Earlier this month we rounded up our favorite chicken thigh recipes and then a few weeks later I developed this gem and OMG is it amazing! Get ready for Crispy Chicken Thighs with Smashed Peas!!
Here’s what happened: these chicken thighs get seared to perfection so their skin crisps up and the fat from the skin renders down into the skillet. Once they are done cooking, you add some lemony cheesy peas into the mix and let that hang out with the schmaltz in the bottom of the pan and holy cow you guys life will never be the same. Crispy Chicken Thighs with Cheesy Peas YES PLEASE.
The peas, the chicken, the pan drippings, everything about this is truly perfection. And bonus – it uses frozen peas kinda like the salmon we did a few months ago!! So all of the ingredients are going to be easy to come by and you can have on hand to whip up a meal in no time!!
More ways to use Spring Peas:
- Broiled Salmon with Spring Peas
- Green Pizza
- Spring Pasta Carbonara
- Snap Pea and Asparagus Pizza
- Spring Pea Salad
- Pesto Pea Pizza
- Pea Pasta with Burrata
- Pea and Asparagus Tart
- Spring Mac and Cheese
- Spring Pea Risotto
Crispy Chicken Thighs with Smashed Peas
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the Peas
- 1 10-ounce package frozen peas, completely thawed
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more to finish
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 lemons, 1 juiced and 1 sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- fresh dill and fresh mint leaves, optional
Instructions
- Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 400°F
- Season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt, pepper, cumin and coriander. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, skin side down, and cook until the fat has rendered and the skin is crisp and golden brown, about 8 minutes.
- Flip the chicken to the other side and scatter the lemon slices on top. Transfer to the oven and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh, away from the bone, registers 170°F (77°C), 18 to 20 minutes.
- While the chicken is roasting, make the smashed peas. Transfer the garlic to a medium bowl and add the pecorino, olive oil, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, salt, and plenty of black pepper, and whisk to combine. Add the thawed peas and stir to combine. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Use the back of a fork and just roughly mash half of the peas so they are a little more chunky and leave the other half whole.
- Remove the chicken from the oven, add the peas into the ovenproof skillet, basically nesting the chicken thighs into the peas and coating the peas with the chicken renderings and top with herbs and extra lemon, salt and pepper.
Delicious! I just love all these ways to use chicken!
It was so good! My husband and I eat a lot of chicken, so I’m always looking for different flavor combos and this recipe did not disappoint. It was fast and it was easy, great for a weeknight dinner.
This looks delicious! I am going to make it dairy free without the cheese.
OMG best peas ever! Chicken not too bad either!! Definitely a keeper!! Thank you!!
Agreed, the peas were the real stars of this meal. To die for!
Made this last night & it was wonderful!! Easy recipe with big flavor. Every one of your recipes I’ve tried has been amazing! My fav? Chicken Enchilada Bake. Yum!
Do we not cook the peas at all? Your recipe ends with just adding the peas to the skillet? Please explain
frozen peas are already cooked!!
I was wondering the same thing. In Europe at least frozen peas are usually raw.
Can you make this recipe with boneless, skinless chicken thighs? It’s all I have. Is there anything you would do differently?
you sure can!! they will just cook a bit faster without the bone
Looks fantastic! Care to share what type of pan this is shown in? Love the antique look!
it’s my prop stylists! I can ask!
Looks great! Would you serve it alongside anything else, or just solo? Thanks!
maybe a side salad!
What is the best substitute for the ground coriander? I’m making this tonight and just realized I don’t have any 🙁
you can omit!! or add a little cumin
Absolutely delicious! It was devoured before I could get any photos! We didn’t have the cheese and used about half of the amount of oil in the pea mix with the great mint and fresh dill. It was simply scrumptious!
Delish!!!Love how the peas compliments the chicken and so easy to prepare.Thank you Gaby!
It was very good but my peas didn’t look bright green when done ☹️
Just have a little talk with your food stylist! mine didn’t either, but it was super delicious. I put the chicken into a baking dish for the oven after browning in the skillet because I’m not sure the skillet is oven safe. Then I cooked the peas in the skillet while the chicken finished in the oven.
This dish will definitely be on my regular rotation – easy yet special. Served with spinach salad and a glass of Chardonnay. I feel other good side dishes might be butternut squash, rice and mushrooms, or broiled tomatoes.
This recipe immediately became my family’s favorite the first time I made it. And, by that I mean it’s been requested for birthdays and last-night-before-returning-to-college dinners, and both of my boys (yes, college-aged BOYS) asked for this recipe to prepare in their off-campus apartments. You really knocked it out of the park with this one! Thank you!!!
This is on my dinner menu for tonight!! I’ve made it before and it is supper YUMMY.
Love all the creative ways to jazz up the chicken!
OM GAWD I HATE PEAS! I loooooved this recipe so much and loved the peas (did I really say that?) and so did the hubs and kids.
My husband and I love this meal! It easy and delicious!
Honestly delicious recipe! The lemon flavor of the peas are excellent and the thighs were juicy! Highly recommend
This is what’s for dinner tonight. Looks so yummy!
The peas on top are incredible! So flavorful and so simple.
Incredible recipe. The chicken was juicy and flavorful, and the peas are to die for. Do not skip tossing the peas in with the chicken renderings! I topped the peas with mint and fennel fronds, and served with a simple green salad and crackers with chevre. An easy for weeknight dinner that could easily be served to guests, too.
Soooo good! Just made this tonight for my husband and it was a huge hit.
A few observations: 1) I decreased the oil in the peas mix by half and it came out perfectly; 2) the mint adds a ton of fresh extra flavor so if at all possible it should be added; 3) I made with pearl couscous on the side to help soak up some of the juice and it was pure heaven.
Thank you for another wonderful dish to add to my weekly menu!
This was so delicious I didn’t want to finish it! I added some shallots to the smashed peas. Came out great. You do not miss starch in this dish. The peas stand on their own. Can’t wait to make this again… Like maybe tomorrow
This looks amazing and am making it this week! I just have a question about the lemon. It says one lemon to juice and slice, so you juice it and then slice it and use the slices that don’t have much lemon left in them to cook on top of the chicken? Is it because of the flavor from the rind? That was just a little confusing to me and want to make sure I make it right!
good catch! just fixed it!
Is it possible to make this ahead a bit??? How would you do that?
yes but the peas would not stay bright green for ever!
This was so delicious and easy! My kids loved the peas and the chicken was so juicy. Will definitely be adding to my regular rotation!
The peas in this dish are everything!!
Delicious recipe! I didn’t have an oven safe pan so I cooked the skin and then baked the chicken. I broiled it on both sides too to make it extra crispy. The flavors blend well together and I turned my leftovers into a delicious pasta for the next day.