Golden Garlic-Lemon Chicken Thighs

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Slice one lemon into thin slices, discarding the ends, and set aside. Juice the remaining lemon until you have approximately 2 tablespoons of juice.

Mince all 8 garlic cloves.

Heat a large cast iron or stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat, and add the unsalted butter.

Once the butter is hot and shimmery, add the chicken thighs to the pan, skin-side down, leaving some space among them. Sear the skin for about 5-7 minutes without moving it, until brown and crispy. Use a spatula to flip the chicken and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate, skin-side up, and turn off the heat.

Deglaze the hot pan with chicken stock, scraping up any brown, caramelized bits.

Pour in the extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, and half of the minced garlic directly into the skillet, stirring well to combine. Season with 1/4 teaspoon each of sea salt and ground black pepper.

Add the chicken back to the pan, skin-side up, placing lemon slices and remaining garlic cloves around them. Pour any released juices from the plate into the skillet but avoid pouring over the chicken skin to keep it crispy.

Bake the chicken uncovered until the internal temperature reaches 165°F, approximately 10-15 minutes.

Before serving, drizzle the chicken with pan sauce and sprinkle with chopped flat-leaf parsley.