on both sides with 2 teaspoons salt and a generous grind of black pepper. Use the handle of a fork or spoon to loosen the skin from the chicken breasts and thighs (you'll find openings at their tops).
• Spread about three-quarters of the lemon curd between the skin and meat. Use your fingers to massage the curd around so it spreads out under the skin. Spread the rest of the lemon curd in a thin layer all over the chicken skin. Drizzle with the olive oil.
• Pour 3/4 cup water into a large (at least 12-inch) oven-safe skillet, shallow roasting pan or sheet pan. (The water keeps the pan drippings from burning and keeps the chicken moist.) Add the chicken, skin side up. Tuck the wings under to prevent burning and turn the legs so the thighs face up. Roast until a thermometer registers 165 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh, 45 minutes to 1 hour, starting to check the chicken at 30 minutes. If at any point it starts getting too brown, cover it with foil. Let rest 10 minutes before carving.

SKILLET CHICKEN WITH WHITE BEANS AND CARAMELIZED LEMON

Steps:

• Toss lemon slices and shallots together in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper; set aside. (This will lightly pickle the shallot and soften the lemon while you cook the chicken.)
• Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add chicken, skin-side down. Using kitchen tongs or a spatula, press the chicken evenly into the skillet so it makes good contact with the hot surface (which will promote browning). Cook, resisting the urge to check too frequently, until the skin is deeply golden brown (think of the color of a well-baked croissant), 5 to 8 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken pieces. At this stage, most of the fat should be rendered and the skin should be crispy. Flip and continue to cook until pieces are cooked through, another 7 to 10 minutes.
• Using kitchen tongs, transfer chicken to a plate to rest, leaving all the fat behind. Add lemon and shallot to the chicken fat, standing back if you need because it will sizzle. Cook, swirling the skillet, until the lemon has started to caramelize and brown, 3 to 5 minutes. (It'll smell like a mix of lemonade and caramel.)
• Add the beans to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the beans have started to brown a bit and soak up all of that caramelized lemon chicken fat, 3 to 4 minutes. Working in batches, add kale and toss to wilt, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go.
• Return the chicken to the skillet, along with any juices that have collected on the plate, and cook for a minute or two, just so everything gets to know each other in there.
• Divide the chicken, beans and kale between plates, making sure to top each serving with a few lemon slices. Sprinkle with flaky salt and a final few turns of pepper, and drizzle with olive oil.

CRISPY GRILL PAN CHICKEN THIGHS

Steps:

• Pat the chicken with paper towels until very dry; transfer to a plate or baking sheet. Brush the chicken thighs all over with 1 tablespoon oil.
• Heat a large cast-iron grill pan over medium heat. Stir together the salt, paprika, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, lemon pepper seasoning and cayenne in a small bowl. Sprinkle the chicken all over with the spice mixture.
• Brush the grill pan with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil. Add the chicken thighs to the grill pan skin-side down. Cook, rotating the pan on the burner several times to ensure even browning, until the skin has deep-brown grill marks (check the underside by gently lifting up each thigh with tongs), 10 to 12 minutes. Rotate each chicken thigh 90 degrees and continue grilling until deep brown crosshatch marks are visible and the skin is quite brown all over, about 5 minutes.
• Flip the chicken thighs over and grill the flesh side until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (near but not touching bone) registers 160 degrees F, 6 to 9 minutes. Let the thighs rest 5 minutes before serving.

LEMON-SCENTED CRISPY CHICKEN THIGHS WITH POTATOES AND BABY CARROTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place the cubed baguette on a sheet tray and bake 10 minutes to dry out. Reserve. Add the potatoes to a pot of simmering water and simmer until you just take the bite off, 10 minutes (we will cook these again in the skillet). Remove and reserve. Turn up the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Heat a 14-inch heavy-bottomed skillet on high and coat with canola oil. Sprinkle the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Sear the chicken skin-side down, working in batches if needed, until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and cook another 2 minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet, reserving all of the fat in the pan. Add the onions, sprinkle with salt and sweat until translucent and softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the baguette cubes, reserved potatoes and carrots, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the lemon wedges and lemon thyme. Toss all the ingredients in the fat with an additional glug of oil if needed. Arrange the thighs on top and place in the oven until the thighs reach 160 degrees F, about 15 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve.

BRAISED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH CARAMELIZED FENNEL

Steps:

• Trim fennel bulbs, and set aside fronds. In a blender or food processor, pulse about 1/2 cup fronds, garlic, lemon zest and 1/4 teaspoon salt until finely chopped. Add 1/3 cup oil and purée.
• Halve fennel bulbs lengthwise. Slice thinly with a mandoline or very sharp knife.
• Season chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over high heat. Brown chicken until skin is crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate, leaving drippings in pan.
• Stir fennel seeds into skillet and cook for 30 seconds. Add sliced fennel and onion, seasoning with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Reduce heat to medium and cook, tossing occasionally, until vegetables are caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes. Add Pernod and scrape up any browned bits in the bottom of the skillet; cook until liquid has evaporated, about 1 minute.
• Lay chicken on top of the fennel-onion mixture. Pour 3 tablespoons water into the pan. Cover skillet and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until chicken is just cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Uncover and cook off any excess liquid if necessary. Stir in lemon juice.
• Serve chicken and vegetables topped with generous dollops of the fennel frond purée.

CREAMY LEMON CHICKEN THIGHS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place chicken in a large bowl and coat generously with salt, pepper, and paprika.
• Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken to the skillet in batches, skin-side down. Cook until skin is golden and crispy, about 2 minutes per batch. Remove chicken and place into a large baking dish.
• Add thyme and garlic to the skillet. Cook over medium heat until garlic is fragrant and lightly browned, about 1 minute. Whisk in flour slowly into a thick paste. Add wine, stock, lemon juice, and cream and bring to a simmer, about 5 minutes. Add Parmesan cheese and stir until melted. Pour sauce over chicken in the baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven, uncovered, until chicken is not longer pink inside and juices run clear, about 30 minutes.