Easy Lemon Chicken Thighs with Herbs

PREP 15mins | COOK 30mins | TOTAL 45mins

These lemon chicken thighs are juicy, flavorful, and easy to make. The chicken bursts with flavor thanks to fresh lemon, oregano, thyme, garlic, and mustard. We love to use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, which we’ve found to be more tender and flavorful than chicken breast. With that said, you can use chicken breast or chicken drumsticks.

Makes 4 servings

YOU WILL NEED
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 sauce)
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
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, see our chicken stock recipe
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS

PREPARE CHICKEN

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Make the rub for chicken. Combine mustard, one teaspoon of the lemon zest, oregano, thyme, salt and one tablespoon of the olive oil in a small bowl. Use fingers or a brush to coat chicken on both sides with the mustard rub.
3. In another bowl or measuring jug, combine remaining lemon zest (2 teaspoons), lemon juice and the chicken stock. Set aside.

COOK CHICKEN

1. 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.
2. Add the chicken, skin-side down, into the hot garlic-infused oil and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until the skin has turned golden brown.
3. 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.

TO FINISH

1. 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.
2. In a small bowl, use your fingers to mix butter and flour, 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.

ADAM AND JOANNE'S TIPS

- Nutrition Facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values. We omitted salt from the calculations since you will need to add to your tastes. We assumed four servings.

NUTRITION PER SERVING: Serving Size 1/4 of the recipe / Calories 319 / Protein 22 g / Carbohydrate 5 g / Dietary Fiber 1 g / Total Sugars 1 g / Total Fat 24 g / Saturated Fat 7 g / Cholesterol 127 mg
AUTHOR: Adam and Joanne Gallagher

Watch Us Make The Recipe

How to make this filling chicken fatteh from Syria

The Arabic word fatteh comes from a verb meaning to "shred" or "tear apart", in reference to the torn pieces of pitta that form the base of these dishes.

It's a well-chosen name for a variety of dishes, built on layers of ingredients including chickpeas, stuffed aubergines, artichokes, stewed meat or tahini and garlic yoghurt.

My family usually makes chicken fatteh at the beginning of Ramadan or the start of the year: the idea is that the whiteness of the yoghurt and of the rice symbolise good luck and a pure beginning. For me, chicken fatteh is my favourite as it is comforting and refreshing.

I always like to poach a whole chicken for dishes such as this because any leftover chicken or stock can be used for other meals. However, you can just as easily poach two chicken breasts or thighs, depending on your tastes.

One rule: eat fatteh straight away as the bread will become soggy the longer it sits (although it's too delicious to remain uneaten for long!)

By Mouna Elkekhia, Middle East Eye

Serves: 6 people

Preparation and cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients

For the chicken

I whole chicken

3 bay leaves

1 onion, quartered

1 tbsp vegetable oil

Aleppo spice mix or Lebanese seven-spice mix*

2 tsps salt

hot water to cover

For the yoghurt sauce

500g (17½oz) plain natural yoghurt

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 tbsp tahini

1 tsp salt

190g (1 cup) of uncooked white rice

3 small pitta breads, cut into 2cm squares

chopped parsley and toasted almonds (or pine nuts) to decorate

Note: Lebanese seven-spice mix can be found in most Middle Eastern stores. Otherwise, you can replace with ½ tsp allspice, ¼ tsp ground black pepper, ¼ tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, ¼ tsp ground cardamom and ¼ tsp ground cloves

Method

To make the chicken and rice

1. Heat one tbsp of oil in a large saucepan. Add the chicken and turn it around to sear the different sides in the oil.

2. Add the quartered onion and the bay leaves. Pour the hot water over the chicken so that it is covered. Add the salt and spices. Bring the water to a boil and then turn down the heat and simmer the chicken for 45 mins or until the chicken is cooked through.

3. Remove the chicken from the stock, reserving the stock.

4. Once it is cool enough, remove the bones from the chicken meat and discard. If you have used boneless chicken pieces, shred the chicken pieces into large pieces.

5. Cook the rice in 500ml (2 cups) of hot salted water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 20 mins until the rice is cooked through.

For the pitta squares

1. Toss the pitta bread in a bowl with some vegetable oil.

2. Transfer it onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

3. Bake at 180°C (355°F) for 10 mins or until the pitta squares are a light golden colour.

To make the yoghurt sauce

1. Mix the yoghurt with the tahini, garlic and salt in a glass bowl.

2. Heat the mixture in a microwave for 1 minute until it is warm. NB: Be careful to not overheat it or the yoghurt will curdle.

