This baked garlic chicken thighs recipe is amazing with this lemon sauce. It’s all about the sauce!

Baked Garlic Chicken Thighs Recipe in Creamy Garlic Lemon Sauce in a cast iron skillet

Creamy Garlic Lemon Chicken Thighs

This baked garlic chicken thighs recipe in lemon sauce is outstanding and has been a reader favorite! Today it’s all about baked chicken thighs cause quite frankly, it’s one of our favorite and easy weeknight dinners. In less than an hour (with most of the time the chicken is in the oven and you can get other stuff done), we have a quick version of a roast chicken dinner with our favorite cut of chicken, the juicy thighs.

Baked Garlic Chicken Thighs Recipe in Creamy Garlic Lemon Sauce | @bestrecipbox

Video: Baked Garlic Chicken Thighs with Lemon Sauce:

Can you use chicken breasts for this recipe?

Yes you can but if the chicken breasts are really huge or thick, you should cut them half lengthwise or scaloppini-style. This will make the chicken breasts thinner and cook quicker. Also, cooking with thick chicken breasts just takes so much longer to cook and often times the outside is dry. You can find these thinner slices of chicken breast at your local butcher.

How to Serve Baked Garlic Chicken Thighs

It’s so delicious and easy to make, it’s hard not to eat more than our reasonable sized portion, which is one and a half thighs each? Or maybe two? When we’re hungry, we’ll each eat two. And we don’t ever feel guilty about it!

  • This chicken is great with pasta. Adding it with your favorite pasta will be a family favorite meal.
  • Brown rice, white rice or wild rice.
  • Couscous or quinoa is a healthy grain option.
  • Serve the chicken on a bed of lettuce for a healthy low carb salad.
  •  It’s a great complete meal for the family for any type of pasta that the kids love. Hope you enjoy our baked garlic chicken thighs!
Easy chicken recipe on a plate
add some pasta to make it a perfect complete meal! 
Baked Garlic Chicken Thighs in a cast iron with skillet

 

Creamy Garlic Sauce Lemon Chicken Thighs

Season the chicken thighs liberally with salt and pepper. The flavor really comes through when you season the chicken well and with the sauce added on top, it’s divine!
5 from 9 votes

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Ingredients

For the chicken thighs:

  • 2 pounds (907 g) bone-in chicken thighs
  • kosher salt , to taste
  • black pepper , to taste
  • (optional) little bit of paprika and ground cumin
  • 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) butter
  • 4 cloves garlic , minced
  • 2 teaspoons (10 ml) Worcestershire sauce

For the lemon sauce:

  • zest of 1 medium lemon
  • 3 Tablespoons (45 ml) fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) sugar
  • 1 teaspoon (5 ml) dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt , or to taste
  • 1 cup (180 ml) heavy whipping cream
  • 3 Tablespoons (45 ml) minced parsley (optional garnish)
  • optional: serve with cooked pasta , noodles, rice, steamed veggies or side of bread.

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C).
    Oven knobs
  • Trim excess fat and/or skin around the chicken thighs. Pat dry the chicken thighs. Season all sides of chicken with salt and pepper. (optional) Season with sprinkle of paprika and ground cumin.
    Seasoning raw chicken thighs with salt and pepper
  • Heat a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add butter to skillet and melt. When the butter completely melts add the chicken skin side down and sear the chicken. Cook until the chicken skin is brown and crisp, about 3 minutes.
    Searing the skin side of the chicken thighs
  • Flip the chicken and cook the other side for about 2 minutes. Turn off heat and remove the chicken from the pan. Add garlic and Worcestershire to the skillet. Return the chicken to the pan, skin side up.
    Adding chicken back to pan after putting in garlic and Worcestershire sauce
  • Place the skillet in the oven and bake the chicken for about 25-30 minutes, or until the chicken thighs are cooked through.
    Chicken in skillet ready to be put in oven
  • After chicken is cooked, remove it from the skillet.  Heat the skillet over medium heat, and then whisk in all of the ingredients for the lemon sauce (lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, dijon mustard, salt, and heavy cream). Add additional salt/pepper to taste.
    Sauce ingredients in skillet
  • Simmer the sauce for about 2 minutes, or until heated through. Return the chicken to the pan and let it soak up the sauce for about 2 minutes. Garnish with parsley, optional. Serve the chicken with the lemon sauce over rice, pasta or noodles.

Nutrition Information per Serving

Calories: 611kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 32g, Fat: 51g, Saturated Fat: 20g, Cholesterol: 257mg, Sodium: 526mg, Potassium: 481mg, Vitamin A: 1145IU, Vitamin C: 5.6mg, Calcium: 57mg, Iron: 1.7mg

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This Baked Garlic Lemon Chicken Recipe was originally published in 2014 and re-published with updated photos and video. And here’s more great chicken recipes for ya!