• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Eat the Bite
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Welcome to Eat the Bite!
  • Recipes
  • Appetizer/Snack
  • Side Dish
  • Breakfast/Brunch
  • Sandwiches
  • Beef
  • Chicken
  • CSA SERIES
  • Entrees
  • International
  • Pasta
  • Pizza
  • Pork
  • Salad
  • Seafood
  • Stuffed Chicken Breast Series
  • Sweet Things
  • Vegetarian
×

Home » Entrees

Rosemary Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs

Published: Feb 25, 2021 · Modified: Mar 16, 2023 by Stacey

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

A number of years ago, in a pinch, I bought Trader Joe's Spatchcocked Lemon Rosemary Chicken. It's a bit pricey, but we needed dinner and somehow had no food in the house. I wanted something effortless and flavorful. And that spatchcock chicken more than delivered. I loved the flavor, and it seemed like something I simply had to play with a bit. My experiments took the form of these rosemary lemon garlic chicken thighs and came pretty damn close to that Trader Joe's spatchcocked version. Before you get started, be sure to check out my video on how to trim the fat from chicken thighs too.

The Key to Rosemary Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs is the Marinade

I love chicken. Love it. It's the most predominant food in my diet. It's what I eat most days of the week. And in particular: chicken thighs. I almost can't even understand white meat chicken. Dark meat is juicy, tender, more flavorful. I mean, I eat white meat chicken too, of course. But dark meat has a special place in my heart. And these rosemary lemon garlic chicken thighs are really fantastic.

It's a recipe that evolved over time, but I've got it perfected now. The key is marinating it overnight. Whether you use the chicken-in-a-bag method like me or wrap it in a glass bowl - the chicken must be marinated. First, I mix the marinade in a bowl, then I add the chicken, fork the chicken, and transfer to a Ziplock bag. Again, I like to marinate for a full 24 hours. If I can't manage that because of my schedule, I will at least try to marinate the chicken in the morning and cook it in the evening.

For this recipe, I show you a quick veggie side as well. A simple mixture of carrots and zucchini with feta sprinkled on top - my favorite. But you can make this side your own too. You could have broccoli, a side salad, roasted potatoes or whatever tickles your fancy.

Got Chicken on Your Brain? Me Too!

  • Crispy Chicken Thighs with Honey Garlic Sauce
  • One Pot Chicken with Carrots & Fennel
  • Cardamom Chicken Thighs with Coconut Raisin Rice
  • Ina Garten's Chicken Marbella
  • Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
  • General Tso's Chicken w/Trader Joe's Hack
  • Grilled Sriracha Lime Chicken
  • Easy One-Pot Chicken & Dumplings

I highly encourage all of you to get to know your kitchens and make homemade food for your loved ones. Eating out is becoming a very expensive luxury these days so there has never been a better time to cook from home. Preparing meals for our families and friends is a wonderful tradition to keep up with. It gives us a chance to slow down for a moment, put down our devices and connect with the people we care about.

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Rosemary Lemon Garlic Chicken


  • Author: Stacey
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes (plus 24-hour marinade)
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Yield: 4-6 portions 1x
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

This easy chicken-in-a-bag recipe is chock full of fresh rosemary, lemon and lots of garlic. A great weeknight option! 


Ingredients

Units Scale

Chicken Marinade

  • 6 Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
  • 5 cloves of garlic, finely diced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh chopped rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 2 lemons (zested and juiced)
  • ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil

Vegetable Side

  • 2-3 medium carrots
  • 2 medium zucchini
  • ½ cup feta cheese
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Basmati Rice

  • 2 cups basmati
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Chicken Marinade

  1. Prepare your marinade. Add the following to a bowl: finely diced cloves of garlic, zest and juice of lemons (set lemon pieces aside-do not throw away), olive oil, salt, dijon mustard, fresh chopped rosemary, balsamic vinegar. Whisk to combine all ingredients.
  2.  Trim fat from chicken thighs and discard.
  3. Add trimmed chicken thighs to marinade. Toss around making sure all the chicken is coated in the marinade.
  4. Fork the chicken to help ensure full flavor penetration.
  5. Put chicken in a zip-lock bag, along with the lemons, and let marinate overnight.
  6. After chicken has marinated overnight, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place the chicken and lemon pieces in a baking dish and cook the chicken for about 50 minutes. Let chicken rest for five minutes before eating.

