Lemon-Garlic Chicken Thighs

*Post by Angela.

On any given day, there are a handful of ingredients that you can find in my refrigerator: massive amounts of garlic, a yellow onion or two, lemons, chicken broth and more and more often, chicken thighs (they're cheaper and more delicious than any other poultry, in my opinion). Add to this list the flour, crushed red pepper flakes and bay leaves that always occupy my cabinets, and what you come up with is the makings for this recipe from Emeril Lagasse. It's simpler than his usual recipes, with their never-ending ingredient lists. It's also a little more boring, but it's still fairly tasty and very easy to make quickly, making it a pretty decent weekday meal to have in your back pocket.

List of ingredients:

• 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• Salt & pepper
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 cups thinly sliced onions
• 30 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• Cooked white rice (or alternatively, 1 lb angel hair pasta, tossed with butter)

First, I preheated the oven to 350 degrees, then seasoned the chicken liberally with salt and pepper. I mean liberally, too, otherwise you'll end up with a very bland end product.

I poured the flour into a shallow dish, then lightly dredged the chicken in the flour and set it aside.

In a pot with high sides (to prevent splashing), I heated the oil over medium-high heat, added the thighs and cooked them on both sides until golden brown, 3-4 minutes per side. I removed the chicken from the pan and set it aside.

I added the onions to the oil and cooked, scraping up the browned bits, until the onions were just starting to soften, about 5-7 minutes. I added the wonderous amounts of garlic, crushed red pepper, a dash of salt, and the bay leaf and cooked a minute or two more.

I poured in the lemon juice and chicken broth, and added the chicken back to the pan, then brought it to a simmer. I covered the pot, then slid the entire thing in the oven to bake for 20 minutes. I then carefully removed the lid to cook an additional 15 minutes, until the chicken was completely cooked through.

I served it over rice, but buttered pasta would also be really nice, as would a nice bed of steamed spinach. Honestly, you could adapt this recipe a million different ways that would make it amazing. Or you could just stick with the basics and have yourself a solid, pretty cheap meal in under an hour.

 

Comments

[Atefeh]

:) Looks so yummy! I think I'm gonna give it a try and make it tonight :D

[Atefeh]

I made this last night.
LOVED IT, simple, tasty, delicious...
Can't wait to eat the left over at lunch

[Angela]

Oh, hooray! I'm glad it turned out well! Although with that much garlic and lemon, how can you go wrong? I'm jealous you have leftovers...