Garlicky Chicken With Lemon-Anchovy Sauce

By Melissa Clark

Updated February 7, 2019

  • A white plate holds garlicky chicken with lemon-anchovy sauce.
    David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
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Total Time
25 minutes
Rating
5(13,849)
Comments
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There’s nothing wrong with a dinner of pan-seared chicken seasoned with salt and pepper. But there’s everything right about the same chicken when you add anchovies, capers, garlic and plenty of lemon to the pan. What was once timid and a little dull turns vibrant, tangy and impossible to stop eating. And the only real extra work is chopping the garlic and a little parsley for garnish. In this dish, the cut of chicken is less important than the pungent pan sauce. Most people will probably want to use the workhorse of all poultry dinners, the boneless, skinless breasts. But the thighs cook nearly as quickly, and have a greater margin of error in terms of doneness. Overcook your breasts by even a minute, and you’ll get dry, tough meat. Thighs are more forgiving. However, if your family insists on white meat, you can substitute breasts and subtract about 3 minutes from the cooking time. There is no need to mention the anchovies until after people have complimented you on the meal.

Featured in: Anchovies Elevate a Pan-Seared Chicken Dish

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 1 ¼ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (4 to 5 thighs)

  • 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • 6 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • 5 anchovy fillets

  • 2 tablespoons drained capers, patted dry

  • 1 large pinch chile flakes

  • 1 lemon, halved

  • Fresh chopped parsley, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

4 grams carbs; 155 milligrams cholesterol; 341 calories; 12 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 21 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 493 milligrams sodium; 34 grams protein; 1 gram sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and let rest while you prepare the anchovy-garlic oil. Mince one of the garlic cloves and set it aside for later. In a large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the 5 smashed whole garlic cloves, the anchovies, capers and chile. Let cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up the anchovies, until the garlic browns around the edges and the anchovies dissolve, 3 to 5 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Add the chicken thighs and cook until nicely browned on one side, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip the thighs, place the pan in the oven and cook another 5 to 10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

  3. Step 3

    When chicken is done, transfer thighs to a plate (be careful, as the pan handle will be hot). Place skillet back on the heat and add minced garlic and the juice of one lemon half. Cook for about 30 seconds, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Return chicken to the pan and cook it in the sauce for another 15 to 30 seconds.

  4. Step 4

    Transfer everything to a serving platter. Squeeze the remaining lemon half over the chicken and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
13,849 user ratings
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Comments

LH

For those who, like me, use anchovy paste from the tube rather than whole fillet anchovies, note that according to most sources one anchovy fillet is the equivalent of 1/2 teaspoon of anchovy paste.

Stephanie

Brown the thighs first, remove from pan. THEN make the sauce. Cook the anchovies and garlic together on a low heat to control the garlic not getting over cooked. Then add capers as suggested by another reader. I add at least a half to 3/4 c white wine at the end when thighs have been removed from the sauce along with more lemon. simmer to reduce a bit and thicken. the more sauce the merrier! finally a T of butter.

Jessica

I make this all the time, too, and I've shared the recipe with lots of people. I use bone-in, skin-on thighs (because chicken skin is the best part of a chicken), and I brown the chicken a bit first before adding the anchovies, garlic, etc. so nothing burns. Perfect weeknight meal.

elli

very delicious. I love salt but found that it becomes too salty quickly because of the anchovies...

MK

Delicious! I served with TJ Harvest mix cooked in “not chili” broth with a bit of minced garlic. also stir fried French green beans with a bit of garlic, some lemon pepper and lemon zest. So fast to make and a definite weekday keeper.

Piper Brown

It was good, not great. Made the recipe exactly as written. I don’t get what all the fuss is about.

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