Cast-Iron Chicken Thighs show you how to do skin-on chicken right: make it as crispy as all get-out! The succulent, juicy thighs are cooked almost entirely skin-side down and are actually weighed down to make sure every inch of the flavorful skin is crisped to a crunchy golden-brown. Making the most of Cast-Iron Chicken Thighs is the bright, tangy, and mildly spicy pan sauce, which adds a little sunny feeling to each forkful of chicken goodness! All that amazing taste is something to celebrate, and trust us, your tastebuds certainly will!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- kosher salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 8 small chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on
- 8 cloves garlic, smashed, skins removed
Directions
Step 1 –Whisk together the stock, the lemon juice, the mustard, the rosemary, the red pepper flakes, the salt, and the pepper in a bowl.
Step 2 –Heat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat until hot, about 1-2 minutes.
Step 3 –Season the chicken with the salt and the pepper.
Step 4 –Place the chicken in the skillet, skin-side down. Then, place a second skillet on top of the chicken, adding soup cans on top of the second skillet to weigh it down.
Step 5 –Cook until the skins are golden-brown and crisp, about 7-9 minutes.
Step 6 –Remove the soup cans and the top skillet and flip the chicken.
Step 7 –Reduce the heat to medium-low.
Step 8 –Add the garlic to the skillet and cook until the chicken is cooked through at 165 degrees F, about 2-3 minutes.
Step 9 –Transfer the chicken to a platter, reserving the skillet and its drippings.
Step 10 –Add the stock mixture to the reserved skillet and cook, scraping up any browned bits at the bottom, until it is slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes.
Step 11 –Spoon the sauce over the chicken.
Step 12 –Serve.
