One-Pan Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs

Starting the chicken skin-side down in a cold pan sounds wrong, but it's the reason this works. The fat renders slowly, the skin turns into a crisp golden sheet and you end up with a tablespoon or two of chicken fat to roast the potatoes in.

Bone-in, skin-on thighs are forgiving. They stay juicy even if dinner runs ten minutes late, which on a weeknight it usually does.

Ingredients

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• 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 ½ lb)
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 ½ lb baby potatoes, halved
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
• 1 lemon, sliced into thin rounds
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• ½ cup low-sodium chicken stock
• 8 oz green beans, trimmed

Method

1. Heat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the middle. Pat the chicken very dry with paper towels and season all over with the salt, pepper and paprika. If you have time, do this up to a day ahead and leave the thighs uncovered in the fridge.
2. Place the thighs skin-side down in a cold 12-inch cast-iron or oven-safe skillet. Set over medium heat and cook without moving until the skin is deep golden and releases easily, 12 to 14 minutes.
3. Flip the chicken and move it to a plate. Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of fat.
4. Add the potatoes cut-side down with the olive oil and a pinch of salt. Cook until they start to brown, about 5 minutes.
5. Scatter the garlic, lemon slices and rosemary over the potatoes and pour in the stock. Nestle the chicken back in, skin-side up, keeping the skin above the liquid.
6. Roast for 25 minutes. Pull the pan out, tuck the green beans in around the chicken and roast 10 to 12 minutes more, until the beans are tender and the thighs read at least 165°F (we like 175–185°F for thighs) on an instant-read thermometer.
7. Rest 5 minutes. Squeeze a few of the roasted lemon slices over everything before serving.

Kitchen notes