on Aug 24, 2016, Updated Aug 28, 2020 Caramelized Onions Thyme Lemon Chicken Legs. It’s a mouthful, I know but believe me, its name is the only time consuming thing about this dish. Because otherwise, this is one of those dump and go recipes where the whole dish is cooked in a single pan and requires very little supervision! The resulting dish though is one that will have you reaching for seconds! Imagine juicy pieces of chicken cooked on a bed of slowly caramelizing onions. Lemon and honey add the perfect medley of sweet and citrusy flavours, while the earthiness of thyme grounds all the different elements together.
Reasons why you’ll love this recipe
This caramelized onion thyme lemon chicken legs is so simple that you’ll be making it over and over again. It’s healthy in a clean eating sort of way as this recipe is made entirely from whole ingredients. It’s sort of inspired by the caramelized onion and rosemary chicken that I posted a while ago which you guys seem to love so much. And I can imagine why! Both these recipes follow the exact same process, but are miles apart in flavor.
How to caramelize onions for this recipe?
Now everyone thinks that caramelized onions take time and you need to be at it for hours. And while that might be true for other recipes, for this one all you need to do is dump the onions in a pan with some oil and prop some chicken on top. And bam! You have caramelized onions as your chicken cooks and you don’t even need to stir them once! I’ve only ever tried this with chicken. And IMO this happens because the onions cook in the juices of the chicken, and because the chicken is sitting on top of them, they become stickier and sort of melt.
Top tips to make the best caramelized onion chicken
I would highly recommend using bone-in thigh pieces for this recipe. Since they are thicker, they can withstand the high cooking temperatures and still remain tender and juicy until the very end. Make sure to flip the chicken pieces halfway through to ensure that they cook evenly on both sides.
I love serving this with a side of stir fried veggies and mashed potato. But you can even serve it with roti or naan and some salad for a more desi meal. If you love chicken dinners, don’t forget to follow my Chicken Recipes board on Pinterest for a daily dose of inspiration!
More one-pan chicken dishes you’ll love:
Spinach Mushroon Stuffed Chicken Breast Caramelized Onion Rosemary Chicken Thighs Creamy Sun-dried Tomato Chicken WIth Pasta Creamy Bacon Rosemary Mushroom Chicken Thighs
