This is a family-friendly and easy 30-minute dinner to make during those busy weeknights. The golden crispy chicken is smothered in a light creamy lemon Boursin sauce. Serve it over crusty bread or with a side of pasta or polenta. And the best part is, it all happens in one pan. Enjoy!
key ingredients
- Boneless Skin-On Chicken Thighs
- Boursin: If you can’t find Boursin, you can replace with crème frâiche or heavy cream.
- Leeks
- Lemon
- Shallots
- Garlic
- Thyme: I forgot to add the thyme in my recipe video so please don’t forget this important ingredient!
- White Wine
- Chicken Broth
key steps:
- Prep the Chicken: Pat both sides of the chicken with a paper towel so that they are completely dry. This step is important if you want that golden crispy skin. Then season both sides of the chicken with olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Cut + Wash the Leeks: If it’s your first time working with leeks, here’s a great tutorial on how to cut and wash leeks. I cut my leeks into half moons for this recipe.
- Cook the Chicken First: In a cast iron pan over medium-high heat, cook the chicken skin side down first for about 4-5 minutes until the skin develops a golden crust. Then flip the chicken and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes. If the chicken thigh looks slight undercooked, it’s ok because we will finish the chicken in the oven. Once the chicken is done cooking, remove from the pan and set aside.
5. Make the Creamy Lemon Sauce: In the same pan, dab some of the oil left from the chicken with a paper towel. You want about 3 tbsp of oil remaining in the pan. Sauté the leeks and shallots until them become tender and translucent. Then add the garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes. Then deglaze the pan with white whine and chicken broth. Bring the sauce to a simmer for about 4 minutes. Then add the Boursin, lemon juice and lemon zest to the pan and stir it into the sauce. Then add the chicken back in and tuck the lemon and thyme between each piece of chicken.
6. Finish in the Oven: Transfer the pan to a 400°F oven and roast for about 10 minutes.
One Pan Creamy Lemon Chicken
Equipment
- 1 cast iron pan
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs, deboned and skin-on
- 2 shallots finely chopped
- 1 leek washed and chopped into half moons
- 2 tsp garlic minced
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 5.2 oz Boursin cheese substitute option: crème fraîche or heavy cream
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 lemon zest the entire lemon first. Then juice half of lemon and thinly slice the other half.
- 8 fresh thyme sprigs
- olive oil
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Prep the Chicken: Pat the chicken completely dry with paper towels. Then rub the chicken with olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper.
- Cook the Chicken: Set cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Then heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in the pan. Then sear the chicken skin side first for about 4-5 minutes. Then flip the chicken and sear for another 4-5 minutes. Then transfer the chicken to a plate. If the chicken looks slightly undercooked, it's ok because it will finish cooking in the oven.
- Make the Creamy Lemon Sauce: In the same cast iron pan (over medium heat), add the butter and olive oil. Then add the leeks and onion and sauté for about 5 minutes until they become translucent and tender. Then add the garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Add the wine and chicken stock and let it simmer for about 4 minutes. Whisk in the Boursin, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and black pepper. Then tuck in the thyme and lemon between each piece of chicken.
- Bake: Transfer the chicken thighs to the sauce. Then tuck the lemon slices around each thigh and add the thyme sprigs on top. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast uncovered for about 10-15 minutes.
- Serve: Serve immediately while hot with a side of crusty bread, polenta or pasta. Enjoy!
