Lemon Butter Roasted Chicken Thighs
Oh, chicken thighs, my one true love. If I had a nickel for every time I preached about the divine juiciness of these bad boys, I’d be rich enough to buy, well, more chicken thighs. Today, I'm about to drop a recipe so simple yet so shockingly delicious, it’s almost criminal. It’s the kind of dish that makes you want to pat yourself on the back and say, “Wow, I really outdid myself this time,” even though all you did was mix a few ingredients together. Genius, I know.
Let’s talk ingredients. You’ll need the star of the show, chicken thighs (obviously), a stick of butter (because why not?), one illustrious lemon, and a couple of tablespoons of whatever herbs you can pronounce - in this case, fresh thyme, dried oregano, and garlic powder. Don’t forget the salt and a cheeky drizzle of EVOO, because we’re fancy like that. Now, for the magic: preheat your oven to a scorching 400 degrees, and let’s get to work. Melt that stick of butter like you’re melting away your problems, pour it over the chicken like a buttery baptism, and then throw in your herbs and spices with the reckless abandon of a toddler in a sandbox. Squeeze that lemon like it owes you money, and voila, you've got yourself a masterpiece in the making.
I chucked my chicken into a cast iron pan (because I’m rustic like that), surrounded by asparagus sentinels standing guard. This is totally optional; they’re just there to make you feel better about eating all that butter. A few lemon slices for company, a final sprinkle of garlic powder and salt, and a drizzle of EVOO for good measure. Into the oven it goes for a leisurely bake, finishing with a brief broil to get that skin crispy enough to make your heart sing. Pull it out, throw some fresh lemon slices on for the ‘gram, and you’ve got yourself a dish that’ll make you wonder why you ever bothered with any other part of the chicken. Serve it on a bed of white rice or alongside your favorite veggies, and watch as your dinner table turns into the standing ovation you so rightly deserve.
Lemon Butter Roasted Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400
- Prep the chicken: add the chicken to a large bowl. Melt the butter and pour it all over the chicken. Sprinkle a decent amount of garlic powder all over, fresh thyme, oregano and salt. Squeeze half a lemon all over.
- Place the chicken in a cast iron pan. Optional: I added asparagus around the sides but you don’t need to do this part. Just a little addition of veggies, you can cook those separately.
- Add a couple small slices of lemon around the chicken.
- Sprinkle the top with a little more garlic powder and salt. Drizzle EVOO over the top.
- Transfer to oven and bake for about 45 min, or until chicken is fillet cooked and browning on top. I always broil mine the last 2-3 minutes to get it crispy.
- Remove from oven, replace cooked lemon with fresh slices (optional), add a little more fresh thyme and use some of the liquid in the pan to pour on top of the chicken before serving.
