Easy Paleo and Whole30 Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs made all in one pan that are super flavorful, filling and even kid friendly! A tasty and quick weeknight dinner for the whole family.
I’ve been holding onto this recipe for too long, and meanwhile, it’s become a weekly staple in our house that’s temporarily replaced the old favorite bacon wrapped chicken.
We’re still getting our share of bacon in plenty of other ways, so, no worries about me bacon-depriving my family. I would never!
But still, chicken wise, we’ve all been happy to drop the bacon and welcome this new lemon garlic version into our chicken-dinner lives and love it with all the chicken-love-abandon it deserves. Or something.
Like all my weeknight dinner staples (and, um, perhaps the weekend ones too…) this chicken comes together in 20 minutes – just the amount of time I’m willing to spend on dinner after a long day of, um, who even knows. Everything and nothing all at once, as it sometimes seems.
Anyway, however you managed to get to dinner time though, it doesn’t matter – I know you’re tired and don’t want to cook for an hour.
Hopefully you’ve pre-roasted or baked some potatoes and veggies that you can reheat in the oven while you make this chicken, because if you did, I promise it’s really just 20 minutes until dinner time!
Like I do with many of my recipes, I OBSESSED over a version of lemon garlic chicken that would be a hit with my family. I’ve learned that there’s not much point to creating a dinner recipe that the kids can’t enjoy – I wind up rarely making it and relying on go-tos that we all like.
Step one – I had to start with boneless, skinless chicken thighs since they a.) are liked by all of us b.) cook relatively quickly and c.) are yummy enough to not require any “breading” so I could keep this super simple.
Step 2 – just add the good stuff. Salt, ghee, lemon, broth and garlic. Note to self – make sure to remove garlic pieces from kids’ portions so as not to traumatize them.
Step 3 – I had to throw in rosemary at the end. There’s something about rosemary that even the kids love, maybe because we all associate it with Thanksgiving?
Sort of weird since it’s a “green thing” that they’d normally be suspicious of. I’m not sure why – but it’s the magic herb over here, and everything it touches seems to get eaten – a magical event in any moms life, right?!
Get ready for magical chicken! Or just some really good, Paleo and Whole30 lemon garlic chicken thighs. And here we go – get your potatoes cooked and your lemons ready to squeeze so we can all EAT before you can say…
Easy Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs {Paleo & Whole30}
Easy Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs {Paleo & Whole30}
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp ghee divided
- sea salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 cup chicken broth sugar free for Whole30 homemade broth or bone broth
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary finely chopped, optional*
Instructions
- Heat a large heavy skillet over medium/med-hi heat and add 1 Tbsp of the ghee.
- Sprinkle the chicken on both sides with sea salt and pepper. Once the skillet is hot add each chicken piece to the skillet in a single layer. Allow the first side to cook about 4-5 minutes or until nicely browned, then flip and cook the second side for the same amount of time, until browned and just cooked through.
- Remove the chicken pieces from the skillet onto a cutting board or plate and lower the heat to low. Add the broth, lemon juice, garlic and 2nd Tbsp of ghee to the pan and stir, scraping up any browned chicken bits too. Allow the sauce to cook/simmer for about a minute or two until thickened, then add the chicken back to the pan.
- Flip the chicken in the pan to gently coat with the sauce and add the rosemary if you choose. Cook for one more minute, then remove from heat and serve hot. Enjoy!
Nutrition
What I Used to Make My Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs:
Want more easy Paleo and Whole30 dinner recipes? Try one of these!
Turkey Meatballs with Apples and Herbs
Tell Me!
What dinners are guaranteed to be loved in your house?
Chicken thighs or breasts?
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Looks so delicious! I’m tempted to brown the chicken and throw everything in the crock pot (except for fresh rosemary, I would add that later). What do you think?
Hmmm, I think the flavors would be good still just not sure about the time. If you try it out definitely let me know!
Easy flavorful chicken dishes are my Fave dinners! Garlic and lemon is soo yummy on chicken 🙂
I know, they’re the perfect flavors!
MMMmmm…. Chicken Thighs are so moist, and they go so well in cast iron skillet dinners. I love how you blended lemon, garlic, and rosemary in the spices.
Yup just give me chicken thighs and my cast iron and good things happen!
Oh so easy and SO good!
Thrilled you liked this!
This dish tonight and it was delicious! Easy to make and so moist and flavorful. Will be making this again!
So thrilled you liked it!
I marinated the thighs in Tessa Mae’s lemon-garlic dressing before browning them. They were delicious. Thanks!
Sounds great! So happy you enjoyed 🙂
Hey Michele could this be done in the oven instead? Perhaps brown the things first in the frying pan and then transfer them to oven…? I haven’t invested yet in a good skillet 🙁
Yes, you can bake the chicken in the oven and make the lemon garlic sauce on the stovetop, it won’t be crispy but you’ll still get the flavor 🙂
This recipe is seriously such a WIN. It tastes like a decadent restaurant meal BUT it’s Whole30. This is going to be the recipe that gets me through this Whole30. THANK YOU!!!!!
That’s awesome – thrilled you liked it and it’s helping you out for Whole30 – good luck with it!
Love this recipe! It’s surprisingly simple to make, and very delicious. Instead of ghee, I used coconut oil instead.
Sounds great!
Made this for dinner last night and it was really, really good. The chicken was most and had an almost buttery taste to it. Would definitely recommend.
So thrilled you enjoyed it!
The one Pan Lemon Garlic Chicken was outstanding! Incredible flavor and super easy to make. Paired with Baby Asparagus and green beans and we had a wonderfully nutritious and flavorful meal!
I tried this recipe because it was Whole30 compliant. It was so easy and wonderfully tasty. Even, my husband, who is “Doubting Thomas” about any thing I try on this program, loved it! Definitely a keeper Thanks for sharing.
My sauce didn’t seem to thicken. What did I do wrong?
It might have just needed extra cooking time get to saucy.
Very tasty! Best braised chicken I’ve ever made. My sauce also didn’t thicken, I think next time I’ll just use less broth.
I usually stick to chicken breasts but decided to give this a try when Fresh Market put their boneless skinless chicken thighs on sale. My husband couldn’t stop raving about this and asked for more chicken thighs in the future. This recipe goes in the “favorites” file.
Made this for the first time since we had a bunch of lemons. Omg! Delish! And super easy!!! Thank you!
I made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious! I used limes instead of lemons and it was still just perfect. A real hit with my husband. Thank you so much.
What makes the sauce thicken? Should the garlic be sauteed first?
Just made this tonight and it was delicious and so easy! Even my picky 8 and 5 year olds loved it. Will definitely be making this again!
Awesome! Love it when even the kids like it, that means keeper for sure 🙂