I was looking for a new recipe for chicken thighs tonight that didn’t involve my slow-cooker since I didn’t get home until it was already dark outside and had been thawing the chicken all day in the refrigerator. It was not at all difficult to throw together and mostly just sat in the oven while I made a slightly more time-consuming recipe of a side dish of Julia Child’s Carottes a la Creme (Creamed Carrots). Click the link for that recipe.

©EverydayCookingAdventures

I prepared five chicken thighs. The chicken came out of the oven smelling so fragrant and nicely browned but not crispy. Oh My Goodness, this chicken is so flavorful, full of spices and tender. It’s not spicy like hot, just full of flavor. The different ingredients and aromas from the marinade made this an extra special dish. It is going to be my go-to dish for entertaining because it was quick, could be marinated ahead of time and then thrown in the oven, and I swear it was practically to die for. What a unique and fantastic dish–it’s not your boring chicken dish at all. Try this tonight! Here’s my chicken:

Lemon-Spiced Chicken ©EverydayCookingAdventures

Lemon-Spiced Chicken

From: The Newlywed’s Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lb Chicken Thighs (with skin on)
• 1/6 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• A small bunch of thyme sprigs, fresh
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Instructions:
1. Trim any excess fat from the chicken pieces. Put the chicken in a large baking dish. Put the oil, lemon juice, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well. Pour over the chicken and turn to coat well. Cover and set aside for at least 30 minutes, or refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours.

2. Make sure all the chicken pieces are skin side up in the dish and roast in a preheated oven at 400ºF until browned and cooked through, 50 to 60 minutes. Serve immediately with the pan juices poured over.