Pan-Seared Chicken Thighs with Garlic Butter and Lemon

By AislePrompt Editorial · ·

How this recipe was made — this recipe was drafted by AislePrompt's AI-assisted pipeline from technique templates and USDA-sourced nutrition data, and published by AislePrompt Editorial — see how AislePrompt recipes are drafted and published.

Juicy chicken thighs pan-seared to golden perfection, finished with a fragrant garlic butter and bright lemon sauce. This Mediterranean-inspired game-day recipe, ready in about 30 minutes, pairs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, salt, black pepper for a weeknight-friendly dinner that comes together with one pan and minimal cleanup. Each serving lands at about 400 calories and feeds 4, so it slots cleanly into a weekly meal plan and pairs well with a quick salad or grain on the side. Tap "Plan a meal with the AI" below to drop this recipe into your week and send the ingredients straight to Instacart. Nutrition values are approximate, calculated from USDA FoodData Central (fdc.nal.usda.gov) — verify against ingredient labels for any health-driven dietary plan.

Prep: 10 min Cook: 20 min Serves 4 Mediterranean cuisine 400 cal/serving
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Ingredients

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Instructions

  1. Step 1: Pat dry 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and season both sides with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper.
  2. Step 2: Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Place chicken thighs skin-side down and cook for 7-8 minutes without moving until skin is deep golden brown and crisp.
  3. Step 3: Flip chicken thighs and add 3 tbsp unsalted butter, 4 smashed garlic cloves, and 3 fresh thyme sprigs to the pan. Tilt the pan slightly and spoon the melted butter over the chicken repeatedly for 5 minutes until cooked through.
  4. Step 4: Remove the garlic and thyme, then stir in 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice and 1 tsp lemon zest, cooking for 1 minute until the sauce slightly thickens and coats the chicken.
  5. Step 5: Serve the chicken thighs hot, spooning the garlic butter lemon sauce over each piece for a bright, rich finish.

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