5 bone-in chicken thighs (skin removed (or do all drumsticks))
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 ½ teaspoons sea salt (plus more for seasoning onions)
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 Tablespoons unrefined (extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil)
1 medium onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 Tablespoon white wine (optional)
2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Optional: fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish
Steps
Make a couple of slits in the flesh of each drumstick. Place drumsticks and thighs in a large bowl and season with turmeric, salt and pepper. Mix together until well coated. Set aside.
Warm the oil in a large 12-inch pan over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and sauté until tender and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add white wine, if using.
Add the chicken to the pan and cook for about 3 minutes on each side. Add the lemon juice and ¼ cup of hot water.
Turn the chicken in the sauce to coat all sides and scrape all the crispy bits with a wooden spoon. Reduce the heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer, turning occasionally until the chicken is cooked through, about 35 minutes.
Taste for seasoning and garnish with parsley
Reviews
LB on 2025-12-02 (5 stars): Made this with boneless skinless chicken thighs and it is delicious!
Sue Bonfeld on 2022-10-12 (5 stars): Wonderful recipe - thank you. I made only one minor change - subbing warmed chicken broth for the hot water. Made your excellent broccoli shawarma recipe as a side to go with this - YUM!
Emily E Welch on 2020-07-02 (5 stars): Hi there. Is there a way to do this if I wanted to leave the skin on? I love this recipe but I have family coming and they are all very partial to chicken thighs with skin I was hoping to wow them with this but dont want to ruin it...
Kyleigh on 2020-07-02 (5 stars): Loved this! Truly easy and flavorful! Excited to try it with fish and cauliflower. What about garbanzo beans? Shrimp?
I made this the same night as making a Persian chicken recipe from Epicurious and this recipe was by far the best and far more simple. My Persian husband loved it!
Christine on 2020-05-28 (5 stars): Made this a little different but it turned out fantastic.Butterflied a breast and pressed it then put the salt pepper and tumeric on the chicken placed in the pan with olive oil added chopped slivered onions . I ran out of garlic cloves so I just left that out and slowly cooked the chicken until it was nice and brown and the onions were carmelized . After cooking I covered the meat and let it rest .. It was delicious.
Kelly Golub on 2020-05-18 (5 stars): Skipped ahead and made "Wednesday" on Monday because I had chicken thighs that I needed to use. So so yummy, as always! Fam was super happy for "something new" and tasty. Thank you, Pamela, yet again...and to your friend, Naz, too!
Lisa on 2019-08-28 (5 stars): This is so delicious... another hit! We all loved the sauce. Could I add more liquid (maybe a bone broth) without compromising the flavors?
