I mean, big surprise – garlic. Garlic is so goooooooodddd (hence blog title), and it’s an injustice to food not to use it in every single recipe you ever make for the rest of your life. At least that’s the logical conclusion I’ve come to. The grocery store I shop at, Dillon’s, carries these bags of garlic, and the bag is filled with like 4-pack vacuum sealed pouches of garlic. Already peeled and everything.
This has definitely upped my garlic consumption from what it was before this delicious discovery, if that’s even possible. It’s just so convenient! I used to buy the pre-peeled cloves that come in the little tub, but those just aren’t as good because they start to go bad so quickly. But thanks to Dillon’s little vacuum sealer trick, they stay perfect in the fridge for a super long time 😍😍😍! It makes my garlic dreams come true.
Some day when we aren’t in the Army and moving every seven minutes, I am going to have a garden and grow a ton of garlic. And then eat it with every meal. And it will be awesome.
Anyway – this was only a semi-random-garlic-rant since this recipe is called “Garlic Butter Chicken Thighs.” If you guys are looking for a flavor packed chicken recipe, this is your ticket!
Let me just lay this out for ya, friends. First we start with four delicious chicken thighs, pat them dry, and season them with salt and pepper. Then we throw some butter and olive oil (and by some butter, I mean a lot) into a heavy pan – hello, cast iron! – along with several cloves of crushed garlic.
When that’s hot and sizzly, throw your chicken in there, skin side down, and sear it until it is so brown and crispy you just want to die and go to chicken heaven. You’ll need to remove the crushed garlic cloves when they go from delicious, golden brown to, okay-now-they’re-kind-of-burning brown.
Flip the chicken thighs over, throw the pan into a preheated oven, and bake for about fifteen minutes, or until that chicken is perfectly cooked through and too juicy for words!
Aaaand that’s it. That’s all. And it’s super yummy. And flavorful. And garlic-y. But not TOO garlic-y. Just enough garlic to give the chicken a deep, rich, complex flavor that only garlic can give.
My husband finally got home last night from the field! He was gone for almost a month, and he got back at like 12:30 am, so needless to say, I was quite asleep. I was up for work before him this morning, so I was sitting on the edge of the bed trying to talk to him, but between his barely-awake state this morning, Boone’s incessant face licking and whining when Seth payed any attention to me instead of him, and our half asleep midnight wake up last night, we haven’t gotten much time together yet. So I’m very excited about this weekend!
He’s been mainly eating MREs for the last three and a half weeks, so tonight we are having a big fancy dinner of his choice: steak, mashed potatoes (or in his words…”real potatoes that are buttery”), and Caesar salad. He’s so predictable – I could have guessed that menu choice a mile away 😂.
I’m glad that he is so predictable and easy when it comes to decisions like that, though. If the tables were turned and this was me trying to decide the one thing I wanted him to make me, we could be here for days while I flip through the various options in my head. THERE ARE TOO MANY DELICIOUS TYPES OF FOOD!
He loves all types of food, but if you want to plan a meal like this for him that is all about what he wants, it’s always going to be steak and potatoes. He’s so easy to please 😀.
I, however, would take this delicious, buttery, garlic-y chicken over a steak any day of the week!
PrintGarlic Butter Chicken Thighs
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 4 bone in, skin on chicken thighs
- 5 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
- Pat your chicken thighs dry and season both sides with salt and pepper
- Add your butter and olive oil into a large, oven proof skillet (cast irons are perfect for this) over medium heat
- When the butter is melted, add your garlic cloves. You just want the garlic cloves to be lightly crushed, so they still remain in one piece for easy removal, but also release all that flavor into the butter
- When your pan is hot, add your chicken skin side down
- Sear until the chicken skin is nice, brown, and crispy. Stir the garlic cloves around the pan during this process – you will need to take the garlic out when it starts to get too brown
- Flip your chicken over once the skin is crispy
- Place the whole skillet in the oven and bake for 10-15 mins (oven time will vary based on how long you seared the chicken in your pan, but just keep an eye on it)
- When the chicken is done, remove to a plate, spoon some of the garlic butter over top of each thigh, and you’re ready to serve!
Nutrition info is for one chicken thigh with the garlic butter sauce spooned over top.
If you make this or any of my other recipes, be sure to Instagram it and hashtag #thegarlicdiaries!
In the mood for more yummy chicken recipes? Check these out:
One Sheet Brown Sugar, Dijon Chicken
Annie,
You can grow garlic in a pot. You want a good, loose loam even somewhat sandy soil. Planting is easier from a plant sets rather than seed. Separate each bulb into cloves. Every clove will grow a bulb and mature in 90 days. Plant it in the pot and put it outside to grow. The only thing is that it needs more watering than if you grow it in the ground. After the tops have turned yellow and begun to die down, the bulbs may be pulled and dried in a shady place. Take it with you when you move.
Wow – what a cool tip! I’d love to try that!
What is a good side choice with this chicken?
A fresh salad would be great since the chicken thighs are a little heavier!
Hi! Love the recipe! But can I do this without the oven? Will the chicken be thoroughly cooked if i just use the stove?
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Hey Christy! You can make this work on the stove top! Just make sure you cook it long enough that it’s fully done in the middle since you won’t have the oven step in there anymore. Sometimes this can be more challenging because by the time the chicken is cooked through in the middle, the outside has gotten too brown, but as long as you keep an eye on this you should be fine!
Hey Annie. Family loved the chicken! Thx!
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So glad you loved it, Mike!!
Was looking for a recipe using chicken thighs for dinner tonight and found yours. I’m super excited to try this one!
Hi Annie, Just stumbled across your recipe. Whilst reading I couldn’t help but notice you love garlic. Have you ever tried garlic ice cream? For 4 years I lived on the Isle of Wight (UK) (married to a medic and move around alot) and they have a garlic festival every year. Everything garlic! https://www.thegarlicfarm.co.uk/event/the-garlic-festival-2018-1 Thanks for posting this recipe I will try it this week. Lisa :0)
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Oh my goodness, that garlic festival sounds right up my alley! Whoever thought of a festival just for garlic is brilliant ;). I have never tried garlic ice cream!! Is it good? Hope this recipe turns out well for you, Lisa!
Would skinless/boneless thighs work out OK? Any tips in doing so?
That would work just fine! Sear the chicken until it’s nice and brown just like you would the skin-on thighs before placing them in the oven. They might cook a bit more quickly, so maybe check their doneness earlier.
Cover or uncover when it goes in the oven?
Uncovered!
Hi I don’t have any garlic cloves. Will garlic powder or garlic salt work?
The garlic is a pretty integral part of this recipe, so I’d use fresh garlic if you have time to go grab it from the store! However, in a pinch, you could season the chicken with garlic powder and then cook according to the recipe!
I don’t have a cast iron skillet, can I make in the regular frying pan?
Hey Rachael! As long as it’s an oven safe pan, you’re fine to use whatever!
Omg made this over the weekend, best chicken I’ve ever had in my life!!! The hubby loves them. Making them again tonight!!
Yay!! SO glad you guys loved them! You can’t go wrong with garlic and butter :)