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Lemon Caper Chicken Thighs 🍋❤️ If you are looking for an easy but impressive chicken thigh recipe, look no further. This is one of my favorite recipes because it is unfussy, full of brightness from the capers and lemon but also rich and comforting.
If you loved this recipe, check out my Chicken Francese!
Why You’ll Love Lemon Caper Chicken Thighs
This chicken recipe is freaking delicious! It’s lemony, rich, and so flavorful. It’s very easy to make, which makes it perfect for a dinner party or if you are having people over. You can start the marinade the night before and have it ready to go for the following day. You can serve with anything your heart desires, I chose to serve with rice.
How To Prepare Lemon Caper Chicken Thighs
🍋 First, mix yogurt, caper brine, olive oil, lemon zest, grated garlic, 1 tsp salt and za’atar.
❤️ Secondly, add in chicken and let sit for 4-12 hours.
🧂 Place chicken in a cookie sheet, sprinkle some salt on the top and roast at 425F for 35-45 minutes and broil 1-2 minutes to get extra crispy skin. Basting once or twice.
🌟 Then, sauté the shallots and capers for 2 minutes on medium with a bit of olive oil.
🍷 Add in wine and reduce by 3/4. Squeeze lemon, add honey, a bit of salt and cook 1-2 minutes. Then, turn heat off and add butter, emulsify until you get a creamy sauce.
🍗 Lastly, serve sauce on the bottom to keep your chicken skin crispy.
Substitutions and Variations
- You can use greek yogurt instead of regular plain yogurt.
- You can use chicken broth instead of white wine. You can also use non-alcoholic white wine, Giesen has a great selection.
Chef Nadia’s Tip
Salting the skin will help it crisp up more.
Similar Recipes
Chef Nadia’s Tips 🔥
- Always serve the chicken over the sauce, so the skin doesn’t get soggy.
- You can marinate for 1-4 hours but if you have time, I recommend doing a full 12 hours.
Common Questions
I use Za’atar by Z&Z. I also use whichever one I find at my local Mediterranean market.
You can use chicken broth or non-alcoholic white wine. Giesen has a great selection of 0% alcohol wines.
I use Local Hive and Nature Nate’s.
Yes of course! You can use greek yogurt instead of regular plain yogurt.
Yogurt tenderizes the chicken, well any meat really in a very gentle and effective way without altering the flavor.
Lemon Caper Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 8 chicken thighs, bone-in & skin on
- 1 1/4 cup plain yogurt, or greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup caper brine
- 3 tbsp za’atar
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 large garlic clove, grated
- 1 meyer lemon, zest and juice
- 1/4 cup capers
- 3 tbsp olive oil , and more for cooking
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 4-5 tbsp unsalted butter, cold
- 1 tsp honey
Instructions
- First, mix yogurt, caper brine, olive oil, lemon zest, grated garlic, 1 tsp salt and za’atar.
- Secondly, add in chicken and let sit for 4-12 hours.
- Place chicken in a cookie sheet, sprinkle some salt on the top and roast at 425F for 35-45 minutes and broil 1-2 minutes to get extra crispy skin. Basting once or twice.
- Then, sauté the shallots and capers for 2 minutes on medium with a bit of olive oil.
- Add in wine and reduce by 3/4. Squeeze lemon, add honey, a bit of salt and cook 1-2 minutes. Then, turn heat off and add butter, emulsify until you get a creamy sauce.
- Lastly, serve sauce on the bottom to keep your chicken skin crispy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
