Mouthwatering and Irresistible Lemon-Garlic Braised Chicken Thighs are a fast dinner recipe packed with flavor. Chicken thighs are seared to crisp the skin and braised in the oven for succulent chicken and delicious sauce!
This delicious post was originally shared in February 2016 and has been updated in February 2018!
I love creating great tasting recipes that are quick and easy to make. Chicken is definitely a universal favorite. Chicken recipes posted on my Pinterest boards are gobbled up and repinned immediately! People do love their chicken! Today I’m sharing a favorite: Irresistible Lemon-Garlic Braised Chicken Thighs.
What is Braising?
Braising is a combination cooking method of searing meat at high heat on the stove top and then finished it, usually with vegetables added, in liquid in the oven. It is a very easy way to cook and creates a one pot meal that is full of flavor as well as moist, tender meat. It’s a wonderful method for less expensive cuts of meat filling them with flavor and rendering them very tender.
Why Braise Chicken?
Braising chicken in aromatic liquids infuses it with flavor while tenderizing it. Braising is a very easy cooking method with little active cooking involvement from the home chef, and it’s a fast way to get dinner on the table! Once the recipe comes out of the oven, dinner is served. These braised chicken thighs are a perfect example of why this cooking method is well-loved!
Chicken thighs are my absolute favorite part of a chicken. As much as people love chicken breasts for their low fat appeal, chicken thighs trump for flavor and great texture. When braisied they take on the flavors of the liquid they are cooked in and become fall-off-the-bone tender.
How to make Irresistible Lemon-Garlic Braised Chicken Thighs – Step by Step:
The first step in making this braised chicken thigh recipe is searing the chicken thighs on high heat to seal the juices and creat glorious cripsy skin! The chicken thighs are removed from the skillet and garlic and shallots added to cook briefly.
Lemon juice and chicken broth are added to deglaze the pan, the chicken is added back and the skillet is covered to cook in the oven for 20 minutes. Super simple. Potato wedges could be added to the skillet before going into the oven too. Or strain the pan juices after cooking and drizzle over the chicken with some Roasted Lavender Potatoes!
More Easy Chicken Recipes You’ll Love:
- Fast and Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
- Salt and Pepper Roasted Chicken Thighs
- Mexican Chicken and Rice Skillet
If you’ve tried these Irresistible Lemon-Garlic Braised Chicken Thighs or any other recipe on BoulderLocavore.com please don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know where you found it in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m up to!
Irresistible Lemon-Garlic Chicken Thighs
Searing chicken thighs leaves the skin crisp, and the meat succulent. The braising process fully develops the flavors and a lovely broth perfect to drizzle over the chicken when serving.
TIP: Selecting uniformly sized chicken thighs will allow the most uniform cooking results.
Ingredients
- 8 bone-in skin-on Chicken Thighs
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ½ teaspoon ground Black Pepper
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 tablespoon Unsalted Butter
- 6 Garlic Cloves , diced
- 1 cup chopped Shallot
- ½ cup Lemon Juice
- 1 cup Chicken Broth/Stock
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Rinse chicken thighs and pat dry with a paper towel. Salt and Pepper on both sides.
- In a large oven-proof skillet with high sides and a lid (or a braising pan), melt the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add the chicken thighs and brown on both sides. _Note: turning the thighs helps ensure the skin will not stick to the pan and separate from the chicken._Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add the garlic and shallots to the pan and sauté until the shallots become limp; about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the lemon juice and chicken broth/stock to the pan and stir to remove any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer and add the chicken thighs back to the pan.
- Place the lid on the pan and put the pan in the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for an additional 15 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken thighs reaches 160-165 degrees (it will continue to cook when removed from the oven).
- Remove chicken from the skillet. If desired, strain the cooking liquid through a sieve to drizzle over chicken when served.
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
Those sound ah-mazing. I Love pretty much anything with garlic, but this sound like you took it to the next level 🙂
Catherine S says
This looks so yummy. I am always looking for new dinner ideas. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
MELISASource says
That is a fantastic recipe! I love lemon with chicken. It’s got a very island vibe to it.
Pam says
I love making chicken thighs. They have a lot more flavor than most chicken breast recipes! This looks like a meal my whole family would enjoy.
Liz Mays says
Ooh, this sounds great. I love those flavors and lemon and garlic are always nice for adding some kick without too many calories.
Tracey says
These look so good! I am always looking for new chicken recipes to try out.
