If you like the crisp edges of lasagne, the soaked croutons, the whipped cream that gets icy around the chocolate scoop - you’re in the right place.
Hi friends! I’ve loved seeing all your Carrot and Clementine Cakes, and have heard many of you asking for another chicken recipe. Here it is. This week's recipe for Melting Lemon Chicken is all the things the internet usually hopes for (sheet pan, one pan, easy, easy clean up, “overdelivers!” keto! weeknight!), and is also exceptionally saucy with shatteringly crisp skin.
I've been on a very private mission to cook sheet pan chicken that doesn't depress me. The web's favorite chicken-cooking method isn’t mine. Maybe this is because I love active cooking, so freedom from all the fiddling and tasting that goes into a meal means less fun. Or maybe it’s because I love picking a carcass... But it’s also because sheet pan chicken usually trades off juices for crispness. Enough sauce and you get flabby, unrendered underbits—or worse, everything on the tray is crisp, and we all know there’s no crispy joy without jus. But I can’t argue with the stark utility for a busy life, and a couple of these problems, we can solve!
This thigh-only sheet pan recipe overcomes my quibbles with its audibly crisp skin and an electrifying sauce that makes itself, as whole sliced lemon melts below rendering chicken. It’s also hands-free once it goes in the oven—no standing in thrall to a timer chucking different ingredients on the tray at different times. So put it in the oven, and go wild: have a bath, build a Lego castle, return in 45 minutes to something good.
A few notes that you can apply to any sheet pan chicken recipe:
Pre-season: Salt your thighs as long as possible—up to 24 hours or so before you cook them. A lot of recipes don’t want to ask you to do this because they’re designed for a speedy Tuesday, but salting takes approximately 30 seconds. Next time you come home from shopping or have your groceries delivered, tip two packs of thighs straight into a bowl or bag, add just shy of a tablespoon of kosher salt, squidge it all around, and forget about them until tomorrow. At the very least, season your chicken when you turn on the oven—even ten salty minutes as the oven warms will make a difference to the flavor and draw some water out of the skin to enhance its crispability.
SPLAY THE SKIN: The pan juices that are so important will wet the underside of the thighs, so remove pockets of fat and detach any skin under the thighs. Pull skin outward so each thigh looks like its arms are outstretched, surfing on the tasty things underneath. Maximum surface to crisp, no grizzly bits below.
Dry the skin: Double layer kitchen paper and press the chicken skin firmly, then flip the paper to the dry side and press again so it’s dry-dry, before drizzling with oil.
Go high: Steer clear of no-man's-land oven temps, roast at 450 Fahrenheit or higher and use the broiler at the end to make pecan-colored bubbles.
Melting Lemon Chicken
This sheet pan chicken is crisp and fantastically lemony with a whole peel-and-all sliced lemon melted in its sauce. It’s important to preseason, dry and splay the chicken skin for maximum crispness, and slice the lemon and onion as thinly as you can. Capers and oregano take it in a Greek direction, but if you’re not a fan of either leave them out or swap for thyme, and perhaps olives.
Serves 4
8 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 pounds total)
2¾ teaspoons kosher salt
3 lemons
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 large yellow onion
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
Marinate your chicken—ideally the night before, but honestly, just as long as you can before cooking it. Place the chicken thighs in a bowl or large ziplock bag with the salt, the juice of one lemon, and the dried oregano. Massage the seasoning into the meat and refrigerate if you’re not cooking imminently.
When you’re ready to cook the chicken, bring it out of the fridge to come to room temperature. Heat the oven to 450 Fahrenheit.
Slice the onion in half and peel off the skin, then slice as thinly as you can into half rounds. Place the sliced onion in an 11 x 15-inch (or thereabouts) roasting pan. Follow this with one lemon: slice the tip and butt off the lemon, then cut it in half lengthwise. Facing the lemon cut-side down, slice it as thinly as possible—these slices really need to be delicate so they can melt. Use a mandolin if you prefer. Get rid of any pips and place the lemon in the pan.
Slice the garlic cloves thinly and add them to the pan, too. Cut the remaining lemon in half and squeeze the juice over everything. Follow with a tablespoon of olive oil and toss to coat.
Pour the chicken and its marinade over the lemon and onions. Attend to each thigh: remove fatty pockets on the underside and detach any skin below the chicken, pulling it outwards. Place each thigh skin-up and splay excess skin so it rests on top of the lemon and onions.
Lay a double-sheet of kitchen paper on top of the thighs and press to wick away any moisture. Flip the paper and press again, discard. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over the dry chicken.
Bake, uncovered, until the thighs are cooked through, the skin is golden, and the lemon and onion have melted, about 45 minutes. If your thighs are cooked but the skin needs a little encouragement, turn the broiler on high and stand by, inspecting the thighs every couple of minutes until there are enough bubbly bits to get you excited.
Remove the chicken from the oven and sprinkle the fresh oregano into the sauce—the hot liquid will keep the herb green and encourage it to soften and infuse. Follow with the capers. Allow the chicken to stand for a few minutes before you eat.
EAT WITH boiled broccoli or another green, rice, cannellini, borlotti, or really any bean...
This recipe produced a delicious meal that was declared "one of the best chicken dishes ever". I sliced up fennel to go along with the onion and lemon. I'm not sure if it added to the flavors, but it didn't hurt.
Making tonight! Adding chickpeas to the onion/lemon mix and might stir in some spinach at the end.