Skillet Garlic Butter Chicken Thighs
I make some version of this most weeks — it’s the recipe I default to when I haven’t planned dinner and just need something that works. No real measurements here; it’s a feel-it-out pan sauce, and it comes out right basically every time.
The one non-negotiable step: don’t move the chicken while the skin is rendering. Walk away, let it do its thing, and the crisp takes care of itself.
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Skillet Garlic Butter Chicken Thighs
Crispy-skinned chicken thighs finished in a garlic butter pan sauce — no measuring required, just a hot skillet and instinct.
Ingredients
- 4-6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- 3-4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 3-4 tbsp butter
- A few sprigs fresh thyme (or a pinch dried)
- Splash of chicken stock or water to deglaze
- Juice of half a lemon
Instructions
- Pat the chicken thighs dry and season both sides generously with salt and pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Lay thighs in skin-side down and don't move them — let the skin render and crisp, about 7-8 minutes.
- Flip and cook the other side another 6-7 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
- Push the chicken to one side, drop in the butter, garlic, and thyme. Let it foam and turn fragrant, spooning it over the chicken for a minute or two.
- Splash in a little stock to loosen the browned bits, squeeze in the lemon juice, and let it reduce for a minute.
- Rest the chicken a few minutes before serving, spooning the pan sauce over the top.