Roasted Lemongrass Chicken Thighs
I came across this chicken thigh recipe from The Woks Of Life and ever since, my life has never been the same. At least when it comes to chicken thighs that is. First, the chicken thighs are marinaded in a zesty delicious marinade. Second, they are seared to form a crispy skin(my favorite part) and to seal in the juices. And last, baked to perfection!
When it’s time to sear the chicken thighs, I did four at a time to give each piece of chicken enough room in the pan for them to sear properly. After searing the first four, I put them on a plate to the side while working on searing the next batch. Once all eight of the chicken thighs were complete, I fit them back onto the pan (even though they were slightly crowded), poured in the rest of the marinade and off they went into the oven. If the chicken thighs are fairly large in size and are overlapping each other, feel free to use a larger baking dish.
Val and I enjoyed the crispy, tender chicken with brown rice and steamed green beans. His take on dinner was “Why didn’t you make more”??
Roasted Lemongrass Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp canola oil or vegetable oil (divided)
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 shallots peeled
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 lemongrass stalks cut into pieces or 3 tbsp of lemongrass stir-in paste
- 2 limes, only one zested, the other one for garnish
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- chopped basil, for garnish
Instructions
- In a food processor or a blender, add 3 tablespoons oil, the fish sauce, oyster sauce, red pepper flakes, sugar, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, and lime zest. Process/blend until smooth. Add to a bowl, along with the chicken, and toss to coat the chicken in the marinade. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1-4 hours.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Heat the remaining 2 tbsp oil in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Reserving the marinade, add 4 pieces of chicken to the skillet skin side down. Sear for 4 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Repeat with the last 4.
- Once all the chicken is seared, arrange them back onto the pan so they are not overlapping (if the pan is not large enough for that you may use a baking dish). Add the reserved marinade back into the skillet and transfer to the oven.
- Roast for 30-35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Garnish with chopped basil and serve with lime wedges.
