Lemon Pepper Hen Thighs (Straightforward Weeknight Dinner Recipe)

First Revealed: Jul 16, 2023 by Sandra · This publish could comprise affiliate hyperlinks. As an Amazon Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases with no extra price to you.

Lemon pepper rooster thighs characteristic tender and juicy rooster thighs generously seasoned with a vibrant combination of garlic powder, cracked black pepper, and recent lemon zest topped with a flavorful pan sauce that includes freshly minced garlic, lemon juice, and butter. This straightforward but flavorful mixture creates a pleasant stability of savory and citrusy notes, enhancing the pure style of the succulent rooster thighs.

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Close up of four cooked lemon pepper chicken thighs garnished with chopped parsley in a skillet with lemon slices.

Searching for a fast and scrumptious meal to beat these busy weeknights? Look no additional than these irresistible lemon pepper rooster thighs! Full of taste and requiring minimal effort, these juicy thighs are coated in a tantalizing lemon pepper spice rub, that includes the zesty freshness of lemon zest, the fragrant kick of cracked pepper, a touch of garlic powder, and the aromatic contact of thyme leaves. As if that wasn’t sufficient, they’re then seared to perfection and served with a mouthwatering pan sauce crafted from butter, tangy lemon juice, fragrant minced garlic, savory rooster broth, and an additional sprinkle of cracked pepper and salt.

With each savory chunk, this dish will transport you to a state of culinary bliss, making hectic weeknight dinners a breeze whereas leaving you craving extra.

Desk of Contents

Table of Contents

Substances

The elements for this recipe are straight ahead and available. The one half you is probably not aware of is the addition of cracked pepper. I made this by pulverizing (inside cause!) a couple of black peppercorns with my mortar and pestle.

Black peppercorns being broken up in a mortar and pestle. — A mortar and pestle works nice for making recent cracked pepper.

If you do not have a mortar and pestle, you possibly can replicate this course of by putting the peppercorns in a zipper sandwich bag and smashing them with a hammer. I left the items pretty chunky in order that they resembled the feel of pink pepper flakes.

Spice Rub for Thighs

Lemon zest. Freshly zested. Two giant lemons ought to offer you what you want for this recipe. You may be utilizing each the juice and the zest from each lemons. Don’t fret if the quantity of zest and juice doesn’t match the quantity used within the recipe, except it is actually far off. Simply go forward and use what each lemons yield. The 2 lemons proven within the ingredient photograph above are on the smaller facet. I ended up utilizing three of those once I made this recipe the final time.
Cracked pepper. From black peppercorns. It is vital to make use of cracked black pepper as a result of it provides quite a lot of taste. Pepper from a pepper grinder will work in a pinch. Positively keep away from utilizing floor pepper. The flavour will not be there. I used a mortar and pestle to interrupt up a couple of peppercorns into chunky bits. If you do not have a mortar and pestle set, you possibly can place a couple of peppercorns right into a zipper sandwich bag and break them up with a hammer. Do not go too loopy right here. Attempt to depart them a bit chunky, just like the feel of pink pepper flakes.
Salt.
Garlic powder.
Dried thyme leaves.
Hen thighs. Bone in and pores and skin on. Do not use boneless, skinless thighs. Save these for an additional recipe. Leaving the bone in and pores and skin on drastically will increase the juiciness and taste of the rooster.
Olive oil. I used additional virgin. Attempt to use the highest quality olive oil that you would be able to afford.

Lemon being zested. — Should you’re undecided the way to zest a lemon, merely maintain the lemon firmly within the palm of your hand and use a micro plane to grate the zest off of it. Pull the aircraft towards your self in clean strokes. Proceed working across the lemon till you’ve got zested all of it. Watch out to not go too deep into the white half. The white half tastes bitter.

Pan Sauce

Salted butter.
Freshly minced garlic. Keep away from utilizing the ready minced garlic that you simply discover within the grocery retailer. Mince the garlic first, then measure. It ought to be in regards to the dimension of brief grain rice, perhaps a bit smaller.
Hen broth.
Freshly squeezed lemon juice. See observe above relating to the lemon zest.
Salt and pepper to style. Put together a bit additional cracked pepper from the spice rub and throw that in right here.
Contemporary thyme or curly leaf parsley. Non-obligatory garnish. I like to recommend together with the garnish if you happen to’re utilizing thyme. It will offer you one other layer of taste. The parsley I may take or depart. Should you’re serving this dish to firm, then add it. 😀

See recipe card for portions.

