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Baked Crispy Chicken Thighs

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Baked Crispy Chicken Thighs 1

You know those weekdays when it just seems daunting to THINK about cooking a meal much less actually doing it? Yep, I thought so…..

We cook a whole chicken almost weekly but it takes a while and some nights we aren’t home until later but I still find myself craving that roasted chicken….it’s such a great comfort food.

My solution on those late weeknights and cravings….baked crispy chicken thighs! They are my favorite part of the chicken because of the flavor and ANY time of year they sound delicious. They cook relatively quickly and if I just have time for a salad to accompany, that works out but if I can, I like to roast some baby potatoes along side……the cool thing about chicken is you can pair almost anything for a side that sounds yummy to you so, go big!

This baked crispy chicken thigh dish is adapted from my whole roasted chicken recipe but you can change up the herbs and use thyme, rosemary, or tarragon, they are ALL good.

I hope this recipe works for you on those weekdays when you feel daunted or even when you don’t, I promise, it’s delish!

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Baked Crispy Chicken Thighs
 
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This is a PERFECT quick, easy, and delicious weeknight dinner! Serve with potatoes and a salad!
Author:
Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: American
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • Fresh parsley
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 lemon, cut into 8 rounds
Instructions
  1. Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 400°F
  2. Season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper. Tuck a few leaves of parsley and a sliver of butter under the chicken skin.
  3. Heat the tablespoon of butter in a large ovenproof skillet or fry pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, skin side down, and cook until the fat has rendered and the skin is crisp and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer, skin side up, to a plate.
  4. Pour off the excess fat from the pan. Return the chicken, skin side up, to the pan and scatter the lemon slices on top. Transfer to the oven and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh, away from the bone, registers 170°F (77°C), 25-30 minutes.
  5. Scatter an additional 2-3 tablespoons of fresh herbs on top. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

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Filet Mignon with Bagna Cauda Butter, Sauteed Marsala Mushrooms and Sliced Baked Potatoes

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What makes the perfect steak? Is it the accompaniments or the preparation? Is it both? Is it using a classic preparation or an innovative one?

So much to ponder…..the perfect steak. I have completely shied away from this simple yet not easy skill. For me it’s a classic preparation with innovative accompaniments. I would call this is the perfect steak or shall I say the perfect steak meal.

So why the resistance? Ummmmmm well, I am not a “grill-girl” nor do I have the perfect gas stove and oven to create the optimal cooking environment. But that is true of any of the dishes I create in my kitchen and I don’t resist them so why the “all American signature dish?”

It came clear, I was intimidated because I didn’t trust my ability to “hone in” and make it all come together, to put aside the chatter and just take the information I researched and go down into my inner chef and let her rock and roll!

It was my husband’s birthday weekend and I couldn’t think of a more perfect time. It’s in January, right after the holidays, cold and dark outside but a perfect evening for a steak palapolozza even though it is just the 2 of us….perfect time for a coming out party!

This year his birthday was on a Saturday so I had plenty of time to shop and prepare. First, I went to the butcher for the perfect cut of filet minion, 2 – 8 ounces of sheer bliss…..From there, off to my local sources for the accompaniments of potatoes, green beans, and wild mushrooms. Oh, I can’t forget the wine, my God no its my right hand to get me through this…….so down to the local wine shop for a great 2007 brunello. Now I am ready to begin the maiden voyage….let’s first start with a glass of the fabulous wine….

Since I make my own compound butters I decided to jazz up the potatoes and filets. Roasted garlic butter sounded divine for the sliced baked potatoes then top them off with fresh herbs and raclette cheese. For the filets, bagna cauda butter sounded exquisite, a wonderful combination of garlic, anchovy, and butter….the PERFECT basting sauce.

The mushrooms were calling for caramelized shallots with marsala wine and the green beans wanted to float in a garlic oil bath. I felt like a musical was happening in our house as everything was singing so incredibly together, I’m sure the wine was helping me to hear….

I set the cast iron skillet on top of the stove and preheated the oil. It was go time, everything else was prepared and done and it was the moment to cook the steaks…..I tapped my inner chef and we began…..I seasoned the filets with salt and pepper and set them down into the pan, SIZZLE….it was music to my ears……I then put in some bagna cauda butter to melt and fresh rosemary. I spooned some over the top while the filets seared and then flipped them over. So far so good (whew) and now to finish in the oven, the magical moment where it all comes together (or not) and then off to rest for 15.

I served up a beautiful presentation, the filets in the middle of a big white plate topped high with sautéed mushrooms and a terra-cotta bowl nestled alongside for the potato. Time for another glass of wine as it was the hour of truth…..

