Nothing makes me quite as happy come dinnertime than knowing I already have it made. Usually this comes in the form of that typical prepped-ahead What We Eat-style salad – you know the one, a mix of cooked and raw vegetables, herbs, citrus zest, a nut, a cheese, avocado, maybe a handful of grain. But sometimes I want a warm, more comforting meal.
That urge hit this Tuesday. Although I’m still building back my pantry after months of escaping the city, my kitchen never lacks the holy trinity of anchovies, lemon and garlic. These workhorse ingredients create magic when combined, lending a vibrant, earthy, ever so tangy flavor to whatever they touch. All I needed to grab before the rain and wind pick up is a protein, vegetable and fresh herb to brighten the finished dish.
What resulted is this featured recipe: garlicky roasted chicken thighs and peppers with lemon and anchovy. Before any haters protest, “But I don’t like anchovy,” let me promise you, you’re wrong. Their fishy taste is tempered by the long, high heat cooking time and further mellowed by the finish of fresh lemon juice. Instead, they impart that certain je-ne-sais-quoi. Plus, they cook down and dissolve, literally getting lost in the sauce. Wonder why a dish at your favorite restaurant tastes so good? The answer is probably anchovies.
This one-pan meal comes together in minutes; the most time-consuming task is peeling the sticky, smashed garlic. It can also be prepped up to a day in advance, so you can do the minimal amount of leg work whenever convenient. I’m guessing you could probably swap bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts for the thighs but your margin of error for overcooking them would be tighter. When in doubt, use a meat thermometer aiming for somewhere between 165 to 175 degrees for thighs and 160 degrees for breasts.
Ingredients
- 4-8 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
- 8 large garlic cloves or equivalent, smashed and peeled (smash first, peel second- why fight it?)
- 4-8 anchovies (estimate one per chicken thigh or more)*
- 2 Tablespoons capers
- Pinch chile flakes
- 2 lemons, 1 thinly sliced for roasting, 1 halved to juice over the finished dish
- 3 sweet bell peppers, any color or a mix, cut into 1-inch strips
- Evoo
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Big handful parsley leaves, roughly chopped
Method
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and season chicken thighs generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place thighs in a roasting pan or sheet tray, whatever fits them somewhat snuggly, skin-side down. Layer on top the smashed garlic cloves, anchovies (one laid over each chicken thigh or more if you love anchovy), capers, chile flakes, lemon slices and, finally, bell peppers. Drizzle the peppers generously with evoo and season with a pinch of kosher salt and more freshly ground black pepper. Cook straight away or refrigerate up to 24 hours. If refrigerated, allow to come to room temperature for ~45 minutes before cooking.
When the oven has come to temperature, add the pan on the lowest shelf. Roast for 30 minutes, remove from oven, stir peppers, flip the chicken skin-side up and place atop the peppers. Return to the oven and roast for an additional 15 minutes. If the chicken skin isn’t as golden and crisp as you like, finish under the broiler for a few minutes like I did, keeping a close eye on it.
Juice the second lemon over the dish and top with the chopped parsley. Serve over grain of choice, with roasted potatoes or with warm bread, anything to sop up the irresistible pan juices.
Serves 4-6 people (one to two thighs per person)
