Spanish Garlic Chicken

Cook juicy chicken thighs and drumsticks in a lemon-garlic pan sauce and pair it with briny pimento-stuffed olives in this easy skillet dinner.

Active Time: Total Time: Servings:

20 mins 45 mins 8

This simple skillet dinner features juicy chicken thighs and drumsticks cooked in a bright, wine-forward pan sauce with smashed garlic cloves and a lemon half. You’ll use two entire heads of garlic, but don’t worry: It becomes meltingly soft, jammy, and sweet as it cooks, and it doesn’t overwhelm the dish in the way you might fear. Pimiento-stuffed manzanilla olives, a popular martini garnish, complement the citrusy and savory notes of the wine. Be sure to serve the chicken with crusty bread for sopping up all the schmaltzy juices.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I find pimento-stuffed olives?
Pimiento-stuffed manzanilla olives, sometimes labeled as Spanish olives, are available at most grocery stores or online at theolivegroove.com.
What should I serve with this recipe?
A side of crusty bread is the ideal pairing for this saucy skillet, but serving the chicken over rice or mashed potatoes would be equally tasty. Round out the meal with a crisp salad or steamed broccoli.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

To save time, feel free to use pre-peeled garlic cloves — you’ll need about 20.

Suggested pairing

Try a savory Spanish white wine like Bodegas Cota 45 Ube El Carrascal Las Vegas. “This white wine, made from Palomino grapes typically used in sherry production, is a style of wine from the 19th century that is being brought back to life by winemaker Ramiro Ibáñez,” says New York City sommelier Kristin Courville. “Palomino elegantly translates the unique features of albariza, the famous soil that the region is known for. The wine’s citrus flavors and herbal notes of curry and earthy bay leaf go fabulously with the savoriness of the chicken.”

Ingredients

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
4 chicken drumsticks
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
2 heads garlic, cloves peeled and smashed (about 24 cloves)
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup drained jarred pimiento-stuffed manzanilla olives
3 sprigs oregano, plus finely chopped leaves for garnish
2 sprigs rosemary
1 lemon, halved
Crusty bread, for serving

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Sprinkle chicken thighs and drumsticks evenly with pepper and 2 1/2 teaspoons salt. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook, undisturbed, until skin is golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Flip chicken, and cook for 2 minutes. Transfer chicken, skin side up, to a large plate. Reserve 2 tablespoons of drippings in skillet; discard any excess drippings.
Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to reserved drippings in skillet, and heat over medium. Add garlic cloves; cook, stirring often, until lightly browned and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine, and cook, stirring and scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan, until liquid is slightly reduced, about 1 minute.
Return chicken, skin side up, to skillet. Scatter olives, oregano sprigs, and rosemary sprigs around chicken pieces. Squeeze 1 lemon half evenly over chicken, and nestle squeezed lemon half in pan; reserve remaining lemon half for another use. Sprinkle chicken evenly with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Bake in preheated oven until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion of chicken registers 175°F, about 25 minutes. Garnish with chopped oregano. Serve with bread.