Crystal says
This recipe looks great! I am not a fan of chicken thighs but I think I will take this recipe and use it on chicken breasts instead. I’m always looking for new recipes for chicken because we eat a lot of it at my house and we get tired of eating it the same way every time.
Nicole Escat says
OMG! these recipe really looks delicious. I want to try that yummy recipe 🙂 Thank you for sharing
Chrystal | Nevermore Lane says
I love lemon and garlic together. I wish I could eat chicken thighs like this though. I have a weird issue with the texture. The only way I can eat chicken thighs is boneless and skinless and charred on the grill.
Toni Dash says
I totally understand! I would substitute chicken breasts if you like those and would suggest boneless breasts for ease of eating. They should be good too!
Ann Bacciaglia says
Chicken is my favorite meat to cook with. This recipe looks so delicious and easy to make. I will have to try this recipe on the weekend.
Christie says
Chicken thighs always go on sale here and I never know what to make with them! Will definitely try this recipe with my family!
Liz Mays says
This definitely sounds like a good option for them. The lemon-garlic flavor must be super nice after braising!
mary says
These sound amazing. I’m on a low carb, high protein diet now. This is just what I need. Thanks
Toni Dash says
Perfect! Big on flavor low on what you don’t want.
Yolanda @ SeeingItTheirWay says
I love chicken thighs as we’ll. And I love your delicious sounding and simple recipe.
Seattle Travel Blogger says
My father is on a low carbohydrate, high protein diet.
I plan on letting him know about this recipe.
Rosey says
That’s a great trio of flavors. Sure to be a hit here, the fam. loves chicken.
Kim Croisant says
My husband does most of the cooking and he loves to cook thighs and legs – I’ll show him this – I do like the lemon too.
Toni Dash says
My husband also loves to cook and is definitely a chicken thigh guy. They do have more flavor and I’ve always loved the texture too! Hope he’ll like it.
Christina Aliperti says
I have never really like thighs, but this looks amazing. I have to try this soon. I think I will pick up a pack of chicken thighs tonight and make this tomorrow.
Becca Wilson says
This looks really yummy! I would never think to make chicken this way besides with a rub, but this looks amazing!
Shannon Gurnee says
I love adding garlic to my food! This recipe looks and sounds delicious!
robin rue says
Lemon garlic is an awesome combo. I bet these taste delicious. I will definitely be adding these to my menu.
Jenna M Wood says
I usually only eat boneless white meat chicken, can this recipe be easily adapted? I love lemon anything and this looks like such a nice refreshing recipe for Spring.
Toni Dash says
I have only made it with chicken thighs which cook longer. My suggestion would be to cook the chicken breasts 3-4 minutes a side then about 15 minutes in the liquid. Use an instant read thermometer to monitor doneness (they need to be 165 degrees when measured in the middle). Chicken breasts can dry out even when cooked in liquid to be sure not to over cook them. Will you let me know how it turns out?
Lisa Favre says
I always go for chicken breasts but I know the thighs can offer so much flavor and taste less dry. I will have to try your recipe out – lemon and garlic make for the best combination!
Mommy Moment says
I love braising meat. It makes it super tender and filled with flavor.
This Lemon Garlic chicken recipe sounds delicious!
Kathy says
This sounds really good. I love a great chicken recipe too. It’s one of my favorites. I can’t wait to give your recipe a try.
Sinisa says
This looks amazing. Screams summer to me .
Amy says
I have never tried braising! This recipe looks delicious! This may just be what is on the menu for the weekend.
Cathi Crismon says
I can’t wait to share your recipe with my daughter. She is so good about making delicious meals for the family. I know she will love this meal. Thanks!
Heather says
Do you remember that show Everybody Loves Raymond? The only meal the wife could make was lemon chicken. I think we’ve all got those special recipes that we really love to make. Hoping this lemon chicken becomes one of mine.
Toni Dash says
I DO remember the show but didn’t watch it regularly enough to know about the lemon chicken! This recipe is so easy I definitely could see it become a regular around the dinner table!
Dawn Lopez says
I love lemon and garlic flavors together with chicken so this recipe really DOES look irresistible. My family would probably think this was amazing too. I’ve never braised chicken before so it’s going to be a new cooking trick for me.
Gingermommy says
These sound really really delicious. I am going to have to give this a try to change up dinner asap. I love anything with Lemon and garlic, YUM!