Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Thighs with lemon. Chicken thighs seared crispy, then finished in the oven with lemons, potatoes and olives. The result is chicken thighs and potatoes that are tender and juicy on the inside and bursting with beautiful fresh lemony flavor.
Oven Roasted Chicken Thighs and Potatoes
You all know how much we love juicy braised chicken recipes here on the Ranch. And one of our favorites is this recipe for Yucatan Roasted Chicken Breast. But if given the choice, my preference is to select chicken thighs.
- They’re so forgiving and less likely to dry out.
- It seems you simply can’t over cook them.
- Dark meat is juicier with more flavor.
- And please, bone in, skin on for the most delicious results
And roast chicken thighs with potatoes and you’ve got a meal everyone will love and devour. Every ingredient in this meal comes together so wonderfully, and every ingredient ends up tasting better that if cooked by themselves.
It’s a beautiful combination.
Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Thighs
With a cast iron skillet as your partner, you can’t go wrong. And that skillet didn’t fail me for this easy one pan chicken dinner.
A well seasoned cast iron skillet will easily and quickly place a crispy brown crust on chicken skin. And it’s perfect for oven roasting as its high sides snuggle ingredients and sauces together to simmer flavors into a delicious savory marriage.
I’m a member of the Amazon Affiliate Program. I have included a link to Lodge Cast Iron Skillet (above). If you purchase that skillet, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.
This roasted chicken with lemon and potatoes fell right into this category.
Your cast iron skillet will do most of the work for you, but let’s take a look about how to make sure those chicken thighs have a super crispy skin before adding liquid and moving them to the oven to braise.
Tips for Crispy Chicken Skin
- Pat skin dry with a paper towel.
- Heat your cast iron skillet over medium high heat before adding oil.
- Once you add the oil, let it come to a shimmer before adding the chicken thighs.
- Add chicken thighs, skin side down. Once the skin is golden and will easily pull away from the skillet, start turning the thighs. No need to brown the bottom side of the thighs. The oven will take care of cooking through.
- When adding liquid for roast chicken, add it to the base of the skillet. Avoid drenching that crispy skin.
Recipe for Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Thighs With Lemon and Potatoes
I hope you give this one pan chicken dinner a try. It’s an easy and very satisfying recipe. Elegant enough for entertaining and easy enough for a weeknight meal.
The chicken thighs soaks up and deliver soft lemony goodness. Accompanied with a bite of briny olives, smooth potato cubes that have oven browned, and fresh sprigs of thyme, it’s truly delightful.
And if you do make this, please come back and give the recipe a star rating and leave a comment about your experience. I love hearing from my readers.
Let’s take a look at some of the braised chicken recipes you’ll find on my site:
- Chicken Marengo: Flavored with raisins, carrots, tomatoes, black olives in a sweet tangy basil and rosemary sauce. Exciting.
- Tarragon Chicken: Simply a tarragon tomato sauce. Savory.
- Sticky Lips Chicken: White wine, scallions in a veal demi-glace. Omg.
- And Chicken Galliano: Mushrooms and goat cheese and simmered in an anise flavored liqueur. Divine.
- Rosemary Chicken. No description necessary 🙂
- And if you love chicken dinners, don’t miss my Chicken Category. You’ll find tons of ideas like this Easy Baked Chicken Parmesan. (most popular)
Roasted Chicken Thighs with lemon. Seared crispy, then finished in the oven with potatoes and olives. The result is a crispy skin, tender and juicy on the inside and bursting with beautiful fresh flavor.
- 2 1/4 pounds chicken thighs bone in, skin on
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 12 ounces Small Potatoes Yukon gold, or fingerling
- 5 garlic cloves smashed and peeled
- 1/2 cup green olives
- 1 lemon washed well, cut into wedges
- 6 thyme sprigs
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Season chicken with salt.
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl in oil.
When the oil starts to shimmer,. place chicken thighs, skin side down, in skillet. Cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
Flip chicken. Add 1 1/4 cup stock and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add potatoes nesting them in between the thighs. Bring to a boil. Add garlic, olives, lemon wedges, and thyme to liquid. Return to a boil.
Transfer skillet to oven. Roast until potatoes are tender and chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes.
