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Chicken with capers, lemon, chillies and thyme

Name: Chicken with capers, lemon, chillies and thyme
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: Italian recipes
Ingredients: 6 chicken drumsticks; 6 chicken thighs; 5 lemons; 80ml olive oil; 20g bunch thyme, leaves picked; 2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped; 6 garlic cloves, halved lengthways; 3 tbsp capers, soaked in water for 2 hours if salted (see Tips); 250ml white wine

By: Amber Guinness

Published: 6 Sep 24
Updated: 8 Oct 24

Chicken with capers, lemon, chillies and thyme

Give chicken thighs and drumsticks an Italian spin with this easy midweek chicken recipe from food writer Amber Guinness.

“This citrussy chicken recipe is inspired by the flavours I most associate with southern Italy: lemons, chillies, capers and thyme,” says Amber. “If you have time, marinate the chicken in the fridge overnight as the flavours will be deep and well developed, yielding the tastiest chicken possible”

A cook, author and journalist, Amber was born in London but raised in Tuscany, where she co-founded the Arniano Painting School in what was her family home. This recipe taken from her second cookbook, Coastal Italian (Thames & Hudson £29.99), and has been tested by delicious.

Discover more inspiring food from across Italy with our recipe tour of 20 regions.

Easy
September 2024

Test kitchen approved

Serves 6
Hands-on time 30 min, plus at least 2 hours marinating. Oven time 45 min

Give chicken thighs and drumsticks an Italian spin with this easy midweek chicken recipe from food writer Amber Guinness.

Discover more inspiring food from across Italy with our recipe tour of 20 regions.

Nutrition: Per serving

Calories: 411kcals
Fat: 25g (5.1g saturated)
Protein: 36g
Carbohydrates: 1.3g (0.9g sugars)
Fibre: 0.5g
Salt: 0.8g

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Ingredients

6 chicken drumsticks
6 chicken thighs
5 lemons
80ml olive oil
20g bunch thyme, leaves picked
2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, halved lengthways
3 tbsp capers, soaked in water for 2 hours if salted (see Tips)
250ml white wine

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Method

Trim off any large excess bits of skin from the chicken, then put the pieces in a shallow dish. Finely grate in the zest of 2 of the lemons, then add their juice too. Pour in half the olive oil, then add the thyme, chillies, garlic and 1 tbsp of the capers. Toss to combine, then leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours (or overnight).
Heat the oven to 180°C fan/gas 6. Pour the remaining olive oil in an ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat. Working in batches, take the chicken pieces out of the marinade, shaking to remove any excess liquid, then lightly dab them with kitchen paper. Add to the pan and brown on all sides. As you finish each batch, return the browned chicken to the marinade.
Remove any excess fat from the pan – you just want a slick of oil in there – then slice the remaining 3 lemons into discs and arrange them on the base of the pan. Put the browned chicken on top, ideally in a single packed layer, skin side up. Pour over the marinade juices, wine and remaining capers.

Roast for 45 minutes, basting the chicken with the juices in the bottom of the pan halfway through. Leave to rest for 5 minutes, then serve with your choice of sides.

Recipe from September 2024 Issue

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 411kcals
Fat: 25g (5.1g saturated)
Protein: 36g
Carbohydrates: 1.3g (0.9g sugars)
Fibre: 0.5g
Salt: 0.8g

delicious. tips

Amber’s tip: “I usually use the large salted capers from Salina, soaked in water for 2 hours, although you could use capers in brine, which don’t need any soaking.”

If you’re using salted capers, soak them for 2 hours in water, changing the water three times. If they’re in brine they’re ready to use right away.