By Melissa Clark
- Total Time
- 25 minutes
- Rating
- 5(6,279)
- Notes
- Read community notes
There’s nothing wrong with a dinner of pan-seared chicken seasoned with salt and pepper. But there’s everything right about the same chicken when you add anchovies, capers, garlic and plenty of lemon to the pan. What was once timid and a little dull turns vibrant, tangy and impossible to stop eating. And the only real extra work is chopping the garlic and a little parsley for garnish. In this dish, the cut of chicken is less important than the pungent pan sauce. Most people will probably want to use the workhorse of all poultry dinners, the boneless, skinless breasts. But the thighs cook nearly as quickly, and have a greater margin of error in terms of doneness. Overcook your breasts by even a minute, and you’ll get dry, tough meat. Thighs are more forgiving. However, if your family insists on white meat, you can substitute breasts and subtract about 3 minutes from the cooking time. There is no need to mention the anchovies until after people have complimented you on the meal.
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 1¼pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (4 to 5 thighs)
- 1teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 6garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
- ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 5anchovy fillets
- 2tablespoons drained capers, patted dry
- 1large pinch chile flakes
- 1lemon, halved
- Fresh chopped parsley, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
407 calories; 23 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 45 grams protein; 607 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and let rest while you prepare the anchovy-garlic oil. Mince one of the garlic cloves and set it aside for later. In a large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the 5 smashed whole garlic cloves, the anchovies, capers and chile. Let cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up the anchovies, until the garlic browns around the edges and the anchovies dissolve, 3 to 5 minutes.
Step
2
Add the chicken thighs and cook until nicely browned on one side, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip the thighs, place the pan in the oven and cook another 5 to 10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
Step
3
When chicken is done, transfer thighs to a plate (be careful, as the pan handle will be hot). Place skillet back on the heat and add minced garlic and the juice of one lemon half. Cook for about 30 seconds, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Return chicken to the pan and cook it in the sauce for another 15 to 30 seconds.
Step
4
Transfer everything to a serving platter. Squeeze the remaining lemon half over the chicken and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve.
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6,279
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Cooking Notes
LH
For those who, like me, use anchovy paste from the tube rather than whole fillet anchovies, note that according to most sources one anchovy fillet is the equivalent of 1/2 teaspoon of anchovy paste.
Jessica
I make this all the time, too, and I've shared the recipe with lots of people. I use bone-in, skin-on thighs (because chicken skin is the best part of a chicken), and I brown the chicken a bit first before adding the anchovies, garlic, etc. so nothing burns. Perfect weeknight meal.
JD
I've made this many times now, and it is always a hit. I put capers in after the anchovies dissolve (Step 1) so they don't get too over cooked. Also I find that the juice of a whole lemon (Step 3) is necessary.
nutsnbolts
There wasn't enough sauce for my taste so I added vermouth to the pan along with a little more lemon juice. Probably could have used chicken broth, but the vermouth was more interesting.
Ken Wightman
I'm going to make this tomorrow night. It sounds great. I'm beginning to think Ms. Clark is onto something when she goes on and on about the magic of anchovies. I've slipped them into a number of meals and they seem to add sparkle without added a "fishy" taste. (My wife's big fear.)
I must tell you that your Cooking site is wonderful. Well laid out, great videos (short but informative) and lots of contagious enthusiasm. Nice work. You can all take a bow.
Cheers!
Ray
Your assertion is overblown.
Guests generally bear the responsibility of informing their hosts about life threatening allergies.
Allergies to shellfish are fairly common, as food allergies go. Anchovies, though, are a fin fish, not a shellfish. They do not contain chitin, which is the allergen present in shellfish. Fin fish allergies are rare. People frequently believe anchovies are shellfish, and also commonly believe they don't like them due to fishy smell. She's saying try them.
3rd time
Last night, I briefly steamed thickly sliced potatoes and added them when the chicken went into the oven. Before deglazing the pan, I transferred the potatoes to a platter, placing the chicken on top, and returned to the oven. I poured the deglazed pan sauce over all and served with the parsley. (This eliminated the step of adding the chicken back to the pan.) The spuds were an easy way to round out the menu and take advantage of all the delicious pan sauces this recipe makes.
