Mediterranean Roast Chicken Thighs

By Lori Powell
For One or Two Bites, a blog for singles and couples

Who doesn’t love a good roast chicken? The crispy skin…the delicious pan juices…what’s not to like?

During the week, cooking up a whole bird, although not hard to do, might just take a little too long. So I go with my favorite part, the thighs. I love thighs because of the juicy dark meat and ample skin that tops the bone-in version. Plus, it only takes about a fourth of the time to roast thighs, as compared to a whole bird.

Another win is that you can buy just the amount you need. (But who would roast just enough for one, when cooking for one takes just as much time as for three!) Leftovers will yield some killer roast chicken sandwiches or can be used to top a salad for lunch. Or, use it for a quick chicken noodle soup or pasta dish the second night for dinner.

The key to good roast chicken is to ensure crispy skin and juicy, tender meat. The thigh part of the chicken is dark meat so it contains a bit more fat. This translates to juiciness and then flavor, especially with the bone-in kind.

I like to season the thighs well, brown them skin-side down in a skillet with some olive oil, then flip over and finish in the oven. The same method works for chicken breast if you are a white meat fan.

Here, the simple addition of some fresh rosemary, lemon and olives takes this dish to the Mediterranean. If your store sells olive tapenade (basically chopped olives with some garlic, olive oil and other seasonings), you could spread some between the skin and the meat which, will prevent the olives from burning and will season the meat.

In the recipe below, the lemon slices sit under the meaty side of the chicken to flavor it, and the chicken gets added flavor from the pan juices. If you desire a rich pan gravy, transfer the chicken, lemon and olives to a platter and then stir in about a tablespoon of unsalted butter into skillet set over very low heat until the butter is just melted.

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Rosemary Lemon Roast Chicken Thighs with Olives
Serves 2 to 3

3 chicken thighs (about 1 pound), trimmed of excess fat
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small lemon, sliced
4 to 6 fresh rosemary sprigs
12 pitted green olives, halved
Cooked green beans

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Pat chicken dry and season with pepper and salt. Heat oil in a medium-size seasoned cast iron or heavy skillet over moderately high heat and brown chicken, skin sides down until golden, about 6 minutes. Remove pan from heat, flip chicken over and tuck lemon slices under the skin. Top chicken with rosemary sprigs.
2. Roast chicken in skillet in middle of oven for 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven and scatter olives on top. Roast, until cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes more. Let rest for 7 minutes.
3. Transfer chicken, lemon, and olives to a serving platter. Drizzle pan juices over and serve with cooked green beans.

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