Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Thighs with lemon, seared crispy, then finished in the oven with 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.
- Avoid using a non-stick pan. Non stick pans are famous for not reaching a heat level to properly brown meats.
- Heat your cast iron skillet or over medium high heat before adding oil.
- Don’t overcrowd the chicken pieces. Allow a little space between each thigh so air can circulate.
- 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 to avvoid drenching and softening 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:
- Arroz Con Pollo: Braised Mexican Chicken with Rice and Ham
- And Chicken Galliano: Mushrooms and goat cheese and simmered in an anise flavored liqueur. Divine.
- Rosemary Chicken. No description necessary 🙂
And if you’re looking for even more chicken recipes, don’t miss my Chicken Category, you’ll find lots of great recipes including the most popular on my site for Quicker Chicken Bolognese.
If you liked this recipe, please leave a star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I always appreciate your feedback and hearing how everything went.
And, don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter for more delicious recipes and cooking tips. Make it a delicious day … every day.
Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Thighs with Lemon, Potatoes and Olives
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ pounds chicken thighs bone in, skin on
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock
- 12 ounces Small Potatoes Yukon gold, or fingerling
- 5 garlic cloves smashed and peeled
- ½ cup green olives
- 1 lemon washed well, cut into wedges
- 6 thyme sprigs
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
- 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 ¼ cup stock and ½ 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 ¼ cup stock, and stir into pan. Bring to a boil to thicken sauce. Serve immediately. A large shallow bowl works well for presentation.
Notes
Tips for Crispy Chicken Skin
- Pat skin dry with a paper towel before adding to the hot oil.
- Avoid using a non-stick pan. Non stick pans are famous for not reaching a heat level to properly brown meats.
- Don’t overcrowd the chicken pieces. Allow some air in between each thigh.
- 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 to avoid drenching that crispy skin.
Nutrition
Braised Chicken with Lemon and Potatoes and Olives …It’s What’s For Dinner
Why Trust These Recipes? Lea Ann Brown has lived, worked and played in Colorado for 45 years. She has immersed herself in the Colorado Culinary space, is a Culinary School Graduate and publishes her Colorado food Blog, Cooking On The Ranch.
This looks absolutely delicious! I love the combination of lemon and thyme. This would make a very tasty dinner.
Good to hear from you Biren. And thanks! 🙂
Hi Lea Ann. Looks gorgeous! I love braised chicken too, especially with wine.
You 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.
I 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.
There 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.
I only have the one pan Barbara, but next trip to Army Surplus will have me bringing more sizes home.
So very delicious. Again proof that it does not take a lot of ingredients to make a wonderful dish. The flavors here are wonderful.
Velva
Thanks Velva! 🙂
This sounds DELICIOUS! All those chicken dishes do! (I love Mr. Cast Iron too!) Love lemons and thyme in anything!
I’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. 🙂
Looks 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.
Absolutely Cathy! Love leftovers. I hope you like the C.Galliano as much as we did.
The olives make this one for me. Their briny flavor makes my mouth water.
I agree Chris. That and the chicken … and the thyme …and there’s that lemon thing.:)
This 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.
A couple of my favorite recipes have come from Martha.
This 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!
I have yet to try preserved lemons. Good to hear from you Joumana.
This 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.
I have to have that Jamie Oliver recipe. If I can’t find it, I will hunt you down for it. 🙂
This looks so delicious. My kind of dish! LOVE the flavors here! I am going to pin it.
Thanks Donna. We liked it a lot.
the 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.
That sauce is definitely drinkable. 🙂
We 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
Fall feels like “now” here. I think it’s in the 40’s this a.m.
We’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 :-).
I drank mine … tee hee. Actually I made the Chicken Galliano about three times.
What 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.
Too funny Barb. Actually I was pouring through my Rick Bayless cookbooks just yesterday for some inspiration. 🙂 Love the idea of lemon mashed potatoes.
Oh, 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!!
I agree Kirsten. You won’t find me grabbing for anything except thighs.
Sounds perfect for the Autumn I hope is almost here.
Sending it your way Russ. Pretty chili here this a.m.
This looks delicious!
It was indeed a full flavored tasty dish. Thanks for stopping by and the comment.
So good to see this round up. This dish is just wonderful looking.
Thanks!