With this lemon chicken thighs recipe, you get perfectly juicy, tender, and flavorful chicken every time.
We’ve been making this easy chicken recipe for years, and it’s always a hit. A simple lemon and mustard rub adds lots of flavor, while the chicken braises in a lemony broth that turns into the most delicious lemon gravy, perfect for spooning over the chicken when serving.
These are simple enough for a weeknight, but impressive enough for the holidays and celebrations.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken Thighs: I use skin on, bone in chicken thighs for this recipe. I love the golden brown crispy skin, but if you only have skinless thighs, it’s okay. I’ve also made this recipe with drumsticks and chicken breast with great results. For another recipe, see these lemon chicken breasts.
- Mustard: The base of our flavorful rub. I use whole-grain mustard, but Dijon works nicely, too.
- Lemon: I use fresh lemon zest and lemon juice in this recipe. I add the zest to my mustard rub and the juice to the skillet for our simple sauce.
- Oregano and thyme: Add classic flavor to our rub. Use fresh or dried (I use dried in the video).
- Garlic: I use garlic to make a garlic-infused oil, which I then use to sear the chicken. It’s so good!
- Chicken broth: Helps make our lemony sauce. You can use store-bought or homemade. Here’s our homemade chicken stock and our recipe for chicken broth.
- Butter and flour: To thicken our simple lemony sauce, I stir in a small amount of butter mixed with flour. The combo thickens the sauce and makes it glossy.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make the Best Lemon Chicken
Tip 1: Start on the stove, finish in the oven. Sear the chicken on the stove first to render some fat and build a golden crust. Then transfer them to the oven and bake until they are juicy and perfectly cooked through. (We use the same method for baked pork chops and chicken breasts, too!)
Tip 2: Use a flavorful rub. Our easy mustard rub, made with mustard, lemon zest, oregano, thyme, salt, and olive oil, adds incredible flavor before the chicken even hits the pan.
Tip 3: Sear skin-side down in garlic oil. For extra flavor, let a couple of garlic cloves sizzle in your oil in the skillet until golden, then remove them. Sear the chicken skin-side down in that garlicky oil until the skin is crisp and browned.
Tip 4: Deglaze for extra flavor. After searing, flip the chicken and pour in fresh lemon juice, chicken stock, and lemon zest. Scrape up any browned bits from the pan before sliding it into the oven to finish cooking (about 30 minutes).
Tip 5: Roast at high heat. Roasting at 400°F cooks the chicken quickly and keeps it tender and juicy. Since the thighs braise in the lemony broth, the steamy environment keeps them juicy in the center.
Tip 6: Finish with lemon gravy. Once baked, move the chicken to a plate and simmer the pan juices. Whisk in a quick butter-and-flour paste to thicken into a silky lemon gravy.
Serving Suggestions
These have an amazing, creamy lemon pan sauce! We love serving them with something that will help soak it up like mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, fluffy homemade biscuits, or pita bread.
I also love adding extra veggies to my plate and especially enjoy a side of quick sautéed cabbage, crispy roasted broccolini, or sautéed green beans.
More Chicken Thigh Recipes
- Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs
- Chicken Marsala
- Baked Chicken Thighs with Potatoes
- Tender Shredded Chicken
- Indian Chicken Curry
Juicy Lemon Chicken Thighs
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
These chicken thighs are juicy, flavorful, and super easy! You will love the spice rub made with lemon, oregano, thyme, garlic, and mustard. We prefer bone-in, skin-on thighs for the best flavor, but chicken breasts or drumsticks work, too. For skinless chicken, add a bit of extra oil.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
1 ½ pounds chicken thighs, skin-on, bone-in, trimmed of excess fat
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1 tablespoon lemon zest, 1 teaspoon for rub and 2 teaspoons for sauce
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon for rub, 1 tablespoon for cooking
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1/4 cup (60ml) lemon juice, from 1 large lemon
1 ¼ cups (300ml) low-sodium chicken stock, see chicken stock recipe
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Directions
- Prepare Chicken
1Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C).
2Make the rub for the chicken thighs. Combine mustard, one teaspoon of lemon zest, oregano, thyme, salt, and one tablespoon of olive oil in a small bowl. Use your fingers or a brush to coat the chicken with the mustard rub on both sides.
3In another bowl or measuring jug, combine the remaining lemon zest (2 teaspoons), lemon juice, and the chicken stock. Set aside.
- Cook Chicken
1Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large oven-safe skillet or frying pan over medium heat.
2Add the smashed garlic, then cook for one minute or until you can smell toasted garlic and the garlic has browned around the edges. Remove and discard the garlic, but leave the garlic oil.
3Place the chicken thighs, skin-side down, into the hot garlic-infused oil and cook for two to three minutes or until the skin has turned golden brown.
4Flip the chicken, then add the lemon juice mixture from before. Stir, then slide the pan into the oven and bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken reads 175°F.
- To Finish
1Remove the pan from the oven, transfer the chicken thighs to a plate, and loosely cover it with aluminum foil.
2There should still be liquid in the pan. Place the pan over medium heat and bring the liquid to a gentle simmer.
3Use your fingers to mix butter and flour in a small bowl, making a dry, crumbly paste.
4Whisk the flour and butter into the lemony sauce. The sauce will thicken slightly and look glossy. Nestle the chicken thighs back into the pan, then serve.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Leftover chicken thighs last, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen chicken thighs overnight in the fridge.
- Reheating: To reheat, place on a rimmed baking sheet or in an oven-safe skillet and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Should you cover chicken thighs when baking? We like crispy skin, so we rarely cover our chicken thighs. This lets them get golden brown and delicious!
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We omitted salt from the calculations since you will need to add to your tastes.
a nice one