A simple technique for the crispiest chicken thighs ever.
Can a 5-ingredient, 35-minute chicken recipe from yet another brand-new food blog really be that interesting? Good question. We’re glad you asked! We suppose the answer depends on a few things. Take the chicken skin for example: this one turns so crisp that you can practically break it into pieces like a potato chip. And the meat. Oh, the meat. Since so much attention is placed on achieving crispy skin nirvana, the meat doesn’t have time to overcook and become dry. It’s flipped over right at the end onto a bed of aromatic herbs and lemon slices and absorbs lots of great flavor as it cooks through.
If this kind of chicken recipe piques your interest, and you’re still reading (you are still here, right?!), then welcome to The Muffin and the Bird, new friend! Yes, we are a new food blog among many (these are some of our favorites). But here, we value authenticity over originality. We will be sharing food that we find to be really, truly delicious, with a special affinity for simple, comforting recipes that you could find at your favorite café. We have perfected the recipes in our own kitchen, so you can make them with confidence in yours.
Now to the question at hand: How to make the crispiest chicken thighs ever. First, bring the chicken thighs to room temperature; you want to shake off the chill of the fridge, which can prevent the chicken from cooking evenly and (gasp!) stick to the pan. Second, heat the skillet and the oil before adding the chicken. And third – which should have been first because this is really the main trick, but we are keeping it as third because you really can’t and shouldn’t forget about the first two – is cooking the chicken skin-side down in the skillet for the fully allotted 15 minutes. You may glance at the recommended 15 minutes and abandon it after peeking at the chicken skin and finding it nicely browned. But, friend, we urge you to heed our request and push through. Go against you natural instincts to flip the chicken and be done with it. Keep going, keep browning. As the skin continues to brown, the fat renders, meaning it melts away and leaves you with nothing but the most delicious, shatteringly-crisp chicken skin you have ever tasted. After all, if you’re going to make a 5-ingredient, 35-minute chicken dish, you might as well nail it.
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 1 ½ lbs), at room temperature
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced
- 1 handful rosemary sprigs
- 1 handful thyme sprigs
- Heat oven to 425℉. Using paper towels, pat chicken dry.
- Heat large cast iron or other oven-safe, heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add oil; heat until oil shimmers but does not smoke. Season skin with salt and pepper. Add chicken skin-side down and season flesh side with salt and pepper. Cook chicken, without moving, until skin becomes light golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Cook, rotating chicken for even browning, until fat from skin is rendered and skin is deeply browned, about 15 minutes.
- Remove pan from heat; transfer chicken, skin-side up, to plate. Lay lemon slices in bottom of pan in even layer; scatter rosemary and thyme sprigs on top. Nestle chicken pieces, skin-side, up on top of herbs and lemon. Roast until chicken is cooked through and absorbs flavors of herbs and lemon, about 8-10 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate; let rest about 5 minutes. Serve chicken with pan juices.
I made these last night and they came out so good! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Hi Danielle! Yay! I’m so glad you liked the recipe! Happy cooking.