One can never have too many recipes that are quick and easy to get on the table, in my humble opinion, and the recipe I’ll be sharing with you today definitely qualifies. Juicy chicken thighs infused with buttery, garlicky flavor—what more could you want in a meal that’s as delicious as it is easy to prepare?
It’s a great weeknight meal, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t make a great Sunday dinner too. Pair it with your favorite side dish for a meal everyone is sure to love — I’ve included a few ideas at the bottom of the post.
This recipe is best made in a cast iron pan or skillet to achieve perfectly browned, crispy chicken skin. I love cooking with cast iron and I’ve written several posts about it, including 11 benefits of cooking in cast iron, how to clean and care for it, and how to season (or re-season) cast iron pans.
Give this recipe a try — I’m sure you’ll love it as much as I do!
Garlic Butter Chicken Thighs
Adapted from Primavera Kitchen
Ingredients:
- 5 chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on
- Salt and pepper
- Cooking oil
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 Tbsp red or white wine vinegar
- 1 bunch fresh Italian parsley, chopped
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400°F, then pat the chicken thighs with a paper towel to absorb any excess moisture from the surface. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper, then put a couple of tablespoons of cooking oil into a cast iron skillet and place it on your stove over medium-high heat.
For perfectly crispy chicken thighs, place the chicken into the hot pan in a single layer with the skin facing down, and cook until skin is golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes. (Don’t move them around or panic if they stick to the pan — when the skin crisps up and they’re ready to flip, they’ll stop sticking.)
When the skin side is crispy and the other side is nicely seared, transfer the cast iron skillet to your oven and bake until the chicken is cooked through (165°F), about 15 to 20 minutes. If the chicken starts getting a bit dark before it’s done cooking, cover the skillet with aluminum foil to stop the browning.
Related: This Guide Makes It Easy To Cook Meat With Confidence
When the chicken is done, remove the skillet from the oven and put the chicken thighs on a plate to rest. Return the skillet to your stove over medium heat., then add the butter and garlic to the remaining oil and juices in the pan.
When the garlic is golden and fragrant (about 1 minute), remove the skillet from heat and add the vinegar and chopped parsley. Stir well, scraping up cooked bits from the bottom of the pan, then spoon the garlic butter over the chicken. Serve with a salad or your favorite side (see below).
Serve It With Sides!
More Ideas You'll Love
In case you could use some inspiration, here are a few of my favorite sides to serve alongside these Garlic Butter Chicken Thighs:
What’s your favorite chicken recipe?
Garlic Butter Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 5 chicken thighs bone-in, skin on
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2-3 tbsp cooking oil
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 1 bunch Italian parsley chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F, and pat the chicken thighs with a paper towel to absorb excess moisture.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides, then heat a couple tablespoons of cooking oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- Cook the chicken in a single layer with the skin facing down until the skin is golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the skillet to your oven and bake until the chicken is done (165°F), about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the oven and put the chicken on a plate to rest.
- Return the skillet to the stove over medium heat and add the butter and garlic.
- Cook until the garlic is golden and fragrant (about 1 minute), then remove from heat, add the vinegar and chopped parsley, and stir well.
- Spoon the garlic butter over the chicken and serve with a salad or your favorite sides.
I love my cast iron pans!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This recipe looks so good- and easy! Thank you!
This sounds so good. My mother-in-law used to make steak like this in an iron skillet and then into the oven. Then she made gravy to put on top. Yum.
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