Hello, welcome to Djalali Cooks! Today’s recipe really took me by surprise. I thought I knew how this would be while I gathered ingredients, imagining the flavors. But I was blown away by the amazing savory, herby flavor of these Chicken Thighs with Parsley and Lemon. Have you ever sautéd parsley as if it were thick leafy greens? I hadn’t, but now I want to add sautéd parsley leaves to everything! Let’s get right to it!
Parsley Buttermilk Marinade
We will start with blitzing up a marinade for the chicken thighs. First we will take our bunch of parsley and separate the leaves and tender stems from the thicker, bottom stems.
Scoot the leaves and tender tender stems out of the way for later. Roughly chop the thicker bottom stems and add them to the bowl of a food processor. To the stems in the processor, add buttermilk, sugar, capers, lemon juice, garlic, the jalapeño, a good pinch of kosher salt and several cranks of black pepper.
Blitz the marinade ingredients until the mixture is smooth. Pour the marinade in a bowl and add the boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Turn to coat and submerge the thighs in the marinade. Set aside and let marinate for 30 minutes. If you want to let them go longer, up to overnight, cover and place in the fridge.
Sautéd Parsley
Get a large skillet (a nonstick will be best for the clean up) going over medium-high heat. Add two tablespoons of olive oil and when the oil is shimmery, add the parsley leaves and tender stems to the pan. Sauté the parsley leaves until they are wilted, brighter green and begin to char in spots.
Transfer the sautéd parsley to a serving platter and set aside.
Pan Seared Chicken Thighs
To the same skillet over medium-high heat, add the chicken thighs. Don’t bother to let the marinade drip off. We want the chicken to be still coated in the marinade. Discard the leftover marinade. Let the chicken cook for about 7 minutes on the first side. Before turning them, check the thighs for browning. We want to see some spotty browning on the thighs before turning them to cook the second side.
Once turning the thighs, let the second side cook for 5-7 minutes, until you see some browning on the second side and the thighs are cooked through. You can temp them if you’re unsure of their doneness. Look for an internal temp of 170 degrees.
Transfer the thighs to the platter with the sautéd parsley. Garnish with lemon wedges.
Chicken Thighs with Parsley and Lemon
As I mentioned at the top, this Chicken Thighs with Parsley and Lemon really blew me away with its flavors; herby, fresh and bright; yet deeply savory. The chicken thighs are moist and super tender. The marinade-turned-sauce is really fantastic. I used my cast iron pan and the clean up of the cooked, browned sauce was not fun, but not impossible. That said, if you have a nonstick pan, go with that. Next time I make this I will double the amount of sautéd parsley, so you might want to consider that from the get go.
The jalapeño does add a little bit of heat, if you’re not into that, remove the seeds from the pepper before adding it to the food processor. Or leave it out completely.
For a similarly light, deeply flavored, one pan chicken dish, try Orange Turmeric Chicken with Rice. Thank you all for joining me today, take care and be well! xo Kelly
Key Equipment
Cuisinart 14-cup Food Processor
OXO Small Citrus Reamer
Misen 12-inch Nonstick Frying Pan
Chicken Thighs with Parsley and Lemon
Herby, fresh and bright; yet deeply savory, Chicken Thighs with Parsley and Lemon is a one-pan wonder. Just perfect for a weeknight!
Ingredients
- 1 Bunch Fresh Fat-Leaf Parsley (3 to 4 ounces) or go for two bunches, to double the sautéd leaves
- 10 Garlic Cloves, peeled
- 1 Jalapeño, stemmed
- 2 tbsp. Capers
- 2 tbsp. Fresh Lemon Juice, plus wedges for serving
- 2 tsp. Granulated Sugar
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/2 cup Buttermilk
- 1.5-2 lbs. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs
- 2 tbsp. Olive Oil, for sautéing the parsley
Instructions
First, take the bunch of parsley and separate the leaves and tender stems from the thicker, bottom stems.
