Our Weeknight Garlic Butter Chicken

Ingredients

• Chicken

  • 8bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
  • 1.5 tspkosher salt
  • 1 tspsmoked paprika
  • 0.5 tspfreshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tbspneutral oil

• Pan sauce

  • 4 tbspunsalted butter
  • 8garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 0.5 cupdry white wine (or chicken stock)
  • 2 tbspfresh lemon juice
  • 2 tbspchopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. 1

   Pat the chicken thighs completely dry with paper towels. Season all over with salt, paprika, and pepper.

2. 2

   Heat oil in a large cast-iron or stainless steel skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Place thighs skin-side down and do not touch them for 8 minutes — this is where the crust comes from.

3. 3

   Flip the thighs, reduce heat to medium, and cook another 6–8 minutes until the internal temperature reads 165°F. Transfer to a plate.

4. 4

   Pour off all but 1 tbsp of fat. Add butter and garlic; cook 60 seconds until fragrant and just turning golden.

5. 5

   Pour in the wine, scraping up any browned bits. Simmer 2 minutes until slightly reduced. Stir in lemon juice and parsley.

6. 6

   Return chicken (and any resting juices) to the pan, skin-side up. Spoon sauce over and serve immediately.

Substitutions

No wine? Use chicken stock with an extra squeeze of lemon. Boneless thighs work too — drop the cook time to 5 minutes per side.

Leftover tips

Shred any leftover chicken and tuck it into quesadillas or tacos. The pan sauce becomes an incredible base for a pasta the next night — see our leftover garlic butter pasta.