Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs

Lemon pepper chicken thighs feature tender and juicy chicken thighs generously seasoned with a vibrant mixture of garlic powder, cracked black pepper, and fresh lemon zest topped with a flavorful pan sauce featuring freshly minced garlic, lemon juice, and butter. This simple yet flavorful combination creates a delightful balance of savory and citrusy notes, enhancing the natural taste of the succulent chicken thighs.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Servings: servings

Calories: 346kcal

Author: Sandra

Ingredients

Chicken Thighs

1 tablespoon lemon zest Freshly zested. Note 2.
2 teaspoons cracked pepper From peppercorns. Note 3.
1 teaspoon salt Or to taste.
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
4 large chicken thighs Bone in and skin on. See Note 1.
2 tablespoons olive oil

Pan Sauce

1 tablespoon salted butter
1 teaspoon garlic Freshly minced. Note 5.
¾ cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon lemon juice Freshly squeezed. Note 4.
Salt and pepper to taste. Note 6.
Fresh thyme or curly leaf parsley Optional garnish. Adds a little flavor, texture, and color.

Instructions

Thighs

In a small bowl, combine the lemon zest, cracked pepper, salt, garlic powder, and dried thyme to create the rub.
1 tablespoon lemon zest, 2 teaspoons cracked pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
Pat the thighs dry with a paper towel, rub the prepared lemon pepper rub mixture all over the thighs, making sure they are evenly coated.
4 large chicken thighs
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the thighs, skin side down, and cook for about 6-8 minutes until the skin is golden and crispy. Flip the thighs and cook for an additional 6-8 minutes on the other side. Note 7.
2 tablespoons olive oil
Remove the thighs from the skillet and set them aside on a plate. Tent them with foil if desired.

Pan Sauce

In the same skillet, melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and lemon juice. Scrape the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to release any brown bits.
1 tablespoon salted butter, 1 teaspoon garlic, ¾ cup chicken broth, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, Salt and pepper to taste.
Let the mixture simmer for a few minutes until it reduces slightly. Season with salt and cracked pepper to taste. Cook for another minute to incorporate the flavors.
Return the thighs to the skillet, nestling them in the pan sauce. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until an instant read thermometer registers 165 F (74 C) to ensure that the chicken is heated through and coated with the sauce.
Remove the skillet from the heat. Sprinkle with fresh thyme or curly leaf parsley for garnish, if desired.
Serve the lemon pepper chicken thighs with the pan sauce drizzled over the top along with fresh lemon slices.
Fresh thyme or curly leaf parsley

Notes

Don't use boneless skinless thighs. Save those for another recipe. This recipe gets a lot of its flavor from the chicken itself. Leaving the bone in and the skin on increases by flavor factor by multiples! If a lot of skin is hanging off of the thigh, feel free to trim some of it off.
One large or two small lemons should give you what you need for this recipe. If you're completely new to zesting citrus, I recommend using a micro plane. Hold the lemon in your hand, position the plane smooth side up over the lemon, and pull the plane toward you. Continue working your way around the lemon being careful not to zest any of the white part. The zest will rest on the smooth top part of the plane, and then when you're done, you simply push the zest into a small bowl with your finger.
It's super important to use cracked pepper in this recipe. Don't rely on ground pepper. You will be disappointed by the results. Yes, you can use a pepper grinder. However, that will grind the pepper up too fine. The chunky texture and bold flavor of cracked pepper is what makes these chicken thighs stand out. To make cracked pepper, add a few peppercorns to a mortar and pestle or add them to a zipper sandwich bag. Then grind them out until they're broken up but still chunky. Sort of like the texture of red pepper flakes. If using the sandwich bag method, pulverize them with a hammer, but not too much! Make a little extra to throw into your pan sauce.
The juice from the lemon you zested is all you need. To get the most juice out of your lemon, lay it on its side on your cutting board, lay your hand on top and place gentle pressure on the lemon, roll the lemon back and forth across the cutting board a few times. Then slice it in half and juice it using a citrus juicer or reamer.
Definitely use freshly minced garlic. Don't use the prepared minced garlic that comes in jars. Garlic loses some of its essence when it's been sitting around in jars.
Mince the garlic first, then measure. I don't measure by cloves because each clove can be a different size. If you are not sure how finely to mince the garlic, a good rule of thumb is to make the garlic pieces about the size of uncooked short grain rice, maybe even a little smaller. You don't need to go too crazy.
Throw in some of your extra cracked pepper that you made for the chicken thigh rub.
I like to cover the thighs with a skillet lid while they are cooking. This helps the chicken to cook through and prevents splatters. Check them with a thermometer periodically to make sure they are not getting over cooked. But don't be afraid of the char! That gives these thighs big flavor for weeknight meals. As you can see from my photos, I went big on the char and my husband and I loved the end result! 😍

Nutrition