Return skillet to stove top. Mix cornstarch with remaining 1/4 cup stock, and stir into pan. Bring to a boil to thicken sauce. Serve immediately. A large shallow bowl works well for presentation.
If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, use an oven proof skillet. A Dutch oven will work well here.
Braised Chicken with Lemon and Potatoes and Olives …It’s What’s For Dinner
Rufus' Food and Spirits Guide says
September 3, 2011 at 5:32 pmSo good to see this round up. This dish is just wonderful looking.
Lea Ann says
September 4, 2011 at 6:08 amThanks!
Savory Simple says
September 3, 2011 at 6:01 pmThis looks delicious!
Lea Ann says
September 4, 2011 at 7:44 amIt was indeed a full flavored tasty dish. Thanks for stopping by and the comment.
Russ says
September 3, 2011 at 8:23 pmSounds perfect for the Autumn I hope is almost here.
Lea Ann says
September 4, 2011 at 6:04 amSending it your way Russ. Pretty chili here this a.m.
My German Kitchen...in the Rockies says
September 3, 2011 at 9:13 pmOh, Lea Ann, you made my mouth water while just reading the title. Chicken thighs are my favorite part of the chicken. They are all mine at my house, since everybody else fights for the breast meat. I love the addition of the olives. Great dish!!
Lea Ann says
September 4, 2011 at 7:45 amI agree Kirsten. You won’t find me grabbing for anything except thighs.
Barbara | Creative Culinary says
September 3, 2011 at 9:27 pmWhat have you done with my friend Lea Ann? This is not Mexican at all!
If she’s visiting Greece, that’s good too..love the sound of this dish. I have a recipe for lemon mashed potatoes; they are so good together.
Lea Ann says
September 4, 2011 at 5:49 amToo funny Barb. Actually I was pouring through my Rick Bayless cookbooks just yesterday for some inspiration. 🙂 Love the idea of lemon mashed potatoes.
Larry says
September 4, 2011 at 3:38 amWe’ve had two citrusy chicken dishes this week and this is another I know I’d love – especially with the olives. We enjoyed the chicken galliano some time back – still waiting for you to post some more recipes to help us use up the galliano :-).
Lea Ann says
September 4, 2011 at 5:40 amI drank mine … tee hee. Actually I made the Chicken Galliano about three times.
Sam @ My Carolina Kitchen says
September 4, 2011 at 4:42 amWe love braised chicken dishes too, especially chicken Marengo. Love the lemon in this dish. Braising reminds me of fall, which is just around the corner. Thanks for the round-up – all are winners!
Sam
Lea Ann says
September 4, 2011 at 5:39 amFall feels like “now” here. I think it’s in the 40’s this a.m.
Joanne says
September 4, 2011 at 5:12 amthe salty tangy combination of the lemon and olives sounds like heaven to me! I’d definitely be drinking whatever sauce there was out of the pan.
Lea Ann says
September 4, 2011 at 5:37 amThat sauce is definitely drinkable. 🙂
donna says
September 4, 2011 at 5:21 amThis looks so delicious. My kind of dish! LOVE the flavors here! I am going to pin it.
Lea Ann says
September 4, 2011 at 5:36 amThanks Donna. We liked it a lot.
Karen Harris says
September 4, 2011 at 7:11 amThis looks really delicious Lea Ann. We too love chicken around here. The addition of lemon and olives just sounds great. My friend Karen in the UK turned me on to a Jamie Oliver recipe for Sticky Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes and Potatoes that we are addicted to. I may just have to change things up for my family and give this one try.
Lea Ann says
September 4, 2011 at 7:30 amI have to have that Jamie Oliver recipe. If I can’t find it, I will hunt you down for it. 🙂
tasteofbeirut says
September 4, 2011 at 8:37 amThis reminds me of an Algerian dish I ate once in Paris and loved; it used preserved lemons and green olives. This one is a lot easier to make and I am sure delicious as well!
Lea Ann says
September 4, 2011 at 12:31 pmI have yet to try preserved lemons. Good to hear from you Joumana.
Boulder Locavore says
September 4, 2011 at 9:02 amThis sounds great! I love the combination of the citrus and vinegary olive flavor. Don’t we love and count on Martha?! Hope you are having a great long weekend.
Lea Ann says
September 4, 2011 at 12:30 pmA couple of my favorite recipes have come from Martha.
