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A bowl of white rice topped with grilled sausage slices, caramelized onions, roasted potatoes, and chopped herbs.

Preserved Lemon & Herb Butter-Basted Chicken Thighs

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Crispy, citrusy chicken thighs basted in a preserved lemon herb butter and roasted over potatoes and fennel. One skillet, big flavor.
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Prep Time 23 minutes
Cook Time 37 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 4
Course: Dinner, Main Course, Meat
Cuisine: Californian, Mediterranean
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Preserved Lemon Herb Butter
  • 1 tablespoon Roland Foods Preserved Lemon Paste or finely minced preserved lemon peel
  • 3 tablespoon Unsalted butter softened
  • 1 clove Garlic grated
  • 1 teaspoon Fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 tablespoon Fresh parsley finely chopped
  • ½ teaspoon Aleppo chili flakes
  • Salt to taste
Chicken
  • 4 boneless, skin-on chicken thighs
  • 1 ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
  • Black pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon Olive oil
Potatoes & Vegetables
  • 1 ½ cups Baby potatoes halved
  • 1 teaspoon Baking soda
  • 1 Fennel bulb thinly sliced
  • ½ Lemon thinly sliced
  • 2 Sprigs Fresh thyme

Equipment

  • Oven-safe skillet or cast-iron pan
  • Mixing bowl
  • Microplane
  • Tongs or basting brush
  • Pot for boiling potatoes

Method
 

Salt & Dry Brine the Chicken (Optional, Recommended)
  1. Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels.
  2. Season evenly with kosher salt. Place on a wire rack and refrigerate uncovered overnight or up to 2 days.
Make the Preserved Lemon Herb Butter
  1. Mix all herb butter ingredients in a small bowl until fully combined. Set aside.
Parboil the Potatoes
  1. Boil salted water with 1 teaspoon baking soda.
  2. Add potatoes and cook for 6–7 minutes until just fork-tender.
  3. Drain, steam-dry briefly, then toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Prep & Sear the Chicken
  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Remove chicken from fridge and let sit 15 minutes.
  3. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat.
  4. Sear chicken skin-side down until crisp and golden (about 2 minutes). You'll know it's ready to flip once it releases from the pan. It sticks because the crust is still forming, so don't nudge it around if it's not releasing. The protein will almost always tell you when it's ready. Flip and cook 1 minute more.
Roast with Veggies
  1. Arrange potatoes, fennel, and lemon slices around chicken in skillet.
  2. Add thyme sprigs and spoon a few dollops of herb butter over chicken.
  3. Roast for 10 minutes.
Baste with Herb Butter
  1. Remove pan and brush chicken generously with remaining herb butter.
  2. Return to oven for 7–10 more minutes, or until chicken reaches 175°F.
Plate & Serve
  1. Rest chicken 5 minutes. Carryover is the term for when the temperature keeps climbing after something is removed from the pan, which is why you pull a protein below its target and not at it.
  2. Spoon extra pan butter over top.
  3. Serve with roasted potatoes and fennel.

Notes

For seasoning, I always use Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If you use Morton, use half.
Storage: Store chicken and vegetables together in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 375°F oven until warmed through, this brings some crispness back to the skin. The microwave will work in a pinch but the skin won't recover.

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