Oven-Baked: Part 2

  

A lot of times, I will substitute chicken breasts in place of chicken thighs in a recipe...this is a recipe that you should not make that substitution. Chicken thighs are used here for a reason...a very delicious reason.

Also, while you do brown the chicken first, all of the rest of the cooking takes place in one baking dish. That makes for some easy preparation and clean-up.

I did make some changes, so be sure to check my notes at the end of the recipe.

Lemon Chicken with Potatoes

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1 package (28 oz) boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 lb baby red potatoes, quartered
1/2 medium yellow onion, cut into large pieces
1 lemon, sliced
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) baking dish with cooking spray.

Meanwhile, in 10-inch nonstick skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. In small bowl, stir together brown sugar, Italian seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Sprinkle over chicken thighs.

Cook chicken thighs in skillet 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown and crispy.

Arrange chicken thighs, potatoes, onions, and lemon slices in baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter, and drizzle over mixture.

Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender and juice of chicken is clear when thickest part is cut (at least 165 degrees F).

Source: Pillsbury website. You can find it here.

Notes: I used a 3 lb. bag of chicken thighs and I increased the potatoes a bit too (I love potatoes so I just filled the baking dish with them. I probably used about 2 lbs of potatoes total). As a result, I doubled the brown sugar/Italian seasoning mixture.

The potatoes took longer than 40 minutes to roast/soften sufficiently...so, here's my advice: I would pop the potatoes in the oven and start cooking those while you are browning the chicken. Once the chicken is browned, I would nestle the chicken thighs in the potatoes and continue cooking for 30-40 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Another change I made was that I used part of the brown sugar mixture on the chicken, and I mixed the rest in with the potatoes. I even sprinkled a little on top after I had tossed the mixture together. I wanted the flavor throughout the dish. The flavor of the lemon, brown sugar, and Italian seasoning is so amazing with the chicken and potatoes. This recipe, my friends, is a keeper.