Juicy, flavorful, and deliciously creamy lemon garlic chicken thighs with capers…so easy to make in one pan. Serve with mashed potatoes, rice, and/or vegetables for a perfect weeknight dinner!

chicken thighs in a gray skillet with white linen

Ahhh…and just like that, here we are in November. Like, we’re less than two months away from 2020, y’all! And we’re also only weeks away from the holidays. How has this year been for you? Have you tackled anything you set out to accomplish in 2019? What recipes of mine did you make this year? You know I just had to squeeze that in, ha!

For me, there’s been a steady rotation of my beef chili, this honey mustard chicken, and this smoked gouda mac and cheese in my household lately. ‘Tis the season for all things cozy and a bit indulgent. And I hope you’re not beating yourself up for enjoying a treat or two either. I’ve also been rewatching some old shows on Netflix like Breaking Bad and Dexter; btw I’m always down for recommendations on what to binge next so lemme know!

Lately, I’ve been having so much fun in the kitchen experimenting with this and that. Some recipes being major wins and some not so much but hey they can’t all be great, right? I am unabashedly a major fan of all things with LEMON. Forever and ever and ever and ever. This is no secret at all to anyone who knows me, I *love* the scent of lemons. May it be lemon sweets, lemon in savory dishes, lemon slices in my water, lemonade, lemon candles; whatever…just gimme dat lemon!

close up of capers on chicken thighs with slices of lemon

Consequently, that leads me to tell you about these creamy lemon garlic chicken thighs with capers!

This dish is hands down one of my absolute favorites. Chicken thighs, for starters, are one of my most favorite pieces of chicken parts. They are usually super affordable in grocery stores, and if you’re lucky, they’re frequently on sale too.

Hello, we are trying to save our coins, right? Chicken thighs yield more flavor because of their tender dark meat. I prefer to always buy them bone-in and skin-on for extra flavor when braising and roasting. Additionally, did you know that chicken thighs are more flavorful than other chicken parts? Yup.

How To Make This Recipe (Video)

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creamy lemon garlic chicken thighs in a gray skillet with herbs

Creamy Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs w/ Capers Ingredients:

  • Chicken Thighs: bone-in and skin-on!
  • Lemon Juice: freshly squeezed lemon juice is the best of the best (so don’t even think about buying that pre-bottled nonsense, please!) for that bright kiss of lemony goodness.
  • Garlic: look for either WHOLE cloves of garlic or grab an entire head of garlic and peel it; they roast beautifully in the pan and really make this dish pop right alongside all the other flavors!
  • Chicken Broth: helps create the creamy sauce and adds more chicken flavor.
  • Heavy Cream: also used to help make up the cream sauce.
  • Capers: these itty bitty briny flower buds have a wonderfully tasty, salty, and sweet vibe to them.
  • Butter and Olive Oil: the combination of both is used to sauté the chicken thighs!
  • Seasonings: listen up, there is no bland chicken thighs here; for this recipe we’ll use lemon pepper and garlic powder to season the chicken thighs. Try and get lemon pepper seasoning that has salt already in it but if your lemon pepper seasoning is sodium-free, you’ll need to add a few pinches of salt.
four creamy chicken thighs in a skillet with small slices of lemon

A Few Notes About This Recipe:

As previously mentioned above, everything is made in one pan which makes this dish such a dream!

The seasoned chicken thighs get sautéed in the butter/olive oil first on both sides. Then transfer those chicken thighs to a plate to rest. Add the garlic cloves to the pan and let them cook until they soften and turn light brown, stirring throughout. Next, we’ll make that creamy lemon garlic sauce! In the same pan, add the chicken broth, and deglaze the pan by scraping up any leftover bits with a wooden spatula. Then add in cream and lemon juice. Allow mixture to get bubbly and continue cooking.

Now, you may think to yourself, garlic powder seasoning AND whole garlic cloves? Quin, are we doing too much with the garlic? The answer, my friends, is NOT AT ALL. You see, I find the garlic flavor to be subtle and not overwhelming at all because once the cloves cook, their flavor isn’t as potent. If you are a garlic head like myself, then you can eat the whole garlic cloves right along with everything else if you wish. Otherwise, they’ll just act as a beautiful flavor bomb in this creamy lemon garlic chicken thighs with capers recipe.

Finally, add in the capers and add chicken thighs back into skillet and continue cooking to let everything meld together in delicious harmony. The sauce will thicken and the chicken should be cooked throughout. Spoon sauce over chicken thighs and serve. I find the best ways to enjoy this dish is with some creamy mashed potatoes, white rice, a good salad, and/or vegetables of your choice!

As always, I really do hope y’all enjoy this one! ☺️

REMEMBER TO LEAVE A ⭐️STAR RATING⭐️AND TAG ME ON THE ‘GRAM IF YOU MAKE ANY OF MY RECIPES! I ALWAYS LOVE TO SEE IT WHEN YOU DO!

Until next time…love and butter,

Q.

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four creamy chicken thighs in a skillet with small slices of lemon

Creamy Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs with Capers

★★★★★ 5 from 12 reviews
  • Author: Quin Liburd
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 2-4 1x
  • Category: Main Dishes
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

Juicy, flavorful, and deliciously creamy lemon garlic chicken thighs with capers; so easy to make in one pan! Serve with mashed potatoes, rice, and/or vegetables for a perfect weeknight dinner.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 6–8 peeled garlic cloves
  • 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 
  • 1/4 cup nonpareil capers
  • lemon pepper seasoning
  • garlic powder seasoning

Instructions

  1. Season chicken thighs with lemon pepper and garlic powder seasonings. If your lemon pepper seasoning does not contain salt, add a few pinches of salt to chicken thighs. Cover chicken thighs with plastic wrap and transfer to refrigerator to let sit for at least 30 minutes to an hour.
  2. Add butter and olive oil into a large nonstick/cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Once mixture has melted and is hot, sauté chicken thighs on both sides for 5-6 minutes. Then transfer chicken thighs to a plate and set aside.
  3. Add garlic cloves into skillet and cook until cloves soften and turn light brown in color, about 2-3 minutes.
  4. Add in chicken broth and use a wooden spatula to scrape up any bits remaining. Next, add in cream, lemon juice, and stir to combine. Let mixture come up to a slight boil while stirring throughout. Then add capers and chicken thighs back into skillet and let cook for another 10-20 minutes or until sauce thickens AND chicken is cooked through completely.
  5. Spoon sauce over chicken thighs and serve with desired side dishes. Enjoy!

Keywords: dinner, entrée, chicken, lemon