With juicy chicken thighs, caramelized fennel, onions, and lemon, and tender roasted potatoes, this entire meal cooks up in your cast iron skillet, making it the perfect quick one-pan weeknight dinner recipe. These Oven Baked Chicken Thighs are tender and juicy with a perfect crispy skin and loads of flavor from the lemon, thyme, and fennel.
If you were to ask me what my most essential kitchen tool is, I think I might have to say my cast iron skillet. I cook just about anything and everything in cast iron these days. It retains and distributes heat so well, allowing for even cooking and searing. Plus, with the right care and use, any cast iron pan is nearly as nonstick as any coated nonstick pan. Some of my favorite, go-to weeknight meals include anything I can throw together in my trusty cast iron skillet. So it seems only fitting that today’s recipe is a one-pan meal, all cooked up in a big cast iron skillet.
The beauty of this Oven Baked Chicken Thighs with Fennel and Lemon recipe is that you just toss everything together in one big skillet (or baking dish if you need to substitute), throw it in the oven, and 35 – 40 minutes later, you have an entire complete and delicious meal. As everything cooks together in the skillet, the onions, fennel, and lemon perfume and flavor the chicken, and the chicken juices drip down onto the potatoes, fennel, and onions, adding flavor and creating a rich, flavorful sauce.
How a Cast Iron Skillet Helps Get Crispy Chicken Skin
Until somewhat recently, I never really ate a lot of chicken thighs. Growing up, we usually ate chicken breasts, so that is what I always bought. That is until I realized how much I was missing out. Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs are super juicy and flavorful. Plus it is almost impossible to overcook and dry them out, which makes them forgiving and easier to cook than breasts. But, my favorite part of oven baked chicken thighs, it’s the golden, crispy skin!
For me, chicken thighs have to have that perfectly golden and super crispy skin. I tried a couple of different ways of cooking chicken thighs, trying to develop a crispy, golden crust, and this cast iron skillet oven baked method is definitely my favorite.
To get crispy oven baked chicken thighs:
- Pat the Chicken Dry: Moisture is the enemy of crispy chicken skin. So to start, you first must make sure to dry the chicken skin thoroughly. I use a couple of paper towels to pat the chicken dry on both sides.
- Sear the Chicken: Get your cast iron pan hot over a medium to medium high heat. Add a bit of oil to the pan, then sear your chicken thighs for about 4 minutes per side (skin side down first).
- Add the Veggies: After the chicken is seared (it won’t be cooked all of the way through yet), set it aside and add your veggies, seasoning, wine, and lemon to the pan.
- Bake in the Oven: Next, add the chicken thighs back in, skin side up, resting them gently on top of the veggies. You want to try to keep some space between each of the thighs to allow them to crisp up in the oven. As the chicken bakes, the juices will drip down on to the veggies, allowing the fat to render out and the skin to crisp up.
Can I Still Make These Baked Chicken Thighs If I Don’t Have a Cast Iron Skillet?
If you don’t have a cast iron or other oven proof skillet, you can still make these crispy Oven Baked Chicken Thighs with Fennel and Lemon. You will just want to sear the chicken thighs in another skillet, and transfer them to a baking dish on top of the veggies. Since you won’t have the heat from the pan to start cooking the veggies, you may want to add all of your veggies to a baking dish and bake while the chicken sears. Then, when the chicken is ready, add the wine and lemon juice to the veggies, stir to coat, and rest the chicken on top.
Can I Make Cast Iron Oven Baked Chicken Thighs without Fennel?
Yes, absolutely! This recipe is super flexible, so you can mix up the vegetables or flavors to your liking. In fact, Steve and I usually eat some variation of this recipe every other week, mixing it up depending on our mood and the veggies I have on hand. You can make any number of variations.
Want to cut back on the carbs? Substitute the red potatoes for sweet potatoes or parsnips. Don’t like fennel? Substitute carrots, Brussels sprouts, or broccoli. Don’t have any thyme, substitute another herb like rosemary, parsley, or sage.
The following are some other variations I like:
- Sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and onion with balsamic vinegar and rosemary
- Parsnips, carrots, and onions with lemon and parsley
- Red potatoes, carrots, and onions with white wine and sage
Any way you mix it up, this cast iron skillet Oven Baked Chicken Thighs recipe is a quick, and easy dinner any night of the week.
Looking for Other Easy One-Pan or Skillet Dinner Recipes?
Here are some of my other favorite quick and easy dinner recipes:
- Squash and Wild Rice Skillet with Apple Chicken Sausage
- Gnocchi with Sausage and Fennel
- Pan Seared Pork Chops with Basil, Peaches, and Brussels Sprouts
- Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes
If you make this Oven Baked Chicken Thighs with Fennel and Lemon recipe, be sure to leave a review below and tag your pictures on Facebook @NamasteHomeCooking.
Oven Baked Chicken Thighs with Fennel and Lemon
Ingredients
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 4 - 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 lbs)
- 1 bulb fennel
- 1 lb new potatoes
- 1 small yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 large lemon
- ¼ cup white wine
- Salt and pepper
- ½ tsp dried thyme (divided)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°
- Add olive oil to large cast iron or oven proof skillet, and heat over medium-high heat until oil is hot but not smoking.
- Pat chicken thighs with a paper towel to dry. Then sprinkle with salt and pepper and ¼ tsp thyme.
- When oil is hot, add chicken thighs to pan, skin side down. Sear about 4 minutes, flip, and sear other side another 4 minutes.
- While chicken sears, slice fennel and onion into ½ inch wedges, mince garlic, and cut potatoes in about ½ inch chunks.
- Zest the lemon, then slice about half into thin slices. Reserve other half of lemon for juice.
- When chicken is seared on both sides, remove from pan, and add potatoes, fennel, and onion to pan. Add garlic, lemon zest, remaining thyme, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Toss to coat evenly with the spices. Add white wine and lemon juice, then gently place lemon slices around the pan. Return chicken to pan, resting it on top of the veggies.
- Bake for 35 – 40 minutes, until chicken thighs are at 180° and fennel and potatoes are tender.