Braised Lemon Chicken Thighs with Garlic

This recipe is pretty good. The lemon rind became very soft, almost melting into the sauce. The flavor is quite lemony and because the chicken braises in its own liquid combined with lemon juice, it becomes quite tender.

I substituted half the Greek olives with Spanish olives (you know, the ones with the pimentos in the center) cut in half. In the picture above, I gave the dish an Asian flavor with kari (red ginger) and nori (crispy seaweed) steamed rice, and rakkyo (pickled scallions).

INGREDIENTS

• CHICKEN THIGHS, 8 bone-in, skin-on
• SALT and PEPPER to taste
• EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL, 3 tablespoons
• GARLIC CLOVES, 12
• YELLOW ONIONS, 2 large, thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
• LEMON, 1 thinly sliced, seeds discarded
• FRESH OREGANO, 2 tablespoons
• GREEK OLIVES, 1 cup mixed
• LEMON JUICE, 1 lemon

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring the chicken to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
4. When the oil is hot, lay the chicken thighs in a single layer skin-side down, and sear until golden brown.
5. Add the garlic cloves to the pan and flip the thighs over. Cook until the garlic is fragrant and slightly browned.
6. Remove the chicken and garlic from the pan and set aside.
7. With the pan is still hot, add the onions, lemon slices and oregano. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Cook, stirring often, until the onions have wilted and the brown bits on the bottom of the pan have loosened.
9. Nestle the thighs skin-side up in the onion mixture and add the garlic and the olives. Pour the lemon juice over the chicken and transfer the pan to the oven.
10. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes.
11. Scatter fresh oregano leaves over the top and serve.
12. 
    
13. In the picture above, I gave the dish an Asian flavor with kari (red ginger) steamed rice, and rakkyo (pickled scallions).