Oven Baked Cast Iron Chicken Thighs with Gremolata
The star of this oven-baked cast iron chicken thighs recipe with gremolata is, hands down, the gremolata. Briny buttery olives are the base you’ll build the gremolata sauce around. If you’re bored with the ordinary chicken recipe, the gremolata puts the “extra” into this delicious dinner your whole family will love.
First up, let’s talk about the chicken.
No need to be choosy about what type of chicken you use – chicken legs, chicken breast, or even a whole chicken, will work. You’ll need to adjust the cooking time, though, depending on what type of chicken you use. Chicken breast will cook much faster than bone-in chicken thighs or a whole roasting chicken. For flavor, skin-on chicken thighs will give you the best flavor.
Once you’ve picked what type of chicken you’re cooking, the next step is the marinade.
The chicken gets dunked in a marinade made of orange juice, oregano (for high quality, well sourced spices I absolutely love Spicewalla and Curio Spice), garlic, orange slices, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Why marinate it? The reason is you’ll infuse the chicken with a ton of flavor. I know you might be in a hurry to get dinner on the table ASAP, but don’t skimp the marinating step. It really does make a difference in the flavor. This isn’t to say the chicken won’t be delicious if you don’t marinate it, but it will be MORE delicious if you do.
Since we’re all about building flavor, the first cooking step is to brown your chicken on the stove first.
The not-so-secret secret to preventing your chicken from sticking to the pan is to let it get nice and golden brown. Once it’s cooked on the bottom it will easily lift off from the pan. Don’t force it. If the chicken doesn’t easily lift from the pan when you flip it, that means it’s not ready to be flipped yet.
In your skillet, place chicken over medium-high heat with the skin side down, so the fat renders with the flavors of the marinade which will create even more flavor. How many times will I say flavor in this post? Lol…..many many times, but building flavor in a dish is incredibly important because we all want our food to taste good, right? Having dimensions of flavor, not just one note (like a dish that’s only spicy, or only sweet) keeps bringing us back for bite after bite.
Another tip about cooking chicken – don’t crowd your skillet. Only put as many pieces that fit with plenty of room around them. In my cast iron skillet, depending on the size of the thighs, I can usually cook 3-4 at a time. If you’re cooking in batches, have a sheet pan nearby so you have somewhere to put the cooked chicken.
Now, for a brief word about the gremolata.
Gremolata ingredients usually include lemon zest, garlic, and parsley. I switched things up (because recipes should be inspirations and jumping-off points to go in whatever direction sounds good!) and added briny green olives, spicy red chiles, and orange zest.
Why do I recommend green olives? Personally, black olives don’t give enough flavor to the sauce. My dad would whole heartedly disagree. He’s a huge fan of black olives, especially on his tacos. So, if you’re like my dad and love them, then, by all means, go ahead and use them!
Other stars of the gremolata are: garlic and a red chili which add some heat, parsley and oregano that bring a freshness to the party, and orange and lemon juice add sweetness and acid.
It’s an incredibly easy sauce to make and should take you less than 10 minutes.
EXTRA TIPS:
TIP 1
The gremolata can be made a day, or two, ahead of time. This will allow all the flavors to meld together and makes for an even MORE flavor packed gremolata. Plus, this will save you time because you’ll have one step already out of the way and done.
TIP 2:
For a quick weeknight meal break this recipe down in steps: make the gremolata on day 1, marinate chicken on day 2, and cook chicken on day 3. When you break up the steps and do some prep work ahead of time, this flavorful dish can be ready in 45 minutes or less (depending on the chicken cook time).
TIP 3:
If you like an extra garlicky gremolata, add 1-2 more garlic cloves
TIP 4:
When you’ve plated the chicken and spooned some gremolata over the top, garnish with fresh parsley.
TIP 5:
For a restaurant-worthy extra flourish of flavor, sprinkle with a pinch of salt (preferably Maldon or other large flakey salt).
OTHER TASTY CHICKEN DISHES YOU MIGHT LIKE!
Easy Chicken Parmesan Recipe with Tomato Confit
Crispy, Crunchy, Sweet and Spicy Chicken
Proscuitto Wrapped Chicken with Crispy Sage
If you make this recipe, I’d love if you’d leave a comment and let me know how it turned out! Your comments are super helpful to other guests who swing by looking for tasty recipes.
