Spanish Roast Chicken Thighs with Lemon and Garlic Recipe
Roast chicken thighs with lemon, garlic and olive oil is a simple dish that often appears on the Sunday table in Spain. The aroma of roasted meat with herbs and lemon fills the kitchen and makes it hard to wait until everything is done. It’s a bit like our classic roast chicken, but with a more pronounced note of citrus and olive oil.
This dish brings a taste of a Spanish Sunday lunch to your table with minimal effort. Simple ingredients like lemon, garlic and herbs transform everyday chicken thighs into something aromatic and sunny, with crisp skin and juicy meat.
Chef's tips
Drying the skin well before marinating is key to getting it really crisp. Don’t be afraid of a slightly darker color on the skin – that’s where the flavor is. If the top browns too quickly, cover the dish loosely with foil and finish roasting until the meat is done.
How to serve
Serve the chicken straight from the baking dish so everyone can help themselves to the juices and roasted garlic. Add crusty bread for dipping in the sauce, a green salad or grilled vegetables. It also works well as part of a tapas-style spread with olives and marinated peppers.
Ingredients
- chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on - 8 pieces
- lemon sliced - 1 piece
- garlic lightly crushed with a knife - 5 cloves
- olive oil - 3 tablespoons
- sweet paprika - 1 teaspoon
- rosemary dried needles or 2 sprigs fresh - 1 teaspoon
- thyme dried leaves or 2 sprigs fresh - 1 teaspoon
- sea salt to taste
- black pepper freshly ground, to taste
- white wine optional, for basting - 80 ml
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (top and bottom heat). Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels so the skin browns better.
- In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, sweet paprika, rosemary, thyme, a generous pinch of salt and pepper. You should get a thick marinade.
- Rub each thigh thoroughly with the marinade, trying to work some of it under the skin wherever possible.
- Arrange the thighs in a single layer in an ovenproof dish, skin side up. Distribute the crushed garlic cloves and lemon slices between the pieces of meat.
- If using wine, pour it into the bottom of the dish, trying not to wash the marinade off the thighs.
- Place the dish in the preheated oven and roast for about 40–45 minutes, until the skin is deeply golden and crisp and the meat is tender. Halfway through roasting, you can spoon some of the juices from the bottom of the dish over the thighs.
- Towards the end of roasting, check if the meat is done – when you pierce the thickest part, the juices should run clear, with no traces of blood.
- After removing from the oven, let the chicken rest for 5 minutes so the juices redistribute. Serve with the juices from the dish and the roasted lemon slices.
Storage
Resztki kurczaka przechowuj w lodówce w zamkniętym pojemniku. Podgrzewaj w piekarniku w 170°C przez 10–15 minut lub na patelni pod przykryciem z odrobiną wody. Możesz też obrać mięso z kości i zamrozić, a potem użyć do sałatek lub makaronu.
