Lemony Roasted Chicken

I found a copy of Bon Appetit at work the other day in this weird wall indentation by the front entrance that seems like a sort of improvised lost and found, and I was pleasantly surprised! I would actually want to make a lot of those recipes. I had always assumed it was too fancy schmancy. The first recipe I've tried is this "Roasted Chicken Thighs with Lemon and Oregano."

The recipe calls for boneless thighs, but I used bone-in thighs so I cooked it a lot longer, at least 15 minutes in the skillet and 20 in the oven. I wished I'd left it skin down on the skillet a bit longer to get a crisper skin, it could probably sit in there for 20-25 minutes or more at medium heat. I added peas and couscous to make it a full lunch and served it with a croissant to soak up some tasty juices. 

The garlic is from Blackberry Meadows Farm (where Michelle's reception is going to be)!

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ROASTED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH LEMON AND OREGANO

From the December 2012 issue of Bon Appetit

1 lemon

4 large or 8 small skin-on, boneless chicken thighs (or cook longer for bone-in)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 teaspoons olive oil, divided

3 sprigs oregano (I used dried)

1 tablespoon minced shallot (or onion)

1/2 garlic clove, minced

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth (I used water)

Preheat oven to 425°. Very thinly slice half of lemon; discard any seeds. Cut remaining lemon half into 2 wedges. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper. (I just sliced the whole lemon and saved the juice that came out on the cutting board while I was slicing it.)

Coat a large room-temperature skillet with 1 teaspoon oil. Add chicken, skin side down. Place skillet over medium heat and cook, letting skin render and brown, and pouring off excess fat to maintain a thin coating in pan, until chicken is cooked halfway through, about 10 minutes. (Cook in the skillet at least twice as long if using bone-in thighs.)

Scatter half of lemon slices over chicken and half on bottom of skillet (the slices on top of the chicken will soften; those in the skillet will caramelize). Transfer skillet to oven, leaving chicken skin side down. Roast until chicken is cooked through, skin is crisp, and lemon slices on bottom of skillet are caramelized, 6-8 minutes. (Again, at least twice as long if bone-in.)

Transfer chicken pieces, skin side up, and caramelized lemon slices from bottom of skillet to a warm platter. (Leave softened lemon slices in the skillet.) Return skillet to medium heat. Add oregano sprigs (or dry oregano), shallot, garlic, and red pepper flakes; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

Remove skillet from heat. Add wine; cook over medium heat until reduced by half, 1-2 minutes. Add broth; cook until thickened, about 3 minutes. Squeeze 1 lemon wedge over and season sauce with salt, pepper, and juice from remaining lemon wedge, if desired. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons oil. Return chicken to skillet, skin side up, to rewarm. Serve topped with caramelized lemon slices.