Oven-Roasted Crispy Chicken Thighs with Pan Gravy
Bone-in, skin-on thighs roasted on a rack so the skin blisters and the drippings fall into the pan. Those drippings become the gravy. Serve with pearl barley and fried onions.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 6-8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch of baking powder for the skin, optional
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 large onion, thick-sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- 2 sprigs thyme, or a pinch of dried
Gravy
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ to 2 cups chicken stock
- Salt and black pepper
- 1 tablespoon sour cream, optional
Instructions
Pat the thighs very dry, including under the skin flaps. Salt all over, including under the skin. Mix the paprika, garlic powder, and pepper and rub that on. A 20-minute uncovered rest in the fridge dries the skin further.
Heat the oven to 425 F. Scatter the thick onion slices, smashed garlic, and thyme in a roasting pan. Set a wire rack over them. Arrange the thighs skin-side up, not touching. Rub a thin film of oil on the skin. Dust with a pinch of baking powder if using.
Roast 35 to 45 minutes until the skin is deep gold and the thickest part reads 175 to 185 F. Do not flip and do not cover. If the onions in the pan start to scorch, splash in a few tablespoons of water. Broil 1 to 3 minutes at the end if the skin is still pale.
Move the chicken to a plate and tent loosely so the skin stays crisp.
Pour the drippings and roasted onion into a saucepan, or set the roasting pan on a burner if it can take the heat. You want about 2 to 3 tablespoons of fat; spoon off the extra. Sprinkle in the flour and cook 1 to 2 minutes, scraping up every brown bit.
Whisk in the stock slowly. Simmer 3 to 5 minutes until the gravy coats a spoon. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in sour cream off the heat if using; do not boil after that.
Spoon gravy over the meat and the barley, not over the skin if you want it to stay shatter-crisp.
Notes
Thighs taste better at 175 to 185 F than at the 165 F breast number. If the drippings look pale, a few drops of soy or Maggi darken the gravy. Serve with pearl barley and fried onions and a pickle or cucumber salad.