Leek and Lemon Roasted Chicken Thighs

Cast iron seared chicken thighs, seasoned with a Herbes de Provence then baked in an aromatic broth with leeks, white wine, tarragon, and lemon juice.

I love the fancy feel of this recipe, without it being especially fussy with a long list of ingredients or directions.

It follows a very basic formula for making chicken thighs. I use it time and time again, and each recipe can vary by ingredients, and flavor profile, but the method is the same.

First, you will want to season the chicken with spices, then let it rest at room temperature to take the chill from the fridge off the meat. I use a Herbes de Provence seasoning along with kosher salt and pepper. I feel like the Herbes de Provence seasoning which is a combination of thyme, marjoram, savory rosemary, basil, sage, and lavender. To me, it screams classic French cuisine and pairs well with tarragon and leeks. In order to get a nice golden brown skin, you need to make sure of 2 things, (1) your meat is not wet (2) your meat is not very cold.

When you are ready to sear, make sure your pan is nice and hot. Sear the chicken (probably not more than three thighs in the pan at once) in batches. When all the chicken has been seared, it’s time to begin to build that beautiful pan lemon and leek pan sauce that envelops the chicken and makes the recipe truly delicious. Sauté the onions and leeks, deglaze the pan with white wine and add the chicken stock and lemon juice.

Return the chicken thighs to the pan and finish in the oven until the chicken temperature reaches 165 degrees F.

Leek and Lemon Roasted Chicken Thighs

Brenda Lanzilli

Cast iron seared chicken thighs, seasoned with a Herbes de Provence then baked in aromatic broth infused with leeks, white wine, tarragon, and lemon juice.

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Course Dinner

Cuisine American, European, French

Ingredients

  

• 6 Bone-In Skin-On Chicken Thighs—approx 3lbs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp herb de Provence
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp Olive oil for searing
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 cups leeks finely chopped
• 1 cup onion diced
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tsp fresh tarragon chopped
• 1 cup chicken stock
• ½ cup white wine
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice

Instructions

 

• Remove chicken from packaging, pat dry, and season with salt, herb de Provence and black pepper. Let sit at room temperature for 30–45 minutes before searing. While the chicken is resting, prep onion, leeks, and garlic.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Heat Cast Iron (preferably) or another oven-safe skillet over medium high heat. Add about 1 tbsp of olive oil. Sear chicken, skin side down, working in batches. Sear until skin golden brown, remove from pan and set aside. Repeat.
• Turn heat down to medium and melt butter in the skillet and sauté onions, leeks, and garlic until just translucent but not brown, about 5–7 minutes.
• Deglaze pan with white wine, chicken stock, and lemon juice. Add fresh tarragon. Let gently simmer 5-10 minutes.
• Remove from heat, return the seared chicken to the skillet, skin side up, and transfer to the oven to bake for 25–35 minutes or until a meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees F.

Keyword chicken, leeks, lemon

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