Chris says
September 4, 2011 at 1:43 pmThe olives make this one for me. Their briny flavor makes my mouth water.
Lea Ann says
September 5, 2011 at 5:55 amI agree Chris. That and the chicken … and the thyme …and there’s that lemon thing.:)
Cathy at Wives with Knives says
September 5, 2011 at 6:19 amLooks delish, Lea Ann. Your chicken galliano recipe is sitting on my kitchen counter waiting for me to shop for the ingredients. I love meals like this because the leftovers are so good too.
Lea Ann says
September 5, 2011 at 12:48 pmAbsolutely Cathy! Love leftovers. I hope you like the C.Galliano as much as we did.
Care's Kitchen says
September 5, 2011 at 7:44 amThis sounds DELICIOUS! All those chicken dishes do! (I love Mr. Cast Iron too!) Love lemons and thyme in anything!
Lea Ann says
September 5, 2011 at 12:53 pmI’m getting ready to make another skillet chicken recipe that was passed along from a friend after she read my post. It actually sounds even better. It’s a Jamie Oliver recipe….so stay tuned. 🙂
Velva says
September 5, 2011 at 8:43 amSo very delicious. Again proof that it does not take a lot of ingredients to make a wonderful dish. The flavors here are wonderful.
Velva
Lea Ann says
September 5, 2011 at 12:51 pmThanks Velva! 🙂
Barbara says
September 5, 2011 at 10:08 amThere are certain things that HAVE to be made in a cast iron skillet. I have several sizes and adore them. Great combo in your chicken dish; I don’t think anything’s better with chicken than lemon.
Lea Ann says
September 5, 2011 at 12:49 pmI only have the one pan Barbara, but next trip to Army Surplus will have me bringing more sizes home.
Stephanie@PlainChicken.com says
September 5, 2011 at 4:16 pmYou know we love chicken and this looks fantastic! We would have to omit the olives, but other than that, this is perfect!
We are roasting a whole chicken tonight – using the brine and rub from The Ritz Carlton cooking school I went to a few weeks ago.
Lea Ann says
September 6, 2011 at 6:30 amI loved those posts from that Ritz Carlton cooking school. All of the food looked fabulous. So sorry you’d have to omit the olives for this recipe… however that lemon chicken and potatoes are delicious.
Michael Beyer says
September 6, 2011 at 9:21 amHi Lea Ann. Looks gorgeous! I love braised chicken too, especially with wine.
Biren @ Roti n Rice says
September 7, 2011 at 1:33 pmThis looks absolutely delicious! I love the combination of lemon and thyme. This would make a very tasty dinner.
Lea Ann says
September 8, 2011 at 6:04 amGood to hear from you Biren. And thanks! 🙂
Karen says
September 9, 2011 at 2:53 pmI was so sad the first time I tried chicken with lemon. Sad because I didn’t realize what I’d been missing for so long! Martha comes up with a good recipe every now and again, doesn’t she? 😉
Lea Ann says
September 10, 2011 at 1:44 pmCouldn’t agree more Karen. I remember the first time I roasted a chicken with lemons inside and zest and oil all over the skin. Fabulous.
Susan says
September 9, 2011 at 4:43 pmWe’re dining out with friends tonight and if this were on the menu, I’d order it! It sounds so delicious – I can’t wait to try it soon.
Lea Ann says
September 10, 2011 at 1:43 pmThanks Susan. I really look forward to making it again…and again. 🙂
High Plains Drifters says
September 14, 2011 at 3:43 pmNot so sure I can promise to only make this in the summer …
Cheers!
Lea Ann says
September 15, 2011 at 5:38 amYou don’t have to promise! But do try it with fresh tomatoes. 🙂
Norma says
November 15, 2011 at 2:52 amYes, this is my kind of dinner. Looks so appetizing.
Lea Ann says
November 15, 2011 at 6:48 amThanks Norma!
Sam @ My Carolina Kitchen says
April 19, 2012 at 7:04 amLea Ann, as you said, this is very similar to the chicken with lemon and olives that I have recently fallen in love with. I’ll have to try your potatoes in it. Funny that I paired mine with potatoes as a side dish. I found my recipe in one of my favorite new cookbooks “The Lazy Gourmet.” I’m going to link to yours so my readers can see another version.
Sam