Basmati Rice

  1. Follow instructions on bag but remember to add butter and salt before covering the rice to cook.

Vegetable Side 

  1. Always wash your veggies before cooking. 
  2. Carrots: Peel carrots, cut in half, cut into carrots sticks then cut into cubes. Put in pan on low heat with olive oil, salt and pepper. Give it a stir. Cover and cook on low for 5 minutes. Turn heat off and let sit, covered, a few more minutes. They will be about 90% done and they’ll continue cooking later when we add the zucchini. 
  3. Zucchini: While carrots are cooking, start on your zucchini. Same method as carrots. Cut into zucchini sticks and then cubes. 
  4. Feta cheese: Have container standing by so you’re ready to sprinkle on top of your veggies. 
  5. Just before the chicken is ready, add zucchini to the carrot pan. Turn heat on low. There should be some residual olive oil in the pan with carrots so no need to add anymore here. 
  6. Toss veggies together, then cover and cook on low for 4 minutes. Uncover and cook a few more minutes. I like to cook until carrots are soft and zucchini is al dente. 
  7. When your chicken is finished - plate your delicious meal! I usually put the rice down, spoon my zucchini & carrot mixture on top of the rice, then sprinkle on the feta.

Equipment

Image of 9x13 Baking Dish

9x13 Baking Dish

Buy Now →
Image of T-fal Non-Stick Pans (set of 3)

T-fal Non-Stick Pans (set of 3)

Buy Now →
Image of Hand-held Juicer

Hand-held Juicer

Buy Now →
Image of Gallon Slider Storage Bags

Gallon Slider Storage Bags

Buy Now →
Image of Microplane (Zester)

Microplane (Zester)

Buy Now →
Image of Pyrex Glass Measuring Cup (2 Cup)

Pyrex Glass Measuring Cup (2 Cup)

Buy Now →
Image of Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls

Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls

Buy Now →
  • Category: Dinner

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can't wait to see what you've made!

« Big Batch Nutty Crunchy Granola
Shrimp & Gorgonzola Dip with Pancetta »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Want to hear about more deliciousness from Eat the Bite?

Sign up for my newsletter and never miss a recipe!

I'll send the latest and greatest right to your inbox!

Social Media Stuff

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

What's for Dinner?

overhead view of pineapple pork butt bowl with coconut ginger rice

Pineapple Pork Butt Bowl with Coconut Ginger Rice

Cheap and Easy Dinner Chicken Thighs, Carrots, Potatoes & Onions - overhead view of baking dish right out of the oven

Cheap and Easy Dinner: Chicken Thighs, Carrots, Potatoes & Onions

Tasty Homemade Pizza Dough with Chicken, Pesto, Fontina & Tomatoes: four slices of both kinds of pizza on a platter

Tasty Homemade Pizza Dough

Stuffed Chicken Breast with Roasted Tomatoes, Goat Cheese and Leeks: front view of the whole dinner - platter of chicken, extra cheese sauce and steamed broccoli

Stuffed Chicken Breast with Roasted Tomatoes, Goat Cheese and Leeks

trim obvious flaps of fat first

How to Trim the Fat From Chicken Thighs

Pesto Pasta with Olives: overhead view of family-style platter of linguine with pesto, olives, shiitakes, artichokes, mozzarella, toasted pine nuts and sun dreid tomatoes

Pesto Pasta with Olives, Shiitake Mushrooms & Artichokes

Recent Comments

  • Stacey on Pickle Juice & Buttermilk-Brined Fried Chicken Sandwich
  • Hollis Ramsey on Pickle Juice & Buttermilk-Brined Fried Chicken Sandwich
  • Stacey on Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Romesco, Dill Havarti & Arugula

Footer

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 Eat the Bite on the Foodie Pro Theme