Roasted Chicken Thighs with Herb Butter

By LRay

Southern Living, March 2015, page 106.

Pair with Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes

Roasting chicken is a great weeknight technique because it's hands-free and hard to mess up. Let the cooked chicken stand for about 10 minutes before serving so the meat has time to relax and soak up any cooking juices.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons sliced fresh chives
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon loosely packed lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Stir together first 8 ingredients in a small bowl until well combined.

2. Loosen skin from each chicken thigh without totally detaching skin; spread butter mixture under skin. (Discard any remaining butter mixture.) Replace skin; brush thighs with oil, and sprinkle with desired amount of salt and pepper. Place thighs on a lightly greased (with cooking spray) wire rack in an aluminum foil-lined jelly-roll pan.

3. Bake at 425° for 50 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion of a chicken thigh registers 165°. Let stand 10 minutes. Serve with Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes.