One Pan Crispy Chicken Thighs with Lemon Couscous
Crispy chicken thighs, toasted pearl couscous, garlic, and fresh lemon come together in one pan for an easy and flavorful weeknight dinner.
Servings: 4
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Ghee or neutral oil
- 2 pounds Bone-In Skin-On Chicken Thighs
- Kosher Salt & Black Pepper
- 4 cloves Garlic minced
- 1½ cups Pearl Couscous uncooked
- ⅓ cup Dry White Wine
- 2½ cups Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 Lemon zest and juice
- ½ cup Fresh Parsley roughly chopped
Instructions
- Prep chicken: Preheat oven to 400°F. Pat chicken thighs dry and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Sear chicken: Heat butter or ghee in a large oven-safe pan or braiser over medium heat. Place chicken thighs skin-side down and cook undisturbed for 8–10 minutes, or until the skin easily releases and is golden and crispy. Flip and cook 5 minutes more. Transfer to a plate.
- Toast couscous: In the same pan, sauté garlic for 1 minute. Add pearl couscous and cook 2 minutes, stirring often, until lightly toasted.
- Deglaze and boil: Pour in white wine and scrape up any browned bits from the pan. Simmer until mostly absorbed. Stir in chicken broth, Italian seasoning, and additional salt and pepper if needed. Bring to a boil.
- Bake: Return chicken thighs to the pan skin-side up. Transfer to the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the couscous is tender.
- Finish: Squeeze lemon juice over the top and sprinkle with lemon zest and parsley before serving.
Video
Notes
- Ghee: Ghee (clarified butter) works especially well here because it has a higher smoke point and helps the chicken skin brown nicely without burning as easily. If preferred, you can substitute a neutral oil such as avocado oil or olive oil.
- Dry white wine: I typically use Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. Avoid sweet wines like Moscato. If preferred, substitute additional chicken broth plus a small squeeze of lemon juice.
- Chicken thighs: Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs work best because the skin becomes crispy while the meat stays juicy and flavorful. If your chicken thighs have excess overhanging skin or large pieces of fat, you can trim some of it before cooking.
- Boneless skinless thighs: Boneless skinless chicken thighs can also be used. Sear for a shorter amount of time, about 5 minutes per side, since there is no skin to render. The oven time will still be similar because the pearl couscous needs time to finish cooking and absorb the liquid.
- Chicken breasts: Thin-sliced or halved boneless skinless chicken breasts can also be used. Sear for about 3–4 minutes per side. Since the couscous still needs time to cook in the oven, thinner chicken breasts may finish earlier, so you can remove them from the pan once cooked through and continue baking the couscous if needed. Be careful not to overcook the chicken breasts, as they can dry out more easily than chicken thighs.
- Pearl couscous: Pearl couscous, sometimes labeled Israeli couscous, is larger and more pasta-like than traditional couscous. I do not recommend substituting regular couscous in this recipe.
- Chicken broth: I recommend using a flavorful low-sodium chicken broth so you can better control the salt level. I used Kettle & Fire low-sodium chicken broth when testing this recipe.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat with a splash of chicken broth if needed.
Nutrition
Calories: 745kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 196mg | Sodium: 206mg | Potassium: 741mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 884IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 3mg
