Name: Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs with Celery Root
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Ingredients: 3 lemons; 7 cloves garlic, crushed; 8 sprigs fresh oregano; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp pepper; 4 cups thinly sliced celery root (1/8 inch thick) (or 2 cups celery root, 2 cups russet potato); 3⁄4 cup chicken broth; 8 chicken thighs (you could easily increase to 10 thighs OR add 1-2 chicken breasts OR you can use a whole chicken instead – see my note above); 2 tbsp olive oil; 16 oz fresh spinach (optional)

Ingredients

Lemon Pepper Sauce

3 lemons

7 cloves garlic, crushed

8 sprigs fresh oregano

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Chicken & Vegetables

4 cups thinly sliced celery root (1/8 inch thick) (or 2 cups celery root, 2 cups russet potato)

3/4 cup chicken broth

8 chicken thighs (you could easily increase to 10 thighs OR add 1-2 chicken breasts OR you can use a whole chicken instead – see my note above)

2 tbsp olive oil

16 oz fresh spinach (optional)

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425F.

2. Prepare celery root and potatoes (if using).

Wash the celery root (and potatoes), and cut away any gnarly bits of skin / root. I usually do not peel the skin off, but you can if you’d prefer. Slice the celery root (and potatoes) about 1/8 of an inch thick.

Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper. I prefer to use a baking sheet with higher sides for this recipe. Arrange the celery root (and potatoes) in the lined baking sheet.

3. Add lemon slices and oregano.

Wash the lemons and oregano sprigs thoroughly. Thinly slice 1/2 of a lemon. Intersperse sliced lemon among the arranged celery root (and potatoes). Try keep most of the oregano sprig tucked under the celery root (and potatoes) to ensure it doesn’t burn during baking.

Pour 3/4 cup of chicken broth over the celery root (and potatoes).

4. Prepare the lemon pepper sauce.

Mix the zest of 2 lemons with juice from 2 1/2 lemons. You should have about 3/4 cup of lemon juice. I usually juice the lemons over a strainer to ensure I get no seeds in my sauce. Add the crushed garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Whisk the sauce to ensure it is mixed well.

5. Add the chicken to the mix.

Toss the chicken thighs in the sauce. You have two ways of doing this depending on your laziness level.

High laziness: Put the chicken directly on top of the vegetables and pour the sauce all over everything, chicken and vegetables.

Medium laziness: Open the container that the chicken thighs came in and make certain to remove any absorbative paper/padding that is sometimes in there. Pour some of the lemon sauce into the container. Use tongs to roll the chicken around in the sauce. Then place the chicken onto the vegetables and make sure to pour any of the leftover sauce back over the vegetables. This approach makes sure your chicken is very well coated in sauce.

6. Spray everything down well with olive oil.

Spray down the chicken and vegetables thoroughly with about 2 tbsp olive oil. If you don’t have a sprayer, you can alternatively drizzle the olive oil, but spraying will do a much better job. With my beloved olive oil sprayer, 2 tablespoons means about 36 sprays.

Then throw the chicken tray into the oven at 425F.

7. Bake for 45-55 minutes at 425F.

I use convection to speed up the bake time to about 45 minutes. The chicken thigh/breast is ready when a thermometer inserted into a thigh reads 160F. Just give it about 5-10 minutes to rest. If you don’t want to wait, you can just cook it straight to 165F (overcooked chicken thighs don’t dry out like chicken breast).

8. While the chicken rests, wilt some spinach.

I usually wilt my spinach by adding about 1/2 inch of water into a saucepan or frying pan, bringing it to a boil, and then placing the spinach on top and slowly stirring it. Once it is wilted, drain off the water. I usually spoon some of the sauce from the chicken directly over the spinach to mix it in and get delicious lemony spinach.

9. Enjoy!

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 45 min
Category: Dinner
Method: Bake