A zingy dill lemon sauce coats crispy pan-seared lemon chicken thighs that are heavenly served on top of a pile of incredibly creamy mascarpone rice!
It’s been a hot second since we kicked an entire meal-in-one chicken dinner up a notch hasn’t it??
I haven’t been this excited about a chicken dinner in ages, guys. That and the fact that super-duper creamy mascarpone rice is joining our wild weeknight dinner party. ??
It’s not often I make the same meal twice in one week, but these dill lemon chicken thighs were one of those meals. Jason and I are low-key obsessed.
We are talking REAL DEAL flavors and textures at work here today, friends. Total dream combos. >>
We’ve got crispy pan-seared chicken outside, juicy interior, + the absolute most BOMB dill lemon sauce ever smothering every chicken inch.
Then as if dinner couldn’t get insane enough, we’re also whipping up a SUPER easy and honestly killer mascarpone rice. Incredibly creamy, rich, and plays veeeeeery well with the citrusy, herby chicken.
Prep for for these dill lemon chicken thighs is as follows:
- First up is pan-searing our chicken thighs. Very basic, we’re just seasoning bone-in chicken thighs (you could also use boneless!) with salt + pepper and searing it in olive oil + butter on both sides til golden-brown.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and now it’s sauce time! Veeeery simple stuff here, we’ve got garlic, lemon juice/zest, honey, and fresh dill. Let it reduce until thickened, but watch it like a hawk because we don’t want it overreducing on us!
- Nestle the chicken thighs back in the skillet and make sure you spoon some of that liquid gold on top! From there, we’re letting the oven finish off the chicken.
- While the chicken bakes, you’ll have just enough time to whip up your creamy mascarpone rice! We’re just doing rice 101 here with browning garlic + rice in butter, pouring chicken broth straight in the pan, and letting it simmer around medium-low for about 20 minutes. Then throwing ALL the cheesy goodness inside and watching the creamy magic happen. (also, if you don’t have mascarpone on hand, cream cheese will do the trick!)
The only thing left to do is nestle those chicken thighs on top of this rice. Drizzle any extra lemon sauce on top and Dive. The. Heck. In.
Pssssst…if you want to see a demo of me cooking this chicken start to finish, I’m sharing a full step-by-step process in my Instagram stories right now!!
Is it rational for me to want this chicken for dinner literally every night? Either way, it’s probably happening for about the 4th time tonight. ??
More super popular weeknight chicken dinners you need to add to your menu!
- Skillet Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs with Roast Potatoes (#1 recipe on Whole and Heavenly Oven right now!)
- Instant Pot Orange Chicken Rice Bowls
Dill Lemon Chicken Thighs with Creamy Mascarpone Rice
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Ingredients
Dill Lemon Chicken Thighs
- 4 medium bone-in chicken thighs, patted dry (about 1 lb)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill weed
- Lemon slices and sprigs of dill for roasting
Creamy Mascarpone Rice
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1-1/2 cups uncooked long-grain rice
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 4 oz mascarpone cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Dill Lemon Chicken Thighs
- Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper to taste. Heat 1 tablespoon butter and olive oil in a medium oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat until melted and hot. Place chicken thighs skin-side down and sear 2-3 minutes on both sides until golden brown. Remove from skillet and set aside.
- Drain drippings from pan and wipe clean. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat. Add garlic to pan and saute 1 minute until garlic is fragrant. Add honey, lemon juice, and zest to pan and bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Stir in dill and salt and pepper to taste.
- Nestle chicken thighs back into pan and use a spoon to drizzle some of the sauce over top. Arrange lemon slices and dill around chicken. Bake chicken at 400F 25-30 minutes or until chicken registers 165F
Creamy Mascarpone Rice
- While the chicken bakes, prepare the rice. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter and saute garlic in butter 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir rice into pan and let cook 1 minute until lightly toasted, being careful not to let the garlic burn.
- Add chicken broth to skillet and cover. Bring rice to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and let simmer 20-25 minutes until rice is tender and creamy, stirring occasionally.
- Stir mascarpone cheese and Parmesan into rice until melted and creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Nestle lemon chicken thighs on top of creamy rice and serve immediately while warm. Enjoy!
Susan Caldwell says
Doubled the sauce for 8 boneless chicken thighs. It was really good. The rice is good but made way too much! Will use rice for 4 servings.
Sarah says
Glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, Susan! 🙂
Demi Carrillo says
This went over really will with my sister! We loved it so much and I felt V fancy cooking this as well as plating it up. ☺️👏🏻 thank you for sharing this !
Sarah says
That’s amazing to hear, Demi! Thanks for reporting back. 🙂