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
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the Peas
- 1 10-ounce package frozen peas, completely thawed
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- â…“ cup finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more to finish
- â…“ cup olive oil
- 2 lemons, 1 juiced and 1 sliced
- ¼ 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.
I've been craving Peas' lately and this did not disappoint. Super easy, delicious and no complaints from anyone in the family. This is going to be on regular rotation, especially those nights when I don't really want to cook.
Thank you!
Can you do this with skinless thighs?
sure can