Cast Iron Chicken Thighs

Hey, here’s a great dinner idea for you. My easy Cast Iron Chicken Thighs. They only require a few minutes of hands on cooking time, a few simple ingredients, and a well seasoned cast iron skillet. But every time they turn our great. And the side dish options are nearly endless.

The next time you’re wondering what to cook for dinner, this is it!

Skillet chicken meals are always a hit around here. My personal favorite might be Smothered Chicken (since I’m from the South), but I have plenty of other great ones like Creamy Chicken Skillet, Spanish Chicken and my Mediterranean Chicken Skillet.

Today’s recipe doesn’t have any specific regional theme. It’s just something I threw together some time back with some basic seasonings, a few herbs and a little lemon. But we all liked it so much that it became one of those recipes that we go back to again and again.

Ingredients

• Chicken thighs – I normally use bone-in skin-on thighs. Sometimes for a quicker meal I will use boneless, as they don’t take as much time to cook.
• Seasonings – Garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper. I make a rub out of these for the chicken before cooking it.
• Olive oil – Or any other neutral oil for searing the chicken.
• Butter – I prefer salted.
• Garlic – When do we not use garlic on GypsyPlate?
• Fresh herbs – Rosemary and thyme. You can substitute dried if you don’t have fresh, just use ⅓ as much.
• Chicken broth – I use Better than Bouillon.
• Lemon – It’s not entirely necessary, but I like the addition.

Cast Iron Chicken Recipe

First thing first, I preheat my oven to 400°F.

In a small bowl, I combine garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Then, I evenly rub this mixture all over the chicken thighs. Though it’s not entirely necessary, I do like to do this about 30 minutes prior to cooking and leave the chicken out so it comes to room temperature for more ven cooking.

When ready to cook, I heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, I sear the chicken thighs for 3 minutes per side, then remove them to a plate. There is a bit of excess oil in the skillet from the chicken skin, so I remove it.

Next, I add the butter, and once it has melted add garlic, rosemary and thyme, then sauté for 1 minute.

Then I add in chicken broth and stir to deglaze the pan. Remember, those brown bits on the bottom of the pan have a lot of flavor, so be sure to mix them into the broth.

I bring the broth to a simmer, then nestle the chicken thighs (skin side up) and lemon slices into it. I cover the pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 180°F when measured with an instant read thermometer. Technically, chicken is safe to eat at 165°F (according to the FDA), but I like my thighs better at 180+, because they are more fall-off-the-bone tender.

At the end, I remove the cover and broil the chicken for a few minutes (keeping a close eye on it to prevent burning) until the skin browns up.

Serving Suggestions

Like I said before, these chicken thighs can go with just about anything. Here are a few suggestions:

Starches: Mashed Potatoes, Mediterranean Rice, Lemon Rice, egg noodles, or even Grits.

Vegetables: Really, any of your favorite green vegetables will go here. Since you already have the oven fired up, how about roasted Asparagus or Broccoli?

Salads: Salad is another great choice. Some top picks are Tabbouleh, Wedge Salad and, of course, classic Caesar.

So there you have it, your new perfect weeknight dinner. I cook these skillet chicken thighs all the time, and I think once you try them you will too.

If you try this recipe, please leave a star rating and comment, we love to hear from you. And be sure to stay in the loop by subscribing to our newsletter or following us on Pinterest.

More great chicken recipes:
Chicken Marbella
Qdoba Chicken
Chicken Bog
Chicken Vesuvio
Chicken Chasseur
Coca-Cola Chicken
Doro Wat

Cast Iron Chicken Thighs

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

My easy Cast Iron Chicken is the perfect weeknight meal, with minimal hands-on time and a huge variety of serving options.

Print

Ingredients

• 6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 3 large garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• 8-9 sprigs fresh thyme
• ½ cup chicken broth
• 1 lemon, sliced

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. In a small bowl, combine garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Evenly rub this mixture all over the chicken thighs.
3. Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, sear the chicken thighs for 3 minutes per side, then remove to a plate. Remove oil from the skillet.
4. Add the butter, and once it has melted add garlic, rosemary and thyme. Sauté for 1 minute.
5. Add in chicken broth and stir to deglaze the pan. Bring the broth to a simmer.
6. Nestle the chicken thighs (skin side up) and lemon slices into the broth. Cover the pan and cook for 45 minutes, or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 180°F when measured with an instant read thermometer.
7. At the end, remove the cover and broil the chicken for a few minutes (keeping a close eye on it to prevent burning) until the skin browns up.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.