Italian Dinner Italian Lunch Italian Meat Recipes

How to cook Lemon Chicken Thighs – Baked and Crispy

lemon vinegar chicken thigh

For this recipe, I chose chicken thighs because they’re flavorful and juicy. When you’re done cooking, the fusion of lemon, honey and spices with the chicken will definitely take your breath away. So tasty and yummy!

 

SERVING:

Serves 2-4

 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 chicken thighs – skin-on, bone-in
  • ¼ cup white wine vinegar
  • 2 lemons – halved
  • ½ tsp pepper – Aleppo-style
  • 4 garlic cloves – crushed
  • 1 ½ tsp honey
  • 3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
  • additional lemon juice
  • light sprinkling garlic powder – optional and only if you are fond of garlic
  • herbs for topping (optional)

 

METHOD:

Chicken Preparation:

  1. Pat the chicken thighs dry.
  2. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper and you can lightly sprinkle some garlic powder if you wish.
  3. Place in a large resealable plastic bag and add vinegar. Seal the bag securely and gently massage the chicken while turning them over inside the bag to ensure that all thighs are coated in vinegar.
  4. Chill for 1 hour but not much longer.

Cooking Procedure:

  1. Preheat oven to 400º.
  2. Remove chicken from the bag and pat dry with paper towels. The drier you get the skin, the crispier the thighs will be when cooked.
  3. Place the thighs, skin side down, in a dry large cast-iron skillet and set over medium heat.
  4. Cook the thighs for about 4-5 minutes. They must be undisturbed until they can be easily moved around the pan without losing the skin.
  5. Continue cooking and moving the chicken around occasionally to make sure the skin is cooking evenly.
  6. Cook until golden brown for about 8-12 minutes.
  7. Add garlic and transfer the skillet to the oven.
  8. Bake for about 10-12 minutes until the chicken is cooked all the way through. When done, transfer the chicken and garlic to a plate and keep them warm.
  9. Set the skillet over medium heat and cook the lemons, cut-side down, until the edges are very charred and almost black. This takes about 5 minutes.
  10. Transfer the cooked lemons to the plate with the chicken and garlic and let them cool slightly.
  11. Squeeze lemon juice into a small bowl, then add garlic, honey and Aleppo-style pepper.
  12. Whisk well to combine. Whisk in oil and accumulated juices on the plate with the chicken.
  13. Season with vinaigrette, salt and freshly ground black pepper.

To serve:

  1. Drizzle half of the vinaigrette on a platter and set the chicken on top. Serve with remaining vinaigrette alongside.
  2. Add a side of rice, some crusty Italian bread and a green salad for a delicious meal.

 

Buon Mangiata!

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