Crispy Chicken Thighs With Melty Leeks and Peas

By Andy Baraghani

Updated May 19, 2026

  • David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff.
Media 1 of 1
Ready In
55 min
(45 min, plus 10 min rest time)
Rating
4(24)
Comments
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This is the kind of chicken dish you make when all the pretty greens finally show up at the market and you want something light but still deeply satisfying. You want to cook the chicken thighs slowly over medium heat so the skin has time to really crisp and allow the fat to render out into the pan. That delicious fat becomes the base for everything that follows, softening the leeks and coating the peas with plenty of flavor. It all happens in one skillet, which means the vegetables pick up the savory bits left behind by the chicken. Peas feel especially right here—but other spring vegetables like snap peas or snow peas would work just as well. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and you’ve got a bright, simple dish that tastes unmistakably like spring.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 2 ½ pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper 

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 

  • 2 medium leeks, trimmed, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise then rinsed 

  • 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 

  • 1 lemon

  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or water 

  • 1 cup fresh or frozen peas

  • 1 cup fresh dill or mint leaves, torn if large 

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Pat the chicken dry and season all over with salt and pepper. Set aside at room temperature for 10 minutes or up to 30 minutes if you have time. 

  2. Step 2

    Heat the oil in a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet over medium. Using tongs, add the chicken to the skillet, skin side down. Cook, using the tongs to really press down on the chicken so the skin gets in contact with the bottom of the pan, until the edges are deeply golden brown, the skin easily releases from the pan and the chicken has rendered a pool of delicious fat, 20 to 25 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate, skin side up, and set aside. 

  3. Step 3

    Add the leeks and garlic to the pan and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is totally soft but hasn’t taken on too much color, 5 to 7 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Using a vegetable peeler, remove three 2-inch strips of lemon peel and add them to the skillet along with the stock. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Return the chicken to the pan, skin side up, and simmer gently so the flavors can come together, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the peas and continue to cook until they are tender, 2 to 3 minutes (about 1 minute if using frozen).

  5. Step 5

    Serve straight from the skillet or transfer to a platter. Scatter the dill over the chicken, then cut the lemon into wedges for squeezing over the top.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
24 user ratings
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Comments

Edits to recipe

Usually I’m not one to check comments before making a recipe, but with no reviews and 2 comments on the recipe at the time of cooking, I decided to take a look. I made the following adjustments to the recipe based on the complaints I saw (which were mostly that the recipe came out bland and/or greasy). With these additions, turned out to be a really flavorful dish: 1) Reduced olive oil to 1-1.5 tbsp, just enough to coat the skillet 2) Used 3 leeks instead of 2 and doubled cook time on the leeks (14 mins total) to really cook out as much moisture as possible. 3) Added a pinch of red pepper flakes with the leeks and garlic. 4) Added 1 tsp dried thyme with the lemon peel and chicken stock 5) Added 1 tbsp of butter to the sauce mixture just before adding the chicken back 6) Squeezed the lemon that had previously been peeled over everything at the very end.

Chloe & Thomas

It’s rare for me to be disappointed by a NYT Cooking recipe, but this one missed the mark for me. I came in with high expectations, but found that this dish lacked depth of flavor and relied solely on chicken fat for taste. We added more lemon, some pepper and toasted pine nuts to make it more interesting. Overall, not a bad or unpleasant dish by any means, but just nothing to write home about.

Very mild

Easy enough to make but the flavor is very mild and it’s not very satisfying. The amount of oil this recipe calls for is really way too much if you’re rendering fat from the thighs-feels greasy rather than flavorful.

Scott P

I have to agree with the comments. I think cooking times need to be quite a bit longer to fully cook the chicken (hard to deeply brown thighs on medium heat) and reduce the liquids and leeks into a more flavorful sauce. It does require quite a bit of salt brighten it all up and added tyme and red pepper flakes helped boost things.

Anna

Was a great meal - the whole family enjoyed. Swap the water/stock for white wine for that missing bit of flavor and as others have commented, reduce the oil to start - only enough to coat the pan. Served with mashed potatoes to rave reviews.

Janet in NC

Worked with boneless thighs dusted in flour, and a swirl of Dijon in the sauce. Quick and delicious.

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