I took a bite and so did he, we looked at each other and said just one word……PERFECT……

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Filet Mignon with Bagna Cauda Butter, Sauteed Marsala Mushrooms and Sliced Baked Potatoes
 
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What makes the perfect steak? Is it using a classic preparation or an innovative one? For me it’s a classic preparation with innovative accompaniments.
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: American
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 2 - 8 ounce center-cut tenderloin steaks, at least 2-3 inches thick
  • 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
  • 8 ounces of shitake mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 shallot, thinly sliced
  • ⅛ - ¼ cup marsala wine
  • 2 medium russet potatoes
  • 3 ounces of shredded raclette cheese, or any sharp cheese
  • bunch of parsley chopped
  • 2 heads of garlic, roasted and chopped
  • 2 sticks of butter
  • 1 small jar of anchovies, finely chopped
  • 8 cloves of garlic, minced
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Roasted Garlic:
  2. Take 2 heads of garlic and put in foil. Top with oil, salt, pepper, a few small chunks of butter. Roast at 350 for about 45 minutes or until golden. Take out of oven and remove cloves, chop.
  3. For the roasted garlic butter:
  4. Bring 1 stick of butter to room temperature, soft enough to stir with a wooden spoon.
  5. Stir in the roasted garlic, blend well.
  6. For the bagna cauda butter:
  7. Bring 1 stick of butter to room temperature, soft enough to stir with a wooden spoon.
  8. Stir in garlic and anchovies, blend well
  9. For mushrooms:
  10. In a medium saucepan on stovetop, put in 2 T olive oil and add shallots. Stir and cook until slightly caramelize. Add marsala wine and cook for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and a little more olive oil or butter and cook until mushrooms are soft. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm.
  11. For potatoes:
  12. Preheat oven to 400
  13. Peel potatoes and rinse. Cut into thin slices but NOT all the way through and slightly spread part.
  14. Put potatoes in a baking dish
  15. Melt some of the roasted garlic butter, about 3 T, and spoon over top of potato along with salt, pepper, and herbs, getting some between each slice.
  16. Bake for 45 minutes or until done. Once or twice during cooking, spoon melted butter from the bottom of the pan over potatoes. Top with cheese and bake an additional 10 minutes.
  17. For filet minions:
  18. minutes before cooking, pull filets out and bring to room temperature. Season with salt and pepper.
  19. In a medium cast-iron skillet over medium high heat, heat 3T of olive oil until hot. Add steaks and some bagna cauda butter and 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary. Spoon some butter over top and cook for 3 minutes. Flip over, put in another area of pan for equal heat, and cook another 3 minutes and spoon over butter. Immediately place in 400 degree oven for 8 minutes. Every 3 minutes baste with butter. Remove and let rest for 15 minutes.
  20. Notes:
  21. Remaining compound butters can be stored either in a container in fridge or placed on a sheet of saran wrap and formed into a log and stored in fridge.
  22. If you want filets to be done same time as potatoes, time accordingly as they cook at same temperatures and be sure to include 15 minutes of resting time for filets.

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Oven Roasted Lemon Potatoes

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Anytime I have something at a restaurant, someone’s home, a food truck, a festival, or wherever, I spend a RIDICULOUS amount of time working at recreating the dish…. how can I wait until the NEXT time?? Seriously? Anyone relate to this? I almost have to take a 2-week vacation JUST to perfect my newest obsession….. I mean who needs to work anyway? It’s completely overrated compared to satisfying my inner addict.

So these little gems came my way via our monthly getaways to Los Angeles back in early 2000. We used to fly out once a month for my schooling but really I think it was just an excuse to eat chicken wings in our hotel room while watching Jerry Springer, dancing till all hours of the night, shopping until we drop, giggling endlessly over great sushi, and launching out at crazy hours to find the latest “hot spots” to savor the dishes and hopefully catch a glimpse or two of a star.

Whatever it was, it didn’t matter because we had the ride of a lifetime doing adventure. We still miss it and this dish takes me back to one of the many late night launches ……

I can’t remember the name of the mom and pop Greek place where we discovered these but I do remember the food and the couple. They were great. First generation immigrants from Santorini and they shared their stories with us all the while they just brought dish after dish of their families best kept secrets.

So you ask, why lemon potatoes? Why not baklava or lamb solvalki? Or the perfect gyro? Really, lemon potatoes? It’s NOT rocket science girlfriend.

Okay, I get it BUT, mastery came into need when perfecting the marinade and the cooking, they needed to have the flavor and be able to “crisp up” just like they were cooked with more oil. I KNEW that if I ate these babies as much as I was planning, I needed to find a bit healthier balance instead of ringing myself of oil each time I finished. Don’t get me wrong, they are awesome but finding a better balance helped me be able to justify the deliciousness and still fit into my newest threads that were purchased on the same trip.

So enjoy the “skinny” lemon potatoes! Have a good time changing up the herbs to fit your style and go ahead and indulge, I promise your fashion self will thank you!

Just don’t confess to the mom and pop I got inspiration from, I’m sure I have committed a Greek sin having altered the recipe. 🙂

Oven Roasted Lemon Potatoes
 
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I have made them with various herbs, parsley, oregano, cilantro, rosemary, tarragon, and the list goes on. It could be fun to try some spices as well, cumin, smokey paprika…Just be sure to watch the potatoes as they cook so that the liquid doesn't "dry" out at the bottom, add little bit more chicken broth as needed but watch they don't get "soggy" or "too wet".
Author:
Recipe type: Side Dish
Cuisine: Greek
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 3 lbs yukon gold potatoes or 3 lbs other waxy potatoes, peeled
  • ½ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • ⅛ cup olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ cup fresh oregano or any herb/spice of choice
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • 2 cups chicken stock plus more if needed
Instructions
  1. Peel potatoes and cut them in half (from medium size potatoes, quarter if large).
  2. Let them stand in water while preparing sauce.
  3. Combine all other ingredients in a gallon size"zipper" bag, and shake to combine.
  4. Dry off the potatoes, and put all of them in the bag and let marinate for 2 hours.
  5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  6. Put the potatoes and marinade in a large casserole, approximately 13 x 9.
  7. Roast for 1hr 10min, turning occasionally.