Crispy skinned roasted chicken thighs and tender leeks in a delicious sauce with white wine, garlic, lemon, butter and fresh herbs. A impressive, one skillet chicken dinner that will quickly become one of your new favorite things to cook.
rice, potatoes or crusty bread for serving and a good bottle of California sustainable white wine
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper on both sides.
Heat a braiser or large skillet over medium heat and add olive oil and a tablespoon of butter. Carefully place chicken thighs skin-side down in pan and sear, undisturbed, for 8-10 minutes.
While the chicken is cooking, peel and smash garlic cloves. Thinly slice the white and light green parts of the leeks and place in a bowl of water to remove any sand or dirt.
Flip the chicken thighs over and cook on the other side for another 5 minutes. The skin should be a nice golden brown color.
Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside on a plate. Add the smashed garlic cloves to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes until they become fragrant. Add in the leeks. It will look like a lot at first but they will melt and cook down.
Sauté leeks and garlic for 3-4 minutes, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Deglaze the pan with white wine and continue scraping the bottom. Add in the chicken broth and let it simmer for a minute or two.
Turn off the heat and nestle the chicken thighs, skin-side up, back into the pan with the garlic and leeks. Nestle in a few sprigs of fresh thyme.
Place the pan, uncovered in the oven and roast for 30 minutes. The chicken should be cooked through to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
To finish the sauce, remove the chicken thighs and squeeze in the juice of one lemon. Add in remaining butter and stir. Place the chicken back on top and garnish with fresh chopped parsley and additional lemon slices.
Notes
This recipe serves 1-2 chicken thighs each for 4-6 people.