This recipe comes to us from The “I Don’t Want to Cook” Book: Dinners Done in One Pot by Alyssa Brantley.
“This comforting one-pan dinner is loaded with chickpeas, spinach, spices, and the perfect amount of warmed feta cheese over bone-in, crispy-skin chicken thighs,” says Alyssa in the book. “Start this dish on the stovetop and transfer to the oven, then sit back and let the oven work its magic while you decompress and wait for a delicious dinner!”
Chicken Thighs with Chickpeas and Feta
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, divided
- 1 3/4 lbs skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs 4 large or 6 small
- 2 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning, divided
- 2 tsp kosher salt, divided
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 (5-ounce) bag fresh baby spinach
- 1 (15-ounce) can diced no-salt tomatoes, drained
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained with 1/4 cup liquid reserved
- 4 oz Greek feta cheese, crumbled
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Place chicken on a cutting board or dinner plate and rub both sides with 2 teaspoons paprika, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, and 1 teaspoon salt.
- Heat a 12" cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- Once hot, add oil and chicken, skin side down. Cook undisturbed 5 minutes or until skin is crispy and browned. Wash dinner plate or cutting board during cooking, then transfer partially cooked chicken back to the dinner plate or cutting board (keep skin side up) and set aside.
- Add spinach, tomatoes, chickpeas with 1⁄4 cup chickpea liquid, and remaining spices to skillet. Sauté 3 minutes, stirring frequently, or until spinach is completely wilted and spices are well mixed.
- Turn off heat. Nestle chicken thighs (skin side up) into spinach mixture. Sprinkle feta over spinach mixture, taking care to avoid placing feta directly onto crispy chicken skin.
- Bake on center rack uncovered 30 minutes or until chicken thighs reach 165°F internal temperature. Allow the skillet to rest 5 minutes before serving.
- For a kick of heat, add ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes to the spinach mixture along with the tomatoes. Optional toppings for this dish are freshly chopped basil, cilantro, or parsley.
Nutrition
Excerpted from The “I Don’t Want to Cook” Book: Dinners Done in One Pot by Alyssa Brantley. Copyright © 2024 by SIMON & SCHUSTER, LLC. Photographs by Emily Weeks. Used by permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.
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