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Test Kitchen Approved

Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs

ChickenGastro-PubOven

Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

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About

This is one of those dishes that sounds like an amazing idea right on its face! And it is! Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs. You can see it now: the succulent, savory, flavorful chicken, infused with the brightness of lemon and the fragrance of garlic, roasted to a juicy golden brown, topped with a honey-herb sauce. This is how you make a weekday meal into a high-class, five-star experience with only a few key ingredients. Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs impress everyone, but they impress your tastebuds most of all!

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Ingredients

  • 8 (7-ounce) chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on
  • 16 cloves garlic, peeled and divided
  • 1 medium lemon, plus more for serving
  • 1 (0.5-ounce) package fresh thyme sprigs, divided
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste
  • 3/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons honey, plus more to taste

Directions

Step 1 -Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Step 2 -Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.

Step 3 -Cut the lemon in half lengthwise, and into thirds crosswise. Discard the lemon seeds.

Step 4 -Finely grate 4 of the garlic cloves.

Step 5 -Arrange the lemon slices, the grated garlic, the remaining garlic cloves, and 1/2 of the thyme springs in a single layer on a 9x13-inch baking dish, tossing briefly to disperse the grated garlic.

Step 6 -Place the chicken thighs over the lemon mixture, skin-side up, in a single layer.

Step 7 -Drizzle the chicken thighs with the olive oil and sprinkle evenly with 1 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper.

Step 8 -Bake until the chicken skin is a deep golden brown and the chicken reaches 165 degrees F internally, about 1 hour.

Step 9 -Transfer the chicken to a plate, reserving the lemon-garlic mixture on the baking sheet.

Step 10 -Discard the lemon pieces from the baking dish.

Step 11 -Pour the remaining drippings, the remaining garlic cloves, and the thyme sprigs from the baking sheet into a blender.

Step 12 -Taking steps to ensure steam can escape and that no splatter will occur, process the mixture until smooth, about 30-40 seconds.

Step 13 -Add the honey and the remaining salt to the mixture and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning and add more of the salt or the honey to taste.

Step 14 -Remove the thyme leaves from the remaining sprigs and sprinkle them evenly over the chicken.

Step 15 -Serve the thighs with the sauce and with the extra lemon wedges.

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