Cast Iron Chicken Thighs with Citrus & Cilantro
Cast iron chicken thighs will be your new favorite easy dinner. If you’re looking for a recipe your whole family will love, this is it.
Made with chicken thighs that turn out juicy inside with a hint of crispness on the outside, everyone will want the recipe for this one! Serve it with these crispy country potatoes for a win!
This cast iron chicken thighs recipe is easy enough for a weeknight family dinner but elegant enough for company.
At the end of a long week, an easy recipe is welcome on a Friday night! Can I get an Amen?!
I use my large cast skillet a lot, even making a whole chicken in it with this recipe for roasted chicken and vegetables!
We also love this recipe for skillet chicken thighs with a wonderful pan sauce gravy or these Greek chicken thighs with Greek orzo salad.
If you don’t have a cast-iron skillet, you’ll find a lot to choose from, but you’ll want to choose wisely.
My favorite cast iron pan brand is Lodge. It’s not expensive and it will last you for many years.
This Lodge skillet comes with a lid and a heat-resistant holder. You can use this skillet on the stove, in the oven, or even on the grill.
Cast iron on the grill is my husband’s favorite cooking method! Try this pan-roasted bratwurst skillet meal or this one-pan chicken and rice!
Making everything in one pan is a great way to get dinner on the table easily. This dish has so much flavor it will wow your taste buds and will be one of your family’s favorite recipes.
How to Make this Chicken
Gather your ingredients from the list on the recipe card below. Keep in mind that the more you chop the cilantro, the less flavor it will have! I learned this lesson while in Mexico making this seafood salad recipe. Chop well just one time.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Make chicken seasoning by adding Red Mash Sea Salt (regular kosher salt for no spice), paprika, black pepper, garlic powder, ground nutmeg to a small bowl.
You could also mince garlic cloves to add to the mix instead of the garlic powder. Garlic and chicken pair so well!
Stir the mixture well to make sure it’s blended.
Use paper towels to pat chicken dry. With the seasoning mix, rub each thigh back and front as well as under the chicken skin.
Getting the rub under the skin is the key to flavor and juiciness. Set the thighs aside at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Heat the cast iron skillet to medium-high heat.
Heat oil in your cast iron skillet to heat. Add the thighs to the hot skillet skin side down and brown on both sides. This will give you a crispy skin and juicy chicken meat.
Remove the thighs from the skillet and set aside briefly.
Next, lower the pan to medium heat while slowly adding the white wine.
Cook for about 10 minutes to reduce the wine.
Add the broth, bringing the liquid to a simmer.
Add the juice from ½ lime, and the juice from ½ lemon, and garlic.
Return the chicken pieces to the hot pan and add the cilantro.
Increase temp to a high simmer for about 5 minutes or so.
Cover the skillet and put in a 375 ° oven for 45 minutes.
Uncover for 5-10 minutes to crisp chicken.
Check the internal temperature of the chicken with a meat thermometer. It should be 165º.
Take out of the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Add cilantro and lemon slices to garnish the top of the chicken. You could also squeeze a little lemon juice over the chicken.
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Any vegetable would be great with this chicken. Green beans and mashed potatoes would be perfect for a family meal. Spaghetti squash would also be delicious. If you’ve never made it, learn how to cook spaghetti squash, and it will be your new favorite side dish. One of these make-ahead pasta salads would be good, too.
You can! I know people are trying to eat healthier, but the skin cooks up so delicious on this chicken, it would be a shame to miss it! You could also use chicken breasts. I just think thighs are more delicious.
These Cheddar Bay biscuits would pair perfectly with this meal, too.
For dessert, try one of these strawberry recipes, this amazing sacher torte, or these churro cheesecake bars.
More Lemon Recipes
Looking for more recipes with lemon? This Lemon and Herb Shrimp is a really popular recipe on my site, and it’s low in points for the Weight Watchers plan. If you’re having a cookout or picnic, you’ll want to serve this Triple Berry Lemonade. For dessert, you’ll love these Lemon Cupcakes or this Lemon Poke Cake with Blueberries.
More Chicken Recipes
Chicken is such a versatile base for meals, so you’ll find a lot of chicken dinner recipes on this site. A handful of my favorites are this One Pan Chicken and Rice, this super easy chicken stew, Roasted Chicken and Vegetables (it makes a pretty presentation for guests!), and this Baked Hawaiian Chicken.
If you’re watching your weight, you’re sure to find some new favorites on this list of Chicken Weight Watchers recipes.
Cast Iron Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 8 chicken thighs bone in, skin on (room temp)
- 2 T Olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 1 C white wine
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 lemon 1/2 juice, half sliced
- 2 C chicken broth
- 1 bunch cilantro chopped with stems removed
- Chicken seasoning mix below
Chicken Seasoning Mix
- 1 TBSP Red Mash Sea Salt Use any peppery sea salt, or regular for no spice
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 TBSP garlic powder
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Mix spices in a bowl.
- Use paper towels to pat the thighs dry.
- With the seasoning mix, rub each thigh back and front as well as under the skin.
- Set the thighs aside at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Pour 1-2 tbsp of olive oil in a cast iron skillet to heat.
- Add the thighs to the skillet browning on both sides.
- Remove the thighs from the skillet and set aside briefly.
- Next lower the heat while slowly adding white wine.
- Cook for about 10 minutes to reduce the wine. Add the broth.
- Bring the liquid to a simmer next add the juice from ½ lime, and the juice from ½ lemon, and garlic.
- Return the chicken to the skillet; adding the cilantro.
- Increase temp to a high-simmer for about 5 minutes or so.
- Cover the skillet and put in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes.
- Uncover for 5-10 minutes to crisp chicken.
- Take out of the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.
- Add cilantro and sliced lemon to garnish the chicken.
