Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs get seared until golden, then roasted with capers, fresh lemon, and rosemary until the skin stays crispy and the meat stays juicy. Quartered red potatoes cook in the same skillet, picking up the garlic and lemon flavor as they roast. Fifteen minutes of prep, about 45 minutes in the oven, and only one pan to wash.
The Capers Make This Lemon Chicken Different
Most lemon chicken recipes stop at lemon for flavor, but this one adds capers too, and that’s what sets it apart. The capers add a tart, briny bite that plays against the lemon, and the red potatoes cook right in the same skillet, soaking up that same garlic and lemon flavor while getting crispy at the edges.
Searing the chicken thighs before they go in the oven keeps the skin crispy even after it bakes under the lemon and caper mixture, so you don’t end up with the soft, soggy skin some baked chicken recipes leave you with.
This is one of my husband’s favorite dinners, and if it were up to him, we’d have it every week. My daughter always goes back for more capers.
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Bone-In, Skin-On Thighs for a Reason
I use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs because they stay tender in a way bone-in breasts usually don’t, and skin-on chicken breasts with the bone still in are hard to find around here.
The skin does two jobs here: it crisps up in the skillet, and it holds the juices in so the meat underneath stays tender instead of drying out the way boneless breasts can. Chicken breasts are what most people default to for “lemon chicken,” but thighs hold up better.
Searing First Gives the Potatoes Their Flavor
After the chicken thighs brown in the skillet, I add the potatoes to that same pan. They pick up everything left behind from searing the chicken, which is where a lot of their flavor comes from, and starting them partway cooked in the skillet means they don’t need nearly as long in the oven.
It’s the same sear-then-roast approach I use in my chicken in white wine with a chardonnay pan sauce, just built around lemon and capers here instead of a wine reduction. My family cares more about the potatoes turning out crispy than almost anything else in this dish, so this step is the one I wouldn’t skip.
Where the Capers Came From
I always have a jar of capers in the fridge, and one night I tried a spoonful in this chicken along with the rosemary and lemon just to see what would happen. It worked well enough that it’s stayed in the recipe ever since. If you’d rather try a different one-pan route without the potatoes or capers, my roasted chicken with lemon and shallots finished under the broiler builds its sauce around shallots instead.
A Few Things That’ll Save You Soggy Skin and Mushy Potatoes
- Don’t skip searing the chicken skin-side down before it goes into the oven. This is what crisps the skin, and the drippings left behind are what give the potatoes their flavor.
- Cut the potatoes into pieces roughly the same size, about 1-inch, and don’t crowd the skillet.
- Check the chicken with a meat thermometer instead of going by time. Bone-in thighs are done at 175°F, and thigh size varies enough that time alone isn’t reliable.
- Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before serving so the juices stay in the meat instead of ending up on the plate.
Everything That Goes Into This Lemon Caper Chicken
The exact amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs: if your regular grocery store only stocks boneless thighs, check the butcher counter or a larger meat section, most carry the bone-in version even when it’s not on the shelf.
- Capers: drain and rinse them before adding them to the pan. Straight from the jar, they carry more of the brine, which can make the sauce taste saltier than you want.
- Red potatoes: their waxy texture holds together in the skillet instead of breaking down, and the skin is thin enough that you don’t need to peel them.
- Fresh rosemary: dried rosemary works in a pinch, but use about a third of the amount since dried herbs are more concentrated.
Just a Few Steps
Step 1: Build the Sauce First
Combine olive oil, lemon juice, capers, sliced lemon, garlic, rosemary and salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
Step 2: Brown It All in the Skillet
Step 3: Finish It in the Oven
This lemon caper chicken with roasted potatoes is the kind of meal that looks like it took real effort but comes down to one skillet, a handful of ingredients, and letting the oven do the rest.
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Baked Chicken with Lemon, Capers, and Roasted Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 lemons about ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 1 lemons sliced thin
- 4 cloves garlic smashed
- 2 tablespoons rosemary finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoons olive oil up to 2 tbsp
- 6 chicken thighs bone-in with skin on
- 1 lbs red potatoes quartered
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450º.
- In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup olive oil, lemon juice, capers, sliced lemon, garlic, rosemary and salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Salt and pepper the chicken on both sides. Place an oven proof skillet over medium-high heat and add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken, skin side down. Cook without moving for 2-3 minutes, turn and cook the other side for 2-3 minutes. Remove to a plate. Add cut up potatoes to the pan, season with ½ teaspoon of salt and cook for about 10 minutes until browned, stirring occasionally.
- Add chicken back to the pan, skin side up and pour thelemon mixture over the top. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until chicken is a meat thermometer reads 175º and the potatoes are brown.
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
- No oven-safe skillet? Sear the chicken and potatoes in a regular skillet, then move everything to a baking dish before it goes in the oven.
- Chicken is done at 175°F measured near the bone, not touching it.
- Refrigerate leftovers up to 3 days and reheat in the oven, not the microwave, to keep the skin crispy.
- This freezes well for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Nutrition
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