Description
Bright with lemon, deeply savory, and so tender the meat falls right off the bone, these Lemon Garlic Braised Chicken Thighs are the chicken recipe that’s been missing from your rotation!
Made with bone-in thighs for guaranteed even cooking and extra-juicy results, this chicken is slowly simmered with whole garlic cloves, fresh thyme, and a lemon pan sauce that’s rich and rounded – never sharp or sour. No wine required!
Just serve over mashed potatoes, polenta, or crusty bread…anything to soak up that lemony sauce – trust me, you’re going to want every last drop!
Ingredients
Scale
- 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (2 ½ – 3 pounds), trimmed of excess fat
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 20 cloves garlic (about 2 large heads)
- 3 shallots, thinly sliced
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock or broth
- 2 large lemons, zest peeled into strips (about 8 strips, 2 inches long) then juiced (about ⅓ cup)
- 10-12 sprigs fresh thyme, tied with twine
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- optional: ¼ cup heavy cream
Instructions
Method Overview:
Pat chicken thighs dry, season. Brown in oil, skin side down, until crisp. Soften garlic and shallots in butter. Deglaze with stock, add lemon juice, zest, thyme, Dijon, chicken. Braise covered, 325 degrees F for 35-40 minutes. Optionally: Broil chicken 4-5 minutes for crispy skin and finish sauce with cream.
Step-by-Step:
- Prep: If time allows, 30 minutes before you begin cooking, pull the chicken thighs from the refrigerator to allow to come up to room temperature. Just before cooking, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F, ensuring a rack is positioned in the upper third of the oven. Use a paper towel to pat the chicken as dry as possible and season liberally with kosher salt and ground black pepper; a good rule of thumb is 1 teaspoon kosher salt per pound of meat.
- Brown the chicken thighs: Add the olive oil to a large, oven-safe skillet with a tight-fitting lid (I use a 3 ½-qt cast iron braiser) over medium-high heat. Once hot and shimmering, carefully add the seasoned chicken thighs, skin side down, working in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Cook for 7-8 minutes, until rendered and golden brown. Flip and cook 2-3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Soften the aromatics: Reduce heat to medium and add the butter. Once melted, add all of the garlic cloves, cooking 1-2 minutes per side until lightly golden. Adjust heat to prevent burning. When the garlic is almost done, stir in the shallots and cook 1-2 minutes more to soften slightly.
- Deglaze and build the braise: Deglaze the pan by slowly pouring in the chicken stock while scraping up any browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest strips, thyme bundle, and Dijon. Increase heat to bring the mixture to a simmer, then nestle the chicken thighs into the pan, skin side facing up.
- Braise the chicken thighs: Cover the pan, transfer to the oven, and braise for 35-40 minutes. You’ll know the chicken thighs are ready when they reach the fall-apart tender internal temperature of 185 degrees F. Optional: At this point the braised chicken is ready, but you can revive its crispy skin with a quick broil. Carefully remove the lid and light the broiler to its highest setting. Broil 4-5 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the chicken skin is crispy and caramelized.
- Finishing touches: Transfer the braised and broiled chicken thighs to a cutting board or platter. Remove and discard the spent herbs and lemon zest strips (though I always leave those in – they’re a deliciously tender bite of brightness for lemon lovers!). If desired, thicken the lemony sauce with cream. Return the pan to medium heat. Once bubbling, stir in the heavy cream. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until thickened as desired. Taste and season with additional kosher salt and ground black pepper as needed.
- Serve immediately: I like to serve the chicken thighs and softened garlic, shallots, and lemon peel alongside our favorite creamy garlic mashed potatoes, drizzling the creamy lemon sauce over top. Enjoy!
Notes
- Storage and Reheating: Leftover braised chicken thighs will keep, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 3-4 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave until warmed through.
Alternate Cooking Methods:
- Crock Pot / Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken Thighs: Prep the recipe according to Steps 1-4, above. Once the pan is deglazed, transfer to the slow cooker and finish assembling according to Step 4. Slow cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 5-6 hours until the chicken is fall-apart tender. Finish as directed in Steps 5-6, broiling the chicken and simmering the sauce, as desired. If your slow cooker has a searing/browning feature, you can prepare this entire braised chicken recipe (Steps 1-6) in the slow cooker.
- Electric Pressure Cooker / Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Thighs: Use your Instant Pot’s “Sauté” setting to prepare the recipe according to Steps 1-4. Seal and cook the lemon chicken on manual high pressure for 15 minutes. Carefully quick release by flicking the valve to its “venting” position. Finish as directed in Steps 5-6, broiling the chicken and simmering the sauce using the Instant Pot’s “Sauté” setting, as desired.