3. Alternatively, you can gently heat the yoghurt in a saucepan over medium heat until just warm, again being careful to not overheat it.

To assemble

1. Place the pitta crisps in a deep serving dish (I use a glass baking dish so that the different layers are visible).

2. Using a ladle or large spoon, lightly cover the pitta crisps with some of the warm chicken stock.

3. Cover the bread and stock with a very thin layer of the cooked rice. This stops the bread from becoming soggy too quickly from the yoghurt.

4. Pour the yoghurt sauce over the bread and rice, spreading it out to ensure the dish is evenly covered with the sauce.

5. Spoon the remaining rice over the yoghurt. Place the shredded chicken on top of the rice

6. Decorate it with toasted almonds or pine nuts and the chopped parsley.

Mouna is a London-based chef and member of the Marhabtayn Syrian supper club. She is originally from Aleppo, Syria and has a passion for recreating authentic delicious flavours as a way to share a glimpse into the rich culture and history these dishes come from. You can follow her on Instagram @mounaskitchen or website www.mounaskitchen.com

Green Chile Chicken Recipe

Recipe courtesy of Ree Drummond
Show: The Pioneer Woman
Episode: Friendship Fiesta

Total:5 hr
Active: 40 min

Yield: 6 servings

Level: Easy

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, or more to taste
2 cloves garlic
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 poblano chiles
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, cut into 6 slices

Directions

First, make the marinade for the chicken: Combine the olive oil, lime juice, cumin, salt, pepper, chipotle peppers and garlic in a blender and mix until totally pureed. Pour into a large resealable plastic bag with the chicken breasts. Seal the bag, smush it around to coat the chicken and place it in the fridge to marinate for at least 4 hours (overnight if possible).

After the chicken has marinated, roast the poblano chiles one-by-one over the flame of your stovetop, using metal tongs to hold them, until the skin is totally charred. (If you don't have a gas stove, you can use an outdoor grill OR place them on a baking sheet directly under your oven's broiler.) When the skin is totally blackened, place the chiles in a large resealable plastic bag and seal the bag to allow the chiles to sweat for a good 20 minutes. Remove the chiles and use a knife to scrape off most of the blackened skin. Slice the chiles in half lengthwise, and scrape out the seeds and membranes. Lay out the chile halves so they'll be ready for the next step.

Preheat a grill pan to medium-high heat (or use a skillet). Grill the chicken (or saute in the skillet) for 4 minutes on the first side. Turn the chicken over and lay 2 chile halves and a nice slice of cheese on the cooked side of each piece. Turn the heat to medium low and allow the chicken to finish cooking until it's totally done in the center, 4 to 5 minutes. The cheese should melt on its own; if it needs a little help, invert an iron skillet over it (or put the lid on the skillet, if using). Serve!

Cook's Note

You can also use any marinade you'd like, homemade or store-bought, for the chicken! Anything works.

Malaysian fried chicken (Ayam goreng) recipe

6:00 Prep | 0:20 Cook | 6 Servings | Capable cooks

This recipe is made using classic Malaysian ingredients - chicken, lemongrass, ginger - and tastes just as good as the street-food mamak version, but is easy to make.

INGREDIENTS

1.2kg chicken drumsticks
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup rice flour
Vegetable oil or canola oil, for deep-frying
MARINADE
2 stalks lemongrass (white part only), roughly chopped
1 brown onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1.5cm piece fresh ginger
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1.4 teaspoon ground white pepper
LIME HERB RICE
2 cups cooked white long-grain rice, cooled
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves
1/2 large red chilli, roughly chopped
1 lime, juiced, plus extra wedges to serve
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil

METHOD

Step 1
Make Marinade: Place lemongrass, onion, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, turmeric, sugar, sesame oil, salt and pepper in a food processor. Process until smooth, adding a little water if needed (see note).

Step 2
Place drumsticks in a large bowl. Add the marinade. Toss to coat. Cover. Refrigerate overnight to allow flavours to develop.

Step 3
Make Lime herb rice: Combine rice, mint, coriander, chilli, lime juice and grapeseed oil in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 4
Drain drumsticks, discarding marinade. Place drumsticks in a bowl. Sprinkle with the salt. Add rice flour. Toss to combine.

Step 5
Pour enough vegetable oil into a large saucepan or wok to come 5cm up the side. Heat over medium-high heat (oil should reach 165ºC). Deep-fry drumsticks, in batches, turning, for 12 minutes or until deep golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to paper towel to drain. Serve chicken with rice and lime wedges.

NOTES
You can also use a mortar and pestle.

