Lemon-Herb Chicken Thighs With Fennel and Potatoes

Time: 45 minutes  |  Difficulty: Medium

A family dinner with crisp chicken skin, golden potatoes and fennel that quietly becomes sweet.

This is a one-pan family dinner built around the thing carbon steel does beautifully: browning. Chicken thighs get crisp, potatoes turn golden and fennel softens into something sweet and savoury. Use bone-in, skin-on thighs if you want the best texture.

Ingredients

• 4 chicken thighs, skin-on
• 2 small potatoes, cut into wedges or small chunks
• 1 fennel bulb, sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary or thyme
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Salt and black pepper
• Finish: juice of ½ lemon
• Chopped parsley
• Extra olive oil, optional

Method

1. Pat chicken dry and season generously with salt, pepper, lemon zest and herbs.

2. Preheat the pan over medium heat. Add oil and place chicken skin-side down. Cook until skin is deeply golden. Remove chicken temporarily.

3. Add potatoes and fennel with a pinch of salt. Cook until starting to brown.

4. Nestle chicken back into the pan, skin-side up. Cover loosely and cook over medium-low until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender.

5. Finish with lemon juice, parsley and a small drizzle of olive oil.

Julien Cooking Note

Start chicken skin-side down and do not rush it. Crisp skin needs contact and patience.

Variations and Swaps

Use boneless thighs for a faster version. Swap fennel for leeks or carrots. Add olives at the end for a briny finish.

Serves: 4 (entire recipe is 4 servings)

Values are estimates. Calculated with skin-on thighs; removing the skin before eating reduces fat by roughly 5g per serving.

Good source of: Protein, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C (fennel and lemon), Potassium.

Watch out for: Saturated Fat (6g per serving — from chicken skin). +~40 cal with an extra drizzle of olive oil before serving.