Chicken Thighs with Leeks, Garlic, and Lemon
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Stand Time: 5 minutes | Total Time: 50 minutes | Serves: 6
This recipe is one that is easy to learn. Once you get the process down, you can turn this into just about any meat and vegetable dish. There is so much flavor in this meal. Don’t skimp out on making sure your chicken skins get nice and crispy. Are you one that goes for the beautifully browned and crispy turkey skin at Thanksgiving? I sure am and not ashamed to admit it you love crispy skin, you’ll love this Crispy Chicken Thighs with Leeks and Garlic.
This is a low carb meal, but that doesn’t mean you’ll miss any flavor here. The juicy chicken infuses the sautéed leeks and garlic, and the zest from the lemon gives a freshness to the meal. It’s a happy experience in your mouth. The chicken thighs with the skins on are ideal for low carb and keto lifestyles.
If you’re looking at the ingredient list and the whole cup of garlic seems a bit much, of course you can cut back. The garlic helps flavor this dish and since I LOVE garlic, one cup seemed perfect. The cooking process mellows out the “spiciness” of fresh garlic, so it becomes this lovely, aromatic and delicious component.
I use my large cast iron skillet for this recipe. It begins cooking on the stove top and finishes in the oven. You’ll need to be sure your skillet or pan is oven-safe. Finishing in the oven will keep the chicken skin crispy as it finishes cooking. The only down-side to this meal is the waiting, as your kitchen is infused with the aroma of an anticipated dinner that will satisfy.
Don’t have a cast iron? A braiser or shallow Dutch oven that is oven-safe will work, too. Check out your local gently used consignment stores or yard sales for a cast iron pan, if you’re interested. Sometimes you can really luck-out and find one in great condition for next-to-nothing. Take the care a cast iron needs and your grandchildren will be fighting over it one day.
If you do not have and don’t plan to purchase a cast iron (or other oven safe pan), you can finish cooking this on the stovetop. Keep the chicken skin-side up, uncovered, to maintain as much crispiness of the skin and allow the thighs to finish cooking in the simmering vegetables, until a thermometer reads 165 degrees.
If you have never cooked with leeks before, please, read the Notes section for cleaning instructions. This vegetable is grown in sandy soil, so you will need to clean them (unless you’ve purchased precut and precleaned leeks in a store).
We have become quite fond of the infused oils from Abingdon Olive Oil Company. I love their lemon-infused oil. It would be delicious drizzled on top of this delish meal, especially if you love lemon!
Every time I have cooked this meal, I have used bone-in thighs because they generally come skin-on. If you use boneless thighs, they may be skinless. If they are boneless and skinless, you’ll have to adjust your cooking times (still cook to 165 degrees internal temp) and use a little bit more oil if necessary since you won’t be rendering fat from skin.
Enjoy!
Chicken with Leeks, Garlic, and Lemon
Equipment
- Large cast iron or braiser
Ingredients
- 2 tablespons extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 chicken thighs, on the bone, skin on
- 6 leeks, white and light green parts only (no leaves), sliced and cleaned, see Notes
- 1 cup whole garlic cloves, use more or less to taste
- 1/4-1/2 cup chicken stock, low sodium or homemade
- zest from 1 lemon, zested on a microplane
- kosher salt, to taste
- freshly-cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet (or another oven-safe skillet) over medium-high until it shimmers.
- Pat the thighs dry and sprinkle the tops and bottoms with salt and pepper.
- Place the thighs skin side down in the hot pan. Don’t move them around so they can get a good sear on the skin, render some fat, and become crispy. Allow them to cook for about 5 minutes per side. The time will be determined by how your burner heats and the size of the chicken thighs.Watch them carefully so they do not burn. Burnt chicken skin isn’t very appetizing. You want a deep golden brown.
- Turn the thighs over and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes. Remove them from the pan and set aside to keep warm, uncovered.
- Carefully drain off (or use a spoon) to remove all but one tablespoon of the fat.
- Lower the heat to medium and add the leeks and garlic. Stir often to keep them from burning. Lower heat if necessary. Allow them to soften and lightly caramelize for about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the chicken stock and lemon zest to the leeks and garlic and stir, scraping up the browned bits that are on the bottom of the pan.
- Add salt and pepper as desired.
- Return the chicken thighs to the pan, skin side up.
- Place the skillet in the preheated oven and cook the thighs. Begin checking the internal temperature with a probe thermometer after 15 minutes. Continue to cook until the thermometer reads 165 degrees in the thickest part of the thighs.
- Remove from the oven. Allow to stand for about 5 minutes and serve warm.
Notes
1. Cut the green leaves from the top and cut the stringy roots off the bottom.
2. Slice the leek in half longways.
3. Place one half of a leek flat-side down on the cutting board. Cut slices about ½” in diameter all along the length of the leek.
4. Repeat with the other half.
5. Fill a medium bowl ¾ full of clean water.
6. Place the leeks into the water and using your fingers, separate the layers of the leeks.
7. Allow the leeks to sit undisturbed in the water so that the dirt and sand fall to the bottom of the bowl. Nutrition calculator is calculated with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt added. Please, calculate for yourself if necessary.
I made this dish a couple of months ago. I think it was my first time cooking with leeks too. The dish turned out yummy and the chicken was very tender. I also enjoy the combination of leeks, garlic, and lemon. I ate the chicken with pan seared potatoes.
As mentioned in the intro of this recipe, yes, a lot of garlic cloves were used, but the final outcome of the dish made it well worth the garlic. I personally did not eat the cooked garlic cloves after they baked with the chicken, but I’m sure it could be used to make a garlic paste if you don’t want to waste them.
I absolutely love your idea for the garlic paste! I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe!