Pan Roasted Lemon Chicken
These chicken thighs are amazingly crisp and flavorful, and you won’t believe how easy this is to make!
As Jason and I are trying to stay away from red meat, we’ve been eating a lot of chicken, from this BBQ chicken salad to this easy lemon chicken. But as I still had a Costco-sized bag of lemons to use up, I decided to put them to good use in this pan roasted chicken. Now when I say “pan roasted“, I mean a 2-step process. But there’s no need to be alarmed – it’s unbelievably easy and foolproof!
A lemon rub is made first with a handful of pantry ingredients and of course, lots of lemon goodness. One that’s brushed onto the chicken, you’ll give it a nice sear in a hot pan to get that amazingly crisp skin. Then you’ll pop that right in the oven until it’s cooked through. Done and done.
I told you it was easy! And with that crusty skin and the juicy meat just oozing with lemon-herb goodness, this dish is sure to be a hit with the entire family.
Pan Roasted Lemon Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups chicken stock
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the lemon rub
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- To make the lemon rub, combine olive oil, mustard, lemon zest, oregano, thyme and salt in a small bowl. Using your fingers or a brush, work the lemon rub onto both sides of the chicken.
- In a large bowl, whisk together chicken stock, lemon juice and lemon zest; set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken, skin-side down, and sear both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Add chicken stock mixture.
- Place into oven and roast until completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 25-30 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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Seriously !!!
1 and 1/2 cups of liquid for 8 thighs ???
I ended up with boiled chicken !!!
A D, what kind of pan did you use? It is best to use a shallow pan.
I didn’t see the weight watcher points anywhere???
Weight watcher points are not provided – please use free online resources to obtain such information.
Does this taste totally mustardy or is it minimal?
The mustard taste is very minimal.
I made this tonight …omg it was amazing!!! I just didn’t have any oregano so I used basil instead. And still it was out of this world!!!!
My husband & I LOVED this. I added a few scallions, a small crown of broccoli & served it with simple boiled potatoes. The chicken came out sooo very flavorful and the skin was very crispy. Thanks for a great recipe. Love your website.
I used this recipe and it was delicious! Love all the lemony flavor! It was even better with home-grown-and-dried thyme. I had to use a longer cooking time – my thighs may have been a bit larger than the ones pictured here. Also I had to wear them longer than it says in order to get a nice crisp skin. Bonus – zesting lemons makes the kitchen smell amazing.
Awkward, *sear not wear. Lol that would be weird.
I want to make this but don’t have thyme. Is there something else I can use in place of it that will still make it tasty? I’m just trying to be resourceful and use what I have at the house. Any suggestions? Thank you!
You can substitute other pantry herbs that you have on hand – oregano, basil, etc.
Made this tonight and it was so quick and easy! I wasn’t sure what kind of mustard to use but ended up using ground mustard (the spice) and it was good! I served with roasted brussel sprouts and roasted parsnips that I roasted in the oven at the same time as the chicken – super easy! I’m sure it would work well with any roasted vegetables. Thanks!
Okay, so I currently have this chicken in the oven. Let me first say it is the simplest recipe to make, very mess free and kid friendly. My 3 year old daughter loved to help making the broath & rub. My personal favorite part of this recipe is the searing of the skin. It brings such an amazing aroma into the air.
If you’re lost on sides, this time I’m making jasmine rice and butter asparagus. Next time I plan on making mashed red potatoes with roasted veggies (maybe asparagus again
WOW – just made this it was absolutely delicious. Thank you!!!
I took the fat off the thighs, ugh I completely forgot!! Lol. But the chicken still turned out great!
I had a former boss over for dinner and tried the chicken AND the roasted asparagus! Delicious! I used fresh organic chicken. Will make it again! Yum! Thank you!
I made this over the weekend & it turned out great! I didn’t have a lemon on hand but used an orange instead. Still delicious & the family loved it.
Just cooked this with boneless, skinless thighs and it was a total flop. Not good. Eatable but not good. Darn, I was hoping it would! I can’t find any really tasty natural chicken dishes with boneless and skinless chicken. My children are picky eaters!
Oh no! I hope you get a chance to try this with bone-in, skin-on thighs as the recipe states – the results are completely different!
I loved this with skin on bone in thighs but my kids are fussy too and wouldn’t eat it.
They do love this recipe for boneless and skinless thighs:
http://www.sprinklesandsprouts.com.au/grilled-chicken-with-capsicum-and-pineapple-salsa/
After reading concerns about the amount of liquid I reduced chicken broth to 1 cup and juiced 2 meyer lemons to get enough juice (they’re smaller than regular lemons). We followed the recipe with the rub, searing, & oven roasting. Our results was crispy skin with tender chicken in a lemony broth. This dish would be most appreciated with something to sop up the broth but we served ours over leftover roasted zucchini. Indeed, this was daaaamn delicious!!
https://imgur.com/a/FOjFVGL
Just got done eating this. Everyone enjoyed it! The whole grain mustard really added a nice flavor to the rub! I could drink that broth like it was soup! We served it with green bean casserole and buttery red potatoes. Superb!
This recipe looks yummy. I am making it tonight. Is it okay to do the rub a few hours before, and then just leave in the fridge until ready to cook? Maybe take out of fridge 1/2 hour before cooking so it’s not super cold? Thanks and really looking forward to making this!
Yes, that should work just fine!
Thanks!! I’ll get started now!
Discovered this recipe yesterday afternoon. Had 3 hungry 11-year-old boys at the table. It was a real hit! I too love the pan sear/braise combination, it does seem to intensify the flavors. I managed to pack about 10 thighs into my extra large pan and used Dijon-style mustard. Superb!
I’m so glad you commented! I totally had no clue what whole grain mustard was; I looked for it in the SPICE section. Knowing dijon worked well is saving me a trip to the grocery store 🙂
I didn’t have the correct mustard on hand, so I used spicy brown mustard and it came out great!
This recipe is absolutely AMAZING! It has become a regular in my household! Thank you!
we added a little shake of lemon pepper seasoning to the chicken after putting our servings on our plates…it was very good for those who want a little more zing
I’m making these right now for the 3rd time…its definitely becoming a staple on my weekdays! Thanks for such an easy, flavorful recipe!