Roasted Lemon Chicken Thighs With Potatoes

Ingredients

• Chicken – I used 3 pounds of thighs bone in and skin on. This was about 4 big pieces but it can be more or less depending on the size of your chicken. You can use it with or without bone and skin. It is merely a preference.
• Lemon juice- I use lemon juice to give the thighs a quick 5-minute marinade. You can substitute this with equal amounts of lime juice. I have used both and they work.
• Yellow potatoes- In this recipe, I used yellow potatoes. They are very creamy and have a lightly sweet taste that goes perfectly with the lemon chicken. This is also just a preference. It is ok to use the potatoes you have at home at the time.
• Seasonings- The seasonings are simple but the perfect mix to get a very flavorful recipe. I used salt, pepper, onion powder, and fresh oregano. Use rosemary if you don’t have any oregano. You can also add cayenne pepper or red chili flakes for a touch of heat.
• Oil- I used vegetable oil first to mix in all the seasonings. It helps to season the chicken evenly and get every little gap. Another reason for using oil is that it helps the skin get crispy along with the high heat. You can also use olive or coconut oil.
• Lemon zest- The lemon zest is important in this recipe because it helps give the chicken a deeper lemon flavor on the skin.
• Garlic- In this recipe I used 4 fresh garlic cloves that I minced. 
• Whole lemon- This lemon is used to make lemon slices to put around the baking tray to infuse the potatoes with lemon flavor.

Variations and additions

• Chicken- I use thighs in this recipe because they tend to be the juiciest part of the chicken and the most affordable to buy. But you can use other parts too. I like using drumsticks just follow the recipe as is. You can also use chicken breast. You just have to make sure to check the breast after 30 minutes for readiness. To know if the breast is done, it should have an internal temperature of 165°F or the juices should run clear when cut.

• Vegetables- This is a dish that is great to add a lot of veggies to it. You can add cubed sweet potatoes, butternut squash, carrots, broccoli, or asparagus. My favorite is to add red onions cut in 4 and whole garlic cloves.

How to make it

Step 1: The first important step is to preheat your oven to 425°F. Then you want to put your thighs in a bowl and add the lemon juice. This is to marinate the chicken for 5 minutes while you prep the rest. 

Step 2: While your thighs marinate, cut the potatoes into about 2-inch size. This is to help the potatoes cook all the way through. Now cut the lemon into slices and set aside.

⭐️Tip: Don’t leave the chicken too long in the lemon juice because it can become stringy and rubbery.

Step 3: In a large sheet pan add your potatoes and drizzle them with oil and salt. Mix them and spread them around the tray.

Step 4: In a small dish add your oil, lemon zest, seasonings, and garlic and mix.

Step 5: Pour the seasoning mix over the chicken. Make sure to rub the seasoning well in every crease.

Step 6: Place everything on the baking tray. Roast for 45 minutes and enjoy.

Making ahead 

• You can prep this meal ahead 2 hours at the most. This is to avoid the chicken sitting on the acid juice for too long.
• Storing- You can store any leftovers on the pan you just used to make them, just cover them with foil, and store them in your fridge. I like to leave it in the pan because of all the flavors and juices that are there. But you can also store the chicken with potatoes in an airtight container for no more than 3 days. Store for 3 months in the freezer. 
• Reheating- you must let this sit at room temperature before reheating. The reason for this is that it will take less time to heat and it will ensure that the chicken gets heated inside. Then preheat your oven to 400°F and bake for 15 minutes and your skin is nice and crispy again.

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