Roasted chicken thighs with garlicky cucumber yogurt
Total time: 40 minutes | Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients:
• 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, finely grated, minced or passed through a press
• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme or oregano leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme or oregano
• Large pinch of red pepper flakes, plus more for serving
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
• 1 lemon, cut lengthwise into thin wedges
• 1/2 cup plain Greek or other strained, thick yogurt (or substitute labneh or sour cream)
• 1/2 cup grated seedless cucumber, such as Persian or hothouse cucumbers (see Tip)
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint (or use parsley or cilantro), for serving
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Season chicken generously with the salt and pepper. In a large bowl, combine 3 of the grated garlic cloves, thyme or oregano, red-pepper flakes and olive oil. Add chicken and lemon wedges, and toss until well coated. (If you want to work ahead, you can refrigerate the chicken for up to 12 hours before roasting.)
2. Arrange chicken and lemons on a sheet pan in a single layer. Drizzle with a little more oil and roast until chicken is cooked through, 27 to 35 minutes. If you’d like more color on your chicken, run the pan under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes until chicken is lightly charred in places.
3. As the chicken roasts, stir together yogurt, grated cucumber and remaining minced garlic clove in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.
4. To serve, squeeze roasted lemon wedges all over chicken, and sprinkle with mint and more red-pepper flakes, if you like. Serve chicken accompanied by cucumber-yogurt sauce and a drizzle of olive oil over everything.
Tip: If you are starting with seeded cucumbers, halve them lengthwise, then use a spoon to scrape out the seeds before grating.