Lemon chicken
A one-pan dish whose whole result rests on eight minutes of not touching the chicken. The skin sticks to the pan and then releases by itself when it is ready — every early attempt to lift it tears it. Lemon appears here in three forms: slices, juice and zest, each at a different moment.
Your own work in that: 0 min.
- Salting 20 min
- Crisping the skin 12 min
- Lemon and garlic 7 min
- Braising 25 min
- Finishing the sauce 5 min
Step by step
0 / 6 doneDry and salt ahead
Pat the thighs very dry with kitchen paper and rub with salt, pepper and oregano. Leave for 20 minutes at room temperature. Dry skin is the key condition for crisp skin.
Ingredients: 900 g chicken thighs · 2 tsp salt · 1 tsp pepper · 2 tsp oregano · 1 tbsp olive oil
TipIf you have time, salt the thighs an hour ahead and leave them uncovered in the fridge. The skin dries even further.
Cook skin down and leave it alone
Heat the oil in a wide pan (28–30 cm) and lay the thighs skin side down. Cook 8 minutes without moving them over medium heat. The skin sticks first and then releases by itself — that is the sign it is ready. Turn and cook another 4 minutes.
Ingredients: 900 g chicken thighs · 2 tsp salt · 1 tsp pepper · 2 tsp oregano · 1 tbsp olive oil
TipIf a thigh resists when you try to turn it, it is too early. Give it two more minutes.
Eight minutes untouched — the skin tells you when it is ready.Caramelise the lemon slices
Lift out the chicken. In the same fat cook the slices of one lemon and the whole garlic cloves for 4 minutes until the lemon browns at the edges. Browning softens the bitterness of the peel and brings out its aroma.
Ingredients: 2 pcs lemons · 8 cloves garlic · 200 ml white wine · 200 ml chicken stock · 100 g green olives · 2 tbsp capers · 2 tsp thyme
Browned edges on the slices — bitterness softened, aroma left.Deglaze and braise
Pour in the wine, scrape the base and boil 3 minutes. Add the stock, olives, capers and thyme, return the thighs skin side up and braise uncovered for 25 minutes, until the meat by the bone is no longer pink. The skin must stay above the liquid so it does not soften.
Ingredients: 2 pcs lemons · 8 cloves garlic · 200 ml white wine · 200 ml chicken stock · 100 g green olives · 2 tbsp capers · 2 tsp thyme
TipLeave it uncovered. A lid condenses steam onto the skin and undoes all the work from the first step.
Finish the sauce with cold butter
Lift the chicken onto a plate. If the sauce is thin, boil it hard for about 4 minutes until it thickens slightly. Then take the pan off the heat and swirl in the cold butter piece by piece. The sauce turns smooth and glossy. In a bubbling sauce the butter would split into fat and water.
Ingredients: 40 g butter · ½ bunch parsley
Cold butter off the heat — the sauce thickens and gains shine.Season with juice and serve
Zest the second lemon (scrubbed in hot water), then squeeze its juice into the sauce a little at a time, tasting as you go. This fresh acidity at the end tastes different from the browned slices — you need both. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and scatter parsley.
Ingredients: 40 g butter · ½ bunch parsley
Before you start
What to serve with it
The sauce is sharp and salty, so it needs a neutral side: boiled potatoes, couscous or bread for dipping.
Oven version
If the pan has a metal handle, after deglazing and returning the thighs, slide it into an oven heated to 200°C for 25 minutes. The skin comes out even crisper than on the hob.
Capers and olives
Rinse the capers if they are salt-packed. Choose firm green olives — black ones are softer and darken the sauce.
