One-Pan Crispy Chicken and Chickpeas

By Yossy Arefi

Published March 21, 2023

One-Pan Crispy Chicken and Chickpeas
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
5(1,948)
Comments
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This speedy, no-fuss meal comes together in one pan with a minimal ingredient list — and barely requires any chopping. The chicken skin crisps as it roasts and the chickpeas, garlic and spinach soak up any juices at the bottom of the pan. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end brightens up the whole dish. Make sure to stir the chickpeas and spinach together gently at the end to avoid breaking up the chickpeas too much. For added flavor, you could dust the chicken with smoked paprika, ground turmeric or your favorite spice blend before cooking. Serve this dish with yogurt and hot sauce on the side, and flatbread, if you like.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 4bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 1¾ pounds)
  • Kosher salt and pepper
  • 2teaspoons olive oil, plus more as needed
  • 2(15-ounce) cans of chickpeas, rinsed
  • 4large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 4(packed) cups or 1 (5-ounce) package baby spinach
  • 1large lemon, halved
  • Yogurt and hot sauce (both optional), for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

641 calories; 31 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 54 grams carbohydrates; 15 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 39 grams protein; 1060 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 400 degrees with a rack in the center.

  2. Step 2

    Pat the chicken dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Put the chicken thighs in the skillet, skin-side down, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until light golden brown. Flip and cook for 2 more minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

  3. Step 3

    Add the chickpeas and garlic to the skillet and stir to coat in the oil and juices. If the pan seems at all dry, drizzle in a bit of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

  4. Step 4

    Place the chicken on top of the chickpeas, skin side up, in an even layer and transfer the pan to the oven. Bake for 30 minutes or until the chicken is deeply golden and cooked through.

  5. Step 5

    Remove the chicken to a clean plate, put the pan back on the stovetop over medium heat and add the spinach to the chickpeas in the pan, one handful at a time, stirring it until just wilted. Add the chicken back to the pan and squeeze a lemon half over the top; cut the remaining lemon half into 4 wedges. Serve the chicken, chickpeas and spinach with the lemon wedges on the side, and yogurt and hot sauce for serving, if you like.

Ratings

5 out of 5
1,948 user ratings
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Comments

Patrick

All in all a solid base to build on. I like these kinds of instructions because this tastes like a 6 or 7/10 as is, but you can elevate it to your liking to improve even more. Different veg, more veg, more spices for the chicken and veg, garnish of some sort, etc.

Eric from Alaska

Just made this last night. Did per recipe, no deviations. Absolutely delicious. Lemon at the end is key. The short browning of the skin at the beginning renders chicken fat and juice which makes a nice little sauce for the garlic and chickpeas to cook. Agree that this recipe offers lots of possible variations. Fast, easy, inexpensive, very tasty and satisfying meal.

Jannette

I don't think it is really necessary to brown the chicken first. It will get lovely crispy and browned just being in the 400F oven (I do this all the time, coating the chicken thighs in Herbes the Provence and roasting for 30 min), and the drippings will flavor the chickpeas. But I really like the chicken, chickpea and spinach combo!

LP

Wow - talk about the sum being greater than the parts! I don’t know why this is so good. I didn’t change anything except I was out of garlic so used shallots and garlic powder.

Cam

Excellent! The comment about this being a tremendous base is spot on. Just a little bit of tailoring to your liking it becomes a hit that is affordable and healthy.

Fern

Yum. Subbed in mustard greens because they needed to be picked (& i dislike spinach). Drained garbanzos for 15 minutes or more & divided: half went in cast iron skillet per recipe, half toasted in oven with olive oil & dry harissa mixed in directly on parchment in jelly roll pan. Sprinkled harissa garbanzos over each serving of chicken over skillet mix. The garbanzo-mustard mix was full of flavor and not overly soft. Unsure why others had a different result.

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