Garlic Infused Chicken Thighs

Wash and dry chicken thighs. Sprinkle skin side liberally with kosher salt and coarse black pepper. You can do the same to the reverse side but I like to use a coarse ground steak seasoning for the reverse side.

Lay half of the thighs skin side up in the bottom of your crockpot. Add half of the smashed garlic cloves on top, half of the sprigs of thyme, and half of the slices of lemon. Repeat layers (chicken, garlic, thyme, lemon) and cover the crockpot. Turn on high for about 1 hour then reduce to low and allow to cook until done but not falling apart (approximately 3 to 4 hours.) My slow cooker seems to cook fast even on low. Please adjust your cooking time as needed to ensure that the chicken is cooked through. That is one thing that I like about the thigh portions – you can “over-cook” them without having them become dry.

Just before serving, gently remove thighs to a foil lined baking sheet. Discard thyme sprigs and lemon slices. Separate fat and pour pan juices into a saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until it reduces by half.

Bake chicken thighs on high heat (about 450F) just long enough to brown outside of thighs. Remove from the oven once browned.

Serve chicken with Wild Rice Pilaf and reduced pan juices.