Roasted Chicken Thighs With Lemon, Thyme and Rosemary

Letting the chicken skin dry in the fridge before roasting is the trick to these crackly thighs, which cook on a bed of onion and a whole cup of garlic cloves. It's an easy way to feed a crowd.

Serves 6 to 8 · 1 hour 15 minutes, plus 8 hours chilling

Ingredients

• 12 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 1 medium onion, peeled, quartered lengthwise and sliced ¼ inch thick
• 1 cup peeled garlic cloves (about 40)
• 1 lemon, cut into ¼-inch slices and seeded
• 15 fresh thyme sprigs
• 4 rosemary sprigs, about 3 inches each
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt, or to taste
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Pat the thighs dry and set them skin side up in one layer on a baking sheet. Refrigerate uncovered for 8 hours or overnight so the skin dries out. Take them out at least 45 minutes before cooking.
2. Heat the oven to 500°F. Scatter the onion and garlic in a baking dish that will hold the chicken snugly in one layer. Top with the lemon slices and the thyme and rosemary sprigs.
3. Set the chicken skin side down on a few layers of paper towels and season with half the salt and pepper. Flip and season the skin side with the rest.
4. Place the thighs skin side up in the baking dish, tucking the onion and garlic so they sit completely underneath the chicken.
5. Roast 40 to 50 minutes, until the juices run clear when you pierce a thigh with a knife. If the skin isn't deep golden and crisp, slide the dish under the broiler for a few minutes.
6. Move the chicken aside and discard the lemon. Spoon the onion, garlic, herbs and pan juices onto a platter and set the chicken on top.

Tips

• If you can't give the chicken the full 8 hours, at least pat the skin very dry with paper towels before seasoning.
• Stir a splash of white wine or chicken stock into the pan juices before spooning them over the chicken.

Adapted from Nancy Silverton and Carolynn Carreño, via NYT Cooking.