Christine
I have tried both ways and the oven finish really adds more depth to the flavor
Stephanie
Brown the thighs first, remove from pan. THEN make the sauce. Cook the anchovies and garlic together on a low heat to control the garlic not getting over cooked. Then add capers as suggested by another reader. I add at least a half to 3/4 c white wine at the end when thighs have been removed from the sauce along with more lemon. simmer to reduce a bit and thicken. the more sauce the merrier! finally a T of butter.
Sue Llewellyn
Splendid recipe, though there's no real need for the preheated-oven bit, which seems an entirely unwarranted complication. Instead, why not turn and cook chicken on other side in the pan, then transfer to plate and proceed with step 3?
mjb
Love this dish. Fast, easy and delicious. Its too hot to put the oven on, so, I made it entirely on top of the stove. I cooked for about 3-5 minutes per side and used a lid on my saute pan to keep the splatter at bay. On the plus side, I once I put everything on a platter, I used the light coating of oil remaining in the pan to saute some broccoli. Will be making this dish over and over again. Don't forget the bread!! Its essential to mop up the sauce.
Oksen
Just wow. Truly lives up to the hype!
I also skipped the whole oven thing. Used thighs, which I think pan fry well without drying out. Another lazy shortcut I took was putting in white wine instead of lemon. Turned out plate-licking good. I'm literally making it again tonight, though we just had it last night. Melissa is my girl.
Sue Llewellyn
Next time try jarred anchovies in olive oil--and definitely "Italian" flat-leaf parsley--for an even higher flavor profile.
Charles Michener
I've cooked this dish for years - it's a good one. I suggest several modifications. Tinned anchovies can taste fishy; if using them instead of jarred ones, rinse them gently first. I brown the chicken in the anchovy/oil/red pepper mixture, then add the smashed garlic (this way you won't burn the garlic).To keep the chicken moist, I pan roast it with a little chicken stock on the stovetop. I perk it up at the end with lemon zest (not juice), finely minced capers, garlic and parsley.
Staccato
Great served over spinach.
Allyson
This was a great dish! I accidentally burned the sauce when I added the lemon juice by getting side tracked, but otherwise it got rave reviews with my family. I had some leftover twice baked potatoes that I paired with it—don’t be like me and pair this with an already salty/savory side. Rice or steamed veggies or crusty bread would complement it beautifully. I baked zucchini with garlic and parmesan and it was delicious, but didn’t let the main dish shine. In summary: let this dish shine!
Mary
There is only one word i would use to describe this recipe—FABULOUS. Unfortunately did not have a baguette but used Trader Joe’s sourdough bread to soak up the delicious juices. Great meal!
PatC
Outstanding!! Another Melissa Clark hit. Did sauté the chicken first, set aside, made sauce in same pan and returned chicken to pan to finish. Also added a couple glugs of dry Vermouth.
A cook from SF
This was quite tasty. Did per recipe and turned out very well. Added a bit of wine and chicken stock at end to make more sauce.
Cindy
Can you use fish sauce rather than anchovies?I always have fish sauce, I put in almost everything
Lindsey
Fantastic. Just perfect.
Will
Followed the recipe exactly and it was perfect.
GGD
Delicious! Goes into the rotation. Made it with skin on, bone in Chicken thighs. Used the olive oil from the anchovy jar to sauté the garlic and anchovies. Cooked in the oven for 20 minutes. Plenty of sauce. Served it over mini farfalle pasta with a side of green romano beans.
alexandra
I don’t think there’s any need to pat the capers dry. And throw in some extra caper juice along with some more lemon juice to deglaze! Fresh capers along with more minced garlic helps brighten it up too.
additions.
add chunks of cheddar. yums.
jr
This was fantastic
Loved it! And so did our guests!
So, so GOOD!!!
ChelleB
Tasty! Had all the ingredients except for the capers sub'd with chopped green olives and it was delish. Served over leftover farro and the hubby was very impressed!
linda
Delicious! If you open out the thighs rather than leave them folded, they will cook faster.
Jay
Made this using bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and it was outstanding. Brown the skin-side first. Just add a bit more time, as needed, to the baking, ensuring the chicken is fully cooked. Don't skimp on the lemon juice. So easy.
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