Try this Easy Lemon Chicken Recipe recipe
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken thighs skin-on, bone-in, trimmed of excess fat
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (1 teaspoon for rub and 2 teaspoons for
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (1 tablespoon for rub 1 tablespoon for cooking)
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) low-sodium chicken stock
- 2 garlic cloves smashed
- Carbohydrate 1.91320812523507 g
- Cholesterol 150.51409655 mg
- Fat 29.0292983468216 g
- Fiber 0.348546871047975 g
- Protein 29.8070867996418 g
- Saturated Fat 9.30716044306033 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (180g)
- Sodium 272.683050460547 mg
- Sugar 1.5646612541871 g
- Trans Fat 1.87523818864253 g
- Calories 395 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat oven to 400 degrees F (200 C).
- Make rub for chicken. Combine mustard, 1 teaspoon of the lemon zest, oregano, thyme, salt and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a small bowl. Use fingers or a brush to coat chicken on both sides with the mustard rub.
- In another bowl or measuring jug, combine remaining lemon zest (2 teaspoons), lemon juice and the chicken stock. Set aside.
- Heat remaining tablespoon of oil in a large oven-safe skillet or frying pan over medium heat. Add the smashed garlic then cook about 1 minute or until you can smell toasted garlic and the garlic has browned around the edges. Remove and discard the garlic, but leave the oil.
- Add chicken, skin-side down into the hot garlic-infused oil and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until the skin has turned golden brown.
- Flip the chicken then add the lemon juice mixture from before. Stir then slide the pan into the oven and bake 25 to 35 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken reads 175 degrees F (79 degrees C).
- Remove pan from oven then transfer the chicken to a plate and cover with aluminum foil. There should still be liquid in the pan. Place the pan over medium heat and bring the liquid to a gentle simmer.
- In a small bowl, use your fingers to mix butter and flour together, making a dry, crumbly paste. Whisk the flour and butter into the sauce. The sauce will thicken slightly and look glossy.
- Nestle the chicken back into the pan then serve.
Standard pan-searing yields crisp chicken skin, but drowning poultry in straight citrus juice during a roast makes the flesh stringy and dulls the fat's natural richness. Achieving proper balance requires managing both the acid levels in the roasting liquid and the starch content of the final reduction sauce.
Building the rub with whole grain mustard and dried herbs creates a barrier that protects the poultry exterior while seasoning the meat deeply. Searing the skin-on cuts skin-side down in a skillet over medium heat for two to three minutes initiates rendering before the transfer to a 400 degrees F oven. Bone-in thighs require internal temperatures to reach 175 degrees F to break down tough connective collagen without drying out the protein. Whisking a cold paste of equal parts butter and flour directly into the simmering pan juices at the end introduces starch molecules that gelatinize the liquid into a glossy emulsion.
Substitutions alter the final chemistry significantly. Bottled lemon juice lacks the volatile aromatic oils found in fresh fruit zest, producing a flat flavor profile. Swapping bone-in thighs for boneless breasts reduces the required oven time by nearly ten minutes and lowers the target internal temperature to 165 degrees F to prevent severe moisture loss. Dietary adjustments remain straightforward, as vegetable oil replaces butter for dairy-free needs without altering the sauce viscosity.
