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Perfect Pan-Roasted Chicken Thighs
Crispy-skinned chicken thighs with juicy meat, cooked entirely in one pan. Weeknight cooking at its best.
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The exact cuts from our counter, delivered fresh across Essex.
Chicken thighs are the most forgiving cut in the butcher's counter — hard to overcook, full of flavour, and half the price of breast. The only rule that matters: get the skin properly crisp before the pan goes anywhere near the oven.
Method
Pat the chicken thighs completely dry with kitchen paper. Season both sides generously with salt and pepper.
Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof frying pan over medium-high heat. Place the thighs skin-side down and press gently for full contact.
Cook undisturbed for 6-8 minutes until the skin is deep golden and crisp. Don't move them — the skin will release when it's ready.
Flip the thighs. Add the garlic, thyme and lemon halves, cut-side down, to the pan.
Transfer the pan to an oven preheated to 200°C (180°C fan) and roast for 12-15 minutes until cooked through — 75°C at the thickest point.
Rest for 5 minutes, then squeeze the roasted lemon over everything and serve with the pan juices.
Pro tips from the block
- Dry skin, hot pan: moisture is the enemy of crispness. Pat, then pat again.
- Don't crowd the pan: eight thighs need a big pan or two batches. Crowded skin steams.
- Serve with: creamy mash or buttered greens to soak up the juices. Weeknight gold.
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