I’m tired. Truly, at the end of the day, I want something hearty and easy, something that makes me appear to be…not so tired…to my family and friends.
With this recipe, we are using our tried-and-true herb garlic compound butter (the same as the sheet pan salmon) on my favorite piece of meat on the planet – chicken thighs. Yes, they take longer to cook than chicken breasts, but they’re also juicier and absorb way more of the flavor of anything they’re bathed in.
The dish itself takes about 10 minutes to prep if you have a mandolin slicer for your thinly (but not paper thin) sliced red potatoes and exactly one hour of bake time to get to the perfect internal chicken temp of 165 degrees. If you like a crispier skin, you can even broil it for a couple minutes after. Just DON’T WALK AWAY LIKE I ALWAYS DO.
You don’t need to baby this dish or check on it; maybe just tilt your cast iron (use an oven mitt for that hot handle!) once or twice during the baking process to spoon some of that juicy goodness on top of both the potatoes and chicken.
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter, softened (not melted!)
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 lemon
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (1 ½ to 1 3/4 pounds)
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Olive oil (optional, depending on how saucey you want your taters)
- 1 1/2 pounds smallish (but not tiny/baby) red potatoes
Directions
1
Preheat your oven to 375°F.
Make your trusty herby garlic compound butter: In a bowl, combine the butter, garlic, parsley, and salt. Finely zest the lemon into the butter and stir to combine. Slice the zested lemon into 1/4-inch thick rounds, remove as many seeds as you can, and set the slices aside.
2
Pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel, generously season both sides with salt and pepper, and set aside.
3
Wash, dry and slice your potatoes. How thin? Not too thin! This thin:
4
Take a generous lump (about 2 tablespoons) of the compound butter and spread a thin layer along the bottom of a 10- or 12-inch heavy skillet.
5
Slice the potatoes into 1/4-inch-thick rounds and arrange them in an overlapping circular pattern. I enjoy the swirly layers technique (technical term)
Sprinkle them with salt and pepper and if you wish, a drizzle of olive oil (I like fatty potatoes).
6
Arrange the chicken on top the potatoes, spread the rest of the compound butter on top of the chicken. Arrange a slice of lemon on each thigh.
7
Pop into the oven for one hour, until the skin is golden, the lemons are slightly dark around the edges and the exposed potatoes are browned and crisp, 1 hour (if you have a meat thermometer and are a worry wart like me, you can check that the chicken has cooked to an internal temp of 165°F). Peek into the oven once or twice throughout baking, tilting the pan and spooning the buttery juices onto both the potatoes and chicken. Serve the chicken over the potatoes and spoon some of the buttery pan liquid over the top!
Luna and I trying to find find the perfect light…
8
Maybe one day I’ll get some studio lighting. One day…
9
Admire. Enjoy!!
What if I don’t have a cast iron skillet? 😬
Go get yourself one!
What temperature should the overnight be on?
I meant oven
The recipe says to preheat to 375 F.
Hello from Singapore! I made this immediately upon seeing your recipe and I have to say it is SOOOOO GOOD! Super easy but not compromising on taste, LOVE IT! Thank you for starting Cravings! I foresee that it’s gonna be my daily saviour. 😂
If I don’t have a cast iron skillet, can I just use a baking dish instead? I have all the ingredients to make this tonight!
yes you definitely can!
I have been waiting for this recipe since I saw you post the pics on Twitter!! I made a few attempts at my own version and it was amazeballs but can’t wait to try yours.
Can you clarify “stick of butter”? In Canada they are not sold as sticks so how many grams or cups would a stick be?
I don’t know that it’s universal or anything but the ones I buy here in Oregon are about 1/2 cup sticks.
1/2 cup or 8 tablespoons = a stick
about 8 oz or 1/2 cup
Can we get a Print Button?? Lame mom who likes paper in the kitchen HA!
This has also been added to my weekly meal plan! My entire meal plan is going to be Cravings meals….hahaha
This was seriously good! I already want to make it again.
one of the first things we made for the site! never too much butter!
Could I do this same recipe with chicken legs instead of thighs?
Delicious! Perfect for a weeknight dinner. My husband gave a high five when he ate it 😀 the lemon zest is key! And make sure you spoon the sauce over the chicken while it’s cooking- perfect crispy skin!
yesssss!
I’m so excited to try this! Quick question, do you use salted or unsalted butter?
unsalted
i made this with a ceramic pan because i didnt have a cast iron and also with chicken breast because i didnt have chicken thighs (this was a last minute decision)… and it turned out really good!!!!
Hi! Looking to adjust my baking time because I’m using breasts tonight as well. Any tips?
Made this tonight for dinner – my husband loved it! Paired it with the thyme roasted carrots, yum!
I love this recipe because it’s a great reminder that throwing in a whole stick of butter is incredibly simple and makes a dish very delicious.
Made this last night, So Easy and delicious. Was wary of the lemon; Will never second guess Chrissy again. Will be a staple in our home.
I love how you put the pics in of the steps with this recipe. It really helps people like me who are learning ❤️
I’ve been wanting to make this for awhile and tonight I finally got the chance. It did not disappoint!!! DELICIOUS!!!
I only have boneless chicken thighs. Should I decrease the cooking time?
Same! Might be tricky because the thighs will likely be done before the potatoes. I’ll probably give the potatoes a head start in the oven before I plop the chicken/butter on top. Although the potatoes are pretty thin – may not make that much difference. Did you already try? I’ll be making this tonight!
How long did you cook it for? I’m making it tonight with boneless thighs. Thanks!
I absolutely LOVE this recipe. I love the use of chicken thighs, but my boyfriend isn’t a fan. Any tips for using chicken breasts for this recipe?
OMG!!!! My hubby and I loved this meal!!! I didn’t have a cast iron skillet so I made do with a regular Pyrex dish!!! My next purchase at Target is definitely going to be the Cravings cast iron skillet! Just have to wait for pay day!!!! Thank u for this recipe! Love love love the lemon with butter🥰🥰🥰🥰
It was good. Very easy to put together. I added cayenne pepper to the butter mixture. I always need an extra kick.