Lemon Scallion Chicken
Serves 4
25 mins prep
75 mins cook
60 mins Dry Brine
160 mins total
This isn't a recipe that you're throwing together in 5 minutes. This recipe for Crispy Lemon Scallion Chicken Thighs takes a bit of time - you are cooking everything from scratch with whole foods - but the results are worth every second!
Chicken Stock
Dry-Brine (1 to 8 hours ahead)
Place your chicken thighs, skin side down, on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut down both sides of the bone and then very carefully slide the knife underneath the bone, detaching it from the chicken. Continue to cut and scrape around the bone, cutting anymore connections to the meat. Put the bones in a plastic bag and store in the fridge to use later in the recipe.
When you have deboned the chicken, lay each of them out on the cutting board and place parchment paper or plastic wrap over top. With the flat side of a meat mallet, pound your thighs until fairly thin.
Place the chicken thighs on a cooling rack inside of a baking sheet. Dry well and sprinkle both sides with kosher salt. Place, uncovered, in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour and up to 8.
Homemade Chicken Stock
Add the chicken bones from earlier to a pot with green onions, celery ribs, onion, garlic cloves and black peppercorns. Drizzle olive oil on top and sauté until browned. Top with enough water to cover and stir in a kombu strip, a pinch of salt, soy sauce and vinegar. Let it simmer for 45-60 minutes, adding water as needed. Strain.
Lemon Scallion Chicken
When the chicken is done dry-brining, remove it from the fridge and pat it dry. Rub a bit of olive oil on the skin. In a cold pan, place the chicken skin-side down and turn the heat to medium-high for 2 minutes. Lower it to medium-low and let them cook until the skin browns and it renders as much fat as it can, about 20-25 minutes.
Use a spatula to release the skin gently. Flip, and then turn heat to medium-high, cooking another 5-7 minutes or until internal temp is 175℉-180℉.
Meanwhile, cut the lemon in half, leave one half whole and slice the other half into thin slices and then into half moons.
Remove chicken from the pan and lower the heat to medium. Add the lemon slices to the pan, sprinkling each one with a pinch of sugar and salt. Caramelize them for about 3-4 minutes, flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes. When the lemons are soft remove from them from pan, place them on a cutting board and mince them with a knife.
To the same pan on medium heat, add scallion whites and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add in miso, allspice, crushed red peppers and white pepper. Mix well and turn heat to medium-high. Add in 1½- 2 cups of the homemade chicken broth and honey. Reduce by ⅓. Turn off the heat, add butter and mix until emulsified. Finish off with a squeeze of lemon and add the chicken to the pan for a few minutes to absorb the sauce. Don't scoop the sauce onto the top of the chicken or you will ruin the crisp on the skin.
To serve, scoop some of the sauce onto a plate and set the chicken on top. Sprinkle with the scallion greens and enjoy!
