Chicken Thighs with Anchovies and Capers
Chicken Thighs with Anchovies and Capers has loads of savory flavor – serve with a green salad and crusty bread to make a complete meal.
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As far as dinner goes, you can never go wrong with chicken. Chicken of any type is generally a safe bet for every member of my family. Whether it’s simply a reheated rotisserie chicken, homemade chicken fingers, or stir-fried chicken, everyone in my family is generally happy with dinner.
And as an added bonus for me, the cook of the family, chicken is generally fairly quick and easy to prepare, making it perfect for busy weeknights. The same can be said for today’s recipe, Chicken Thighs with Anchovies and Capers.
This meal is loaded with savory flavor, but can be on the table in 30 minutes flat. And yes, I know anchovies can have a bad reputation, but they dissolve into salty, savory flavor here without tasting too fishy.
Make sure to serve this meal with a salad and some crusty bread, or serve it over rice or another type of cooked grain to sop up the flavor-filled sauce that will be left over after the chicken is gone.
How to Make Chicken Thighs with Anchovies and Capers
Making this chicken is easy, and prepping it takes only minutes. Start by turning on the oven. Pat the chicken thighs dry with clean paper towel. This ensures that the chicken browns well. Season the chicken with salt and pepper (remember that the capers and anchovies you’ll be adding later are very salty, so be careful not to add too much salt).
Heat the oil in a large skillet, and add the crushed garlic, capers, anchovies, and red pepper flakes. When the anchovies break down and the garlic just starts to brown, add the chicken. Cook the chicken until it’s well browned on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Flip the chicken over and transfer the skillet to the oven.
Bake the chicken until it reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 8-10 minutes. Carefully remove the skillet from the oven and transfer the chicken to a plate. Place the skillet over medium heat, add the remaining (minced) garlic and lemon juice. Cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet until the sauce thickens slightly.
Add the chicken back to the skillet and spoon the sauce over the thighs. Sprinkle with minced parsley. Serve with bread, rice, or other cooked grains and a green salad to make a complete meal.
Chicken Thighs with Anchovies and Capers Ingredients
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs – note that this will be about 8 thighs, depending on their size. Alternatively, you could use chicken breasts, but they will have a higher risk of drying out during cooking.
- Kosher salt – alternatively, you could use MSG-salt (use the same amount) or table salt (cut down the amount slightly, to somewhere between ¼ and ½ teaspoon.
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Garlic – You will need whole garlic cloves here, not jarred minced garlic.
- Olive oil – If you have extra oil from your anchovies, consider using some of that for extra flavor.
- Capers – capers are a type of flower bud, often packed in brine, but sometimes dry-packed in salt. You can usually find them in small jars in the pickle aisle.
- Oil packed anchovies – You can find anchovy filets in tins or small jars. They are usually refigerated, and can sometimes be hard to find as they might be in the deli, or they might be in the fish department. Alternatively you could use anchovy paste (use about 1 to 1½ teaspoon) which usually comes in tubes.
- Red pepper flakes – These are also known as chile (or chili) flakes. Feel free to add more for spicier chicken, or less for milder chicken.
- Lemon juice – Fresh squeezed lemon juice is always best, but bottled will work here too.
- Parsley – You will want fresh minced parsley here, not dried. Feel free to skip it if you don’t have any.
Want more chicken thigh recipes?
Chicken Thighs with Anchovies and Capers Nutrition Notes
The nutrition information in the recipe below is for ¼ of the recipe (about 2 chicken thighs). If your portion is larger (or smaller) than this, the nutrition information will vary accordingly.
This recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free as written. Note that the sodium in this recipe is on the high side. To reduce sodium, reduce or omit the kosher salt, and rinse the capers before adding them to the recipe.
Serve this chicken with a green salad and a crusty bread or cooked rice or grains to make a complete meal.
Chicken Thighs with Anchovies and Capers
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400°F. Pat chicken dry and season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Crush the garlic cloves and remove peels. Mince one of the cloves and set aside.
- Heat 2 Tablespoons (45 ml) olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. When it begins to shimmer, add 5 crushed garlic cloves, 2 Tablespoons capers, 5 fillets oil packed anchovies, and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring frequently until the garlic just begins to brown and the anchovies break down, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken thighs and cook until one side is browned, about 5 minutes. Remove any large pieces of garlic so they don't burn. Flip chicken thighs and transfer the skillet to the oven. Cook until the internal temperature of the largest part of the thighs measures 165°F, about 8-10 minutes.
- Carefully remove the skillet from the oven and transfer the chicken to a plate. Place skillet over medium heat and add the reserved minced garlic and 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice, scraping the skillet to remove any browned bits. Return the chicken to the skillet and sprinkle with 1 Tablespoon minced parsley. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Notes
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