Easy Baked Chicken Thighs

Two baked chicken thighs over white bean stew — Garlicky white beans and capers serve as a base for mustard-rubbed baked chicken thighs (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Easy Baked Chicken Thighs. My husband just loves chicken thigh dishes. I’m not as big a fan of chicken thighs as he is…yet I do like this summery recipe. Mustard-rubbed chicken thighs perch atop a mixture of white beans, chickpeas, sweet onion, garlic, honey, white wine, chicken broth, capers, and herbes de provence spices. Fresh lemon slices provide additional flavor during baking. The chicken thighs bake quickly which makes this a fast and satisfying weeknight one-pan meal.

One baked chicken thigh over white bean stew — One Easy Baked Chicken Thigh rests on a bed of Garlicky White Beans, Capers, and Lemon (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

One might think that this dish would be overly bitter using both lemons and capers. I add a bit of honey to the bean mixture and I think that offsets the bitterness. You could also use Meyer lemons which have a sweeter flavor than regular lemons.

Nature’s Promise organic capers (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. You’ll need to watch the chicken thighs while they cook as you know your oven better than I do. Your oven may run hotter so keep tabs on the chicken thighs as they bake so they don’t burn.

D'Artagnan chicken thighs — D’Artagnan brand organic bone-in chicken thighs ready to cook (Photo Credit: dartagnan.com)

Start with bone-in chicken thighs with skin on them. Season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper. Then rub a mixture of olive oil, Dijon mustard and grainy mustard onto the chicken thighs.

Whole Foods Market Herbes de Provence — Whole Foods Market’s 365 brand Herbes de Provence (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

In a 9 x 13 x 2 shallow baking dish, mix together canned cannellini beans, canned chickpeas, herbes de provence spices, diced sweet onion, chopped garlic, honey, dry white wine and capers. Arrange some fresh lemon slices over the bean mixture. Place each mustard-rubbed chicken thigh on top of at least one lemon slice. Add chicken stock/broth until the liquid is halfway up the side of the chicken thighs but the chicken thighs are not immersed or covered in liquid. Sprinkle a small amount of herbes de provence over the chicken thighs.

Bake the chicken thighs for at least 30 minutes until their skin is brown and crispy and a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees when testing the internal chicken thigh temperature. You might want to lightly stir the bean mixture a bit during cooking so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

Easy Baked Chicken Thighs over a garlicky lemon white bean and caper stew — Bake the chicken thighs (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Remove the pan from the oven when the chicken is done.

Easy Baked Chicken Thighs ready to plate — Easy Baked Chicken Thighs over a White Bean Caper Stew are ready to plate (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Move the chicken thighs to a large plate or cutting board. Spoon the bean mixture into four shallow serving bowls. Arrange the chicken thighs over the bean mixture (either two thighs per person for two, or one thigh per person for four). Place a lemon slice on top of each chicken thigh. Sprinkle with chopped Italian parsley and serve.

Try my other chicken-based recipes.

Enjoy!!

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From the kitchen of A Food Lover’s Delight….

Easy Baked Chicken Thighs

Ingredients:

4 bone-in chicken thighs with skin
salt and pepper
1 T olive oil
2 T Dijon mustard
1 T grainy mustard such as Maille
1 T Herbes de Provence spice mix, divided
1 can (15 oz) white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 oz) chickpeas or garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 c diced sweet onion
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 T honey
1 c dry white wine
2 T capers, drained
1 – 2 lemons, thinly sliced into 6 – 8 slices
1 c chicken stock/broth (or more if needed)

2 T finely chopped Italian parsley, for garnish

Method:

1 Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. On a cutting board, season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper.
3. Rub the chicken thighs with the olive oil and mustards. Set aside.
4. In a 9 x 13 x 2 shallow baking dish, stir together the beans, chickpeas, diced onion, garlic, honey, half of the herbes de provence spices, and white wine.
5. Sprinkle the capers over the bean mixture.
6. Arrange the lemon slices over the bean mixture.
7. Place each mustard-rubbed chicken thigh, skin side up, on top of at least one lemon slice.
8. Add the chicken stock/broth until it’s halfway up the side of the chicken thighs but not immersing them.
9. Sprinkle the remaining herbes de provence over the chicken thighs.
10. Bake the chicken dish for at least 30 minutes. An instant thermometer should read 160 degrees when the chicken is done. Also the skin should be brown and crispy. Watch the chicken thighs while baking so that they don’t burn. Also, stir the bean mixture once or twice while cooking so it doesn’t burn.
11. When the chicken thighs are done, remove the pan from the oven.
12. Move the chicken thighs to a large plate and set aside while you spoon the bean mixture into shallow serving bowls. Two bowls for two diners, four bowls for four diners.
13. Depending on the number of diners, place one or two chicken thighs over the bean mixture in the serving bowls.
14. Garnish with the lemon slices and chopped Italian parsley.
15. And serve!

Serves 2 – 4 hungry diners. Offer with a dry white wine and a salad such as my Special Bittersweet Salad or a field greens salad with my Lemon Thyme Vinaigrette. Crusty bread is necessary to sop up the sauce.

Variations: Use bone-in chicken breasts instead of thighs. You’ll have to monitor the baking time as the chicken breasts will likely take longer to cook. Add some diced potato, diced carrot and sliced celery to the bean mixture. Use Meyer lemons which have a sweeter taste than regular lemons. If you don’t have Herbes de Provence spices, use dried thyme instead.

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