Chicken Thighs with Parsley and Lemon

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

Print Recipe

Chicken Thighs with Parsley and Lemon

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Dinner, Main Course – American

By Eric Kim via NYT Cooking – Serves: 2-4

Prep Time: 20 Minutes (plus 30 minute marinate time) – Cooking Time: 15 Minutes – Total Time: ~1 Hour

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

1

First, take the bunch of parsley and separate the leaves and tender stems from the thicker, bottom stems.

2

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.

3

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.

4

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.

5

Transfer the sautéd parsley to a serving platter and set aside.

6

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.

7

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.

8

Transfer the thighs to the platter with the sautéd parsley. Garnish with lemon wedges.

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