Author: Nagi Maehashi Image credit: Nagi Maehashi Publication: Super Food Ideas

Grilled Chicken with Charred Lemon and Heirloom Tomatoes Recipe

Served with grilled scallions and onions, thickly sliced heirloom tomatoes and charred lemon slices, Scott Conant's juicy grilled chicken is perfect for a summer cookout.

Total:4 hr
Prep: 20 min
Inactive: 3 hr
Cook: 40 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Level: Easy

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 to 2 pinches crushed red pepper flakes
2 medium onions, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
2 bunches scallions, roots trimmed
1 lemon, sliced
2 whole chickens, 2 1/2 to 3 pounds each, cut into 8 pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 to 3 anchovies, well rinsed, finely chopped, optional
4 to 6 slices ciabatta bread
6 to 8 medium very ripe heirloom tomatoes or juicy beefsteak tomatoes, cut into wedges

Directions

Combine 1 cup of the olive oil, the Worcestershire, red pepper flakes, onions, scallions and lemons in a large bowl or large zip-top bag. Add the chicken pieces and toss to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least a few hours.

Prepare the coals on an outdoor grill to medium hot or heat a gas grill. If using coals, bank them to one side of the grill so that one side is hot and the other less so.

Remove the chicken and vegetables from the marinade and transfer to 2 baking sheets. Discard the marinade. Sprinkle the chicken pieces well with salt and pepper and then place the chicken, onions, scallions and lemons onto the grill. You may lose some scallions or lemons, but hopefully most won't fall through the grates!

Put the cover on the grill to increase the heat and cook the hell out of the chicken. The grill will smoke like crazy, but try to resist opening the lid for 7 minutes or so. Open the lid, flip the chicken and continue cooking, mostly covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 35 minutes total. If the chicken, lemon and onions are getting too charred, reduce the heat or move them to a cooler part of the grill, flipping as needed. Remove from the grill and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Meanwhile, mix together the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil, the parsley, vinegar and anchovies, if using.

To serve, brush the bread with olive oil and grill on both sides. Divide the chicken, lemon, scallions and onions among serving plates. Place the tomato wedges alongside and drizzle with the vinaigrette. Serve with the grilled bread.

Baked Buffalo Wings With Blue Cheese-Yogurt Dip Recipe

Recipe courtesy of Food Network Kitchen
From: Food Network Magazine

Total:1 hr 10 min
Prep: 7 min
Cook: 1 hr 3 min
Yield: 6 servings
Level: Easy

Ingredients

For the dip:
3/4 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 small clove garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon skim milk or buttermilk
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

For the wings:
Cooking spray, for the baking sheet
3 pounds chicken wings, split at the joints, tips removed
4 stalks celery, cut into thirds
4 carrots, cut in half
2 bay leaves
1 cup fat-free low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup Frank's RedHot sauce (or 1/2 cup other hot sauce)
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon honey

Directions

Make the dip: Pulse the yogurt, blue cheese, mayonnaise, garlic, milk and lemon juice in a food processor until combined but still chunky. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Make the wings: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Put the chicken wings in a deep skillet; add 3 pieces of celery, 3 pieces of carrot, the bay leaves, chicken broth, hot sauce, paprika, butter, honey and 1/2 cup water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer until the chicken is almost cooked through, about 18 minutes. Transfer the wings to the prepared baking sheet and arrange in a single layer; reserve the sauce in the skillet.

Bake the wings, turning once, until the skin is golden and crisp, 30 to 35 minutes. Meanwhile, simmer the reserved sauce over medium-low heat until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Discard the celery, carrot and bay leaves. Reserve one-quarter of the sauce for serving. Return the wings to the skillet and toss with the remaining sauce. Serve the wings with the blue cheese dip and reserved sauce; cut the remaining celery and carrot into sticks to serve on the side.

Recipe courtesy Food Network Magazine

Maple-Mustard Chicken Thighs Recipe

Recipe courtesy of Ellie Krieger
Show: Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger
Episode: Secret Weapons

Total:55 minPrep: 10 minCook: 45 min
Yield: 2 to 4 servings
Level: Easy

Ingredients

4 large bone-in chicken thighs, skins removed (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 tablespoons grainy French mustard
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Combine mustard, garlic, marjoram and maple syrup in a small bowl. Spread about 1 1/2 tablespoons mustard mixture evenly on top of each chicken thigh, being careful to cover as much of the surface as possible to form a "crust." Arrange chicken in a glass baking dish. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until mustard mixture has formed a crust and is slightly hardened, and juices run clear when the chicken is pierced.

2007 Ellie Krieger, All Rights Reserved