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This is one of the simplest ways to cook chicken, yet is packed with flavor despite its minimal steps. With a bounty of fresh ingredients muddled into a marinade, this dish is light, vibrant, and healthy. If you do not have a mortar and pestle, you can either mix them in a food processor or simply smash them together in a bowl with a wooden spoon. As with all meats, the flavors will have more depth the longer they marinade.
Ingredients
  • For chicken…
  • 4 chicken thighs, bone-in/skin-on
  • 1 tbsp ghee or butter
  • ⅛ tsp salt
  • ⅛ tsp black pepper
  • Dash of crushed red pepper
  • 1 lemon, sliced into thin rounds
  • Handful chopped spring onion, to garnish
  • For marinade…
  • ¼ cup chopped spring onion, green and white parts
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ⅛ tsp black pepper
  • ⅛ tsp crushed red pepper
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Finely chop the onion, parsley, and garlic. Add all ingredients, along with lemon juice, salt, pepper, red pepper, and olive oil, into a mortar or small bowl. (If you are making the version with Dijon and honey, add them in, as well.) Grind the ingredients until a saucy texture has formed- it will be somewhat chunky still.
  3. Sprinkle salt and pepper over dry chicken thighs to season. Lay the thighs on a plate and smother them with the marinade, getting the herbs, garlic, and onion pieces all over the meat and skin. Let it marinade for up to a day, no less than 1 hour (the longer it sits, the more flavor it will have).
  4. To cook chicken, preheat oven, and allow chicken to come to room temperature. Remove any large pieces of garlic and herbs off of the skin and slide them to the under side of the thighs (this will help keep the skin crispy). Sprinkle some crushed red pepper over the skin-side of the thighs (the more you add, the more spice it will have).
  5. Add ghee or butter to a large oven-proof skillet (cast iron works well) over medium-high heat. Lay the chicken thighs, skin-side down, into the pan (the excess herbs and garlic will now be on the side facing up). Once they are set, don’t move them- to get crispy skin, they need to sit in place and brown for about 3-5 minutes (time may vary depending on the heat level in the pan). Once skin-side is golden brown, flip the thighs and cook them for about 2-3 more minutes on the other side.
  6. Before placing the pan in the oven, lay slices of fresh lemon and half of the chopped green onion between chicken pieces. Place the pan on the center rack of the oven, uncovered. Bake the chicken for about 25 minutes, until completely cooked through.
  7. Let the chicken rest for at least 5 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining chopped green onions over the thighs. Optional, serve with rice and fresh lemon wedges. Enjoy!
Recipe by Honey Ghee and Me at https://www.honeygheeandme.com/2014/07/super-simple-crispy-lemon-herb-chicken-whole30/