lemon chicken with potatoes and chickpeas – smitten kitchen

Prepare the chicken thighs: In a large bowl, juice half of one lemon and whisk in 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano and I use 1 teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond brand; use less of others) per pound of chicken. Add chicken thighs and turn them over in the lemon juice mixture so they’re coated. You can either finish the dish right away, or if you’re getting ahead for later, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill until needed.

Heat oven: To 450°F (yes, really!)

Assemble dish: Halve and very thinly slice second half of first lemon, fishing out any lemon seeds. In a 9×13-inch baking dish (or lasagna pan), combine lemon slices, 3 tablespoons olive oil, onion, garlic, remaining 1/2 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and many grinds of black pepper. Add potato wedges and chickpeas and stir until everything is evenly mixed and coated. Remove chicken thighs from bowl and place them atop the potato-chickpea mixture, skin side-up. Pour any juices left in the bowl over the potatoes and chickpeas. Pat the chicken skin dry and drizzle it lightly with more olive oil.

Cook: Transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 45 minutes, or until the chicken thighs are cooked through. The chicken skin should be crisp. Carefully transfer the chicken thighs to a plate. Stir the potato-chickpea mixture just to remix it and distribute it evenly in the pan, and return the pan to the oven for another 10-15 minutes, to ensure the potatoes finish cooking and everything gets a little brown.

Return chicken thighs (and any juices that have collected on the plate) to the potato-chickpea pan. I don’t generally find that the thighs have cooled enough in 10 minutes that they need to rewarm, but if yours have, pop the whole thing back in the oven for a couple minutes. Cut remaining lemon into wedges.

To serve: Sprinkle with parsley, serve with additional lemon wedges for squeezing over the pan, and eat right away.