Close up of minced garlic on a cutting board. — The freshly minced garlic ought to resemble raw brief grain rice, or be even a bit smaller.

Directions

Spice rub ingredients in a small white bowl. — In a small bowl, mix the lemon zest, cracked pepper, salt, garlic powder, and dried thyme to create the rub

Raw chicken seasoned with spice rub on a white plate. — Pat the thighs dry with a paper towel, rub the ready lemon pepper rub combination all around the thighs, ensuring they’re evenly coated.

Four chicken thighs cooking on a skillet with skin side down. — Warmth the olive oil in a big skillet over medium-high warmth. Add the thighs, pores and skin facet down, and cook dinner for about 6-8 minutes till the pores and skin is golden and crispy. Do not be involved about an excessive amount of char. That provides the thighs extra taste!

Four chicken thighs cooking on a skillet showing the cooked skin nicely charred. — Flip the thighs and cook dinner for a further 6-8 minutes on the opposite facet. Have a look at all of that lovely char! That is the fantastic thing about this fast weeknight meal. We will get a ton of taste from these thighs very quickly on the skillet!

Butter melting in a hot skillet. — Take away the thighs from the skillet and set them apart on a plate. Tent them with foil if desired. In the identical skillet, soften the butter.

Minced garlic in hot butter. — Add the garlic and cook dinner till aromatic, about 1 minute.

Chicken broth being poured into garlic butter mixture in a hot skillet. — Add the rooster broth.

Lemon juice being poured into hot skillet. — And lemon juice.

Four chicken thighs resting in the pan sauce in the hot skillet. — Return the thighs to the skillet, nestling them within the pan sauce. Cook dinner for a further 2-3 minutes or till an on the spot learn thermometer registers 165 F (74 C) to make sure that the rooster is heated by way of and coated with the sauce.
Take away the skillet from the warmth. Sprinkle with recent thyme or curly leaf parsley for garnish, if desired.
Serve the lemon pepper rooster thighs with the pan sauce drizzled excessive together with recent lemon slices.

Gear

Skillet. I used my helpful dandy, use-for-everything, favorite-tool-in-my-kitchen 12 inch nonstick skillet by Le Crueset. Should you’re utilizing forged iron or ceramic, time and/or temperature could have to be adjusted.
Immediate learn thermometer. I extremely suggest that you simply take the time to examine the interior temperature of your rooster thighs for doneness. I’ve had my ups and downs with cooking rooster on the skillet. This little instrument has helped me to really feel assured that I’m serving rooster that’s neither over nor beneath cooked.
Fuel range. I cook dinner on a fuel range and wrote the recipe primarily based on my outcomes. If you’re cooking on an electrical range or sizzling plate, please keep in mind that the time and/or temperature could have to be adjusted.

The entire different devices and tools you have to to make this recipe are listed on the recipe card under.

Sauce being poured over cooked chicken thighs in a skillet.

Storage

Should you’re a household of 4, you’ll not have leftovers. If you’re cooking for one or two, I like to recommend freezing particular person leftovers immediately. Should you’re okay with consuming the identical factor two nights in a row, you possibly can go forward and retailer the leftovers in an hermetic container in your fridge and luxuriate in them the following day!

High Tip

Cowl the rooster thighs with a skillet lid whereas they’re cooking to assist them cook dinner by way of and stop splatters. Examine them periodically to ensure they aren’t getting over cooked.

What’s the finest temperature to cook dinner rooster thighs?

The really helpful inside temperature for cooking rooster thighs is 165°F (74°C). This ensures that the rooster is cooked completely, suitable for eating, and retains its juiciness. Utilizing a meat thermometer to examine the interior temperature is essentially the most correct solution to decide when the rooster thighs are correctly cooked.

Searching for different recipes like these lemon pepper rooster thighs or to go along with them? Strive these:

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