Chicken Thighs with French Lentils

• total time: 1 hour 1 minute

Ingredients

7 chicken legs / 14 pieces of thighs and legs

Olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 ½ cups French lentils (lentilles du Puy), rinsed

4 ½ cups chicken stock

Small pinch saffron threads

2-3 shallots, finely diced

1 carrot, finely diced

1 stalk celery, finely diced

2–3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp Spanish paprika

1 tbsp ground cumin (optional)

2–3 bay leaves

Parsley stalks, finely diced (optional)

Parsley leaves, finely chopped

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions

Step 1: Brown the chicken

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Season the chicken legs generously with salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe pan over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken pieces on all sides until well browned. Remove and set aside.

Step 2: Sauté the mirepoix

Lower the heat to medium.

Add the onion, carrot, celery, and parsley stalks if using, with a pinch of salt. Cook 5–6 minutes until softened.

Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Stir in the paprika and cumin if using and cook briefly to bloom.

Step 3: Lentils and stock

Add the lentils and stir to coat in the aromatics.

Warm the chicken stock and add the saffron threads to bloom and a few pinches of kosher slat. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

Pour the saffron stock into the pan and add the bay leaves.

Nestle the chicken pieces back on top of the lentils in a single layer. Squeeze the 1/2 lemon over everything. Add a few more cracks of pepper.

Transfer to the oven and bake uncovered for 45–55 minutes, until the lentils are tender and the chicken is fully cooked.

Step 4: Finish and Serve

Remove from the oven and rest for 5 minutes. Remove bay leaves before serving.

Finish with a little fresh squeeze of lemon juice and chopped parsley.