Ingredients:

3 lbs chicken thighs
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
1/2 super fine flour (like Wondra)
1/2 cup Picholine olives, drained
12 oz frozen artichoke hearts
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 small-medium head cauliflower, cut into florets
3 slices preserved lemon, rinsed and quartered

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400.

Throughly coat the chicken with salt, pepper and flour. Place skin side down in a hot, oven safe skillet. Cook for 10-20 minutes or until well browned. Remove to a paper-towel lined platter. Drain off fat, leaving 1-2 tablespoons behind. Add the vegetables and saute until the onion is softened and transulcent. Place the chicken, skin side up, on top of the vegetables.

Bake for 40 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. Serve immediately.

My thoughts:

Normally when I have chicken thighs, I make Maryland Fried Chicken but that seemed a bit heavy so I came up with this one dish meal. The worst part about baking chicken thighs is that it is hard to get a good, crisp skin. This method eliminates that issue by browning it first and then placing the chicken on top of the vegetables instead of nestled amoung the veg. This not only keeps the skin crisp, the vegetables gently steam the bottom of the thighs infusing them with olive, garlic and lemon flavors. So good! The meat was so moist and tender and it took virtually no effort on my part. Plus there is a side dish built right in which was also super flavorful. I think I found my new favorite way to cook chicken thighs.