Roughly chop the thicker bottom stems and add them to the bowl of a food processor. To the stems in the processor, add buttermilk, sugar, capers, lemon juice, garlic, the jalapeño, a good pinch of kosher salt and several cranks of black pepper.
Blitz the marinade ingredients until the mixture is smooth. Pour the marinade in a bowl and add the boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Turn to coat and submerge the thighs in the marinade. Set aside and let marinate for 30 minutes. If you want to let them go longer, up to overnight, cover and place in the fridge.
Get a large skillet (a nonstick will be best for the clean up) going over medium-high heat. Add two tablespoons of olive oil and when the oil is shimmery, add the parsley leaves and tender stems to the pan. Sauté the parsley leaves until they are wilted, brighter green and begin to char in spots.
Transfer the sautéd parsley to a serving platter and set aside.
To the same skillet over medium-high heat, add the chicken thighs. Don't bother to let the marinade drip off. We want the chicken to be still coated in the marinade. Discard the leftover marinade. Let the chicken cook for about 7 minutes on the first side. Before turning them, check the thighs for browning. We want to see some spotty browning on the thighs before turning them to cook the second side.
Once turning the thighs, let the second side cook for 5-7 minutes, until you see some browning on the second side and the thighs are cooked through. You can temp them if you're unsure of their doneness. Look for an internal temp of 170 degrees.
Transfer the thighs to the platter with the sautéd parsley. Garnish with lemon wedges.
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Terry
October 26, 2022 at 10:51 amGood morning, WOW this looks really good I have to shop the ingredients hopefully make this tomorrow yummm I can’t wait to try this one I’ll keep you posted ❤️🤗mom
Kelly Djalali
October 26, 2022 at 10:59 amHi Mom, I hope you find the sautéd parsley as interesting and delicious as I do! xo Kelly
Mari
October 26, 2022 at 11:31 amWow, that looks really amazing. Chicken thighs are really having a moment and a half! It’s almost easier to find Wagyu beef than chicken thighs, and there’s a good reason they re hard to get. They are delicious and still one of the more reasonably priced meats. I’m so glad that you have all these wonderful recipes for them. I have a few in my freezer, but I always need more. Wednesday’s child is full of woe because it’s a foggy overcast day. This Wednesday’s child doesn’t mind because it looks like Halloween, and that is just around the corner. It is such a lovely fun holiday just for children, and adults. If We end up moving again, it has to bea neighborhood where they actually go out for Halloween. We just had a family move in up the hill from us, so I intend to take them some candy. Gotta do something. And of course, “Something Wicked This Way Comes” has been dug out, and will be watched. That may be the only movie ever that is exactly like the book. Of course Ray Bradbury did the screenplay as well, so that explains it. Happy Wednesday and hugs to everybody! 💨🍁🎃👻
Kelly Djalali
October 26, 2022 at 8:07 pmHappy Wednesday to you too, Mari! We don’t get any trick or treaters either. I suppose it’s better that way in the end because the dogs would go nuts and then we’d eat all the candy. This recipe is really wonderful, I am sure you will enjoy it. Have a great evening! xo Kelly
Kathleen
October 26, 2022 at 10:27 pmIntrigued by your parsley comments, especially as it is growing like crazy in my garden. Def want to try this one!
Kelly Djalali
October 27, 2022 at 7:57 amDefinitely try this recipe, Kathleen. The sautéd parsley is really wonderful! xo Kelly
Kathleen
November 2, 2022 at 12:53 amTried it and it rocks! Used chicken legs because I had just defrosted them and left them in the marinade over night. Delicious and piquant! But the sauteed parsley, wow! Took your advice and doubled up; coulda tripled up! But I think it works especially well with the whole flavor profile of the marinade. Will be doing more parsley sautees to see what else works well with it. Genius! Thanks!
Kelly Djalali
November 8, 2022 at 12:00 pmHi Kathleen, I knew you’d like this one! Isn’t that sautéd parsley amazing? So glad it worked out so well! xo Kelly