If you’ve been searching for a simple Crispy Chicken Thigh recipe that isn’t deep fried, this is it!
But first I’m going to tell you what I really think of chicken … are you ready for this? I don’t care for it. Especially the white breast meat. So BLAND and BORING. It’s kind of a crazy because I used to live on chicken breast back when I was ‘body building’. I would bake a couple sheet pans full of chicken breasts, wrap each individually and freeze them so I could pull out a couple a day (one for lunch, one for dinner). Blech.
Fast forward to today and I rarely touch chicken meat, unless I need to cook it for a client. I needed to create a recipe that I felt was edible for those times. Enter 2 very important variables:
–>the cast-iron skillet
–>skin on chicken thighs
Cooking the thighs skin side down allows the fat to render out, creating a crispy skin layer. It’s pretty hands off and just requires a bit of seasoning.
It’s downright delicious enough that even I eat it once in a while!
Crispy Skillet Chicken
6 chicken thighs (6 fits perfectly in a typical 12″ cast-iron skillet- adjust for your pan size)
1 tbls oil or ghee
1-2 tsp Himalayan Pink Salt (or sea salt)
1 tsp black pepper
Optional: 4-6 fresh thyme sprigs & lemon slices
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper.
Heat cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Once it’s hot, add the oil and place the chicken thighs skin side down into the skillet. Let the chicken cook for 15 minutes. Turn the heat down slightly if you feel the pan is getting too hot.
Place the skillet in the oven for 10 minutes. Carefully flip the chicken over and toss the fresh thyme sprigs and lemon slices into the pan, if using. Let the chicken finish cooking- roughly 3-6 minutes. The internal temperature should be 165 degrees and the juices should run clear.
Remove skillet from oven and let the thighs rest for 5 minutes before cutting into or serving them