Skillet Chicken Thighs and Parsnips With Green Sauce

Six ingredients, one pan, no notes.

By
Jasmine Smith
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Jasmine Smith
Jasmine Smith is a recipe developer and tester at Dotdash Meredith Food Studios. She has nearly a decade of experience in the culinary industry.
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and
Sharon Hsu
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Sharon Hsu
Sharon Hsu is an enthusiastic recipe and technique developer best known for her expertise in crafting visually appealing cafe and bakery-style treats. She thrives on exploring new concepts in the culinary world, seamlessly blending traditional baking methods with innovative flavors and techniques to create culturally rich creations. She appreciates how food has consistently been at the heart of countless cherished memories and aims to inspire others to bake and cook for their loved ones as an expression of love.
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Published on 02/28/24
Tested by
Spruce Eats Test Kitchen
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Tested by Spruce Eats Test Kitchen
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios, home of the Spruce Eats Test Kitchen, is housed in a 40,000-square-foot facility based in Dotdash Meredith’s Birmingham office, is a hub for food content creation for the nation’s top food and lifestyle publications.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
A skillet of roasted chicken thighs and parsnips, topped with an herb sauce, served with lemon wedges on the side

The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 50 mins
Servings: 4

I love Costco so much that I regard my trips to the store as dates if I go with my husband or a friend. Other than an absurd amount of unsalted butter (I have a butter fridge) and strawberries, packs of chicken thighs are one of my favorite bulk purchases. I love them for their versatility in my weeknight meal rotation. 

It's incredibly convenient to season them simply and pair them with practically any vegetable for a well-rounded meal that doesn’t require a ton of thought or planning. Ready in under an hour, these herby chicken thighs with roasted parsnips and green sauce are a great example of a variation on that theme.

The chicken is incredibly tender and juicy with crispy skin. The herb sauce resembles a pared-down chimichurri with garlicky undertones, giving the dish earthy notes and brightness from the lemon juice. The parsnips become caramelized in the chicken drippings while retaining their texture for a perfect—never mushy—bite.

What are Parsnips?

Parsnips are a type of root vegetable related to carrots and parsley. They have a similar shape to carrots but are off white in color and have a sweeter, nuttier flavor. Parsnips are commonly roasted, boiled, mashed, or used in soups and stews, but they’re especially nice roasted because they are resistant to overcooking. 

How To Know Chicken Thighs Are Properly Cooked?

For these chicken thighs, the cooking gets a jump-start on the stovetop for 10 minutes, so they only need about 20 minutes in the oven. Chicken thighs are quite forgiving; while they’re safe to eat at 165 F, they are more tender and succulent cooked to higher temperatures, up to 180 F. I highly recommend using a digital thermometer to check for proper temperature. 

Carrots can be substituted for some of the parsnips for variety. Alternatively, frozen pearl onions could be a fantastic addition in place of some of the parsnips, incorporated when the chicken is returned to the skillet.

Recipe Tips

  • Dry the skin—Before cooking, ensure the skin is dry by patting it with a paper towel, which also helps minimize oil splatters. 
  • Customize with ease—This recipe is perfect for meal prepping and can be endlessly customizable using your favorite herb blends. Cilantro in particular makes a great 1:1 swap for the parsley.
  • Just chill—Adding a couple ice cubes to the food processor when making the sauce helps keep it a vibrant green color.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound medium parsnips, peeled

  • 8 tablespoons olive oil, divided

  • 4 (8 ounces each) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

  • 2 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt (preferably Diamond Crystal), divided

  • 3/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided

  • 3 teaspoons finely chopped garlic, divided (from 3 large cloves) 

  • 1 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

  • 2 (1 1/4-inch) ice cubes (about 1 ounce total)

  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wedges for serving, divided

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 375 F.

    Ingredients to make roasted chicken thighs and parsnips with herb sauce

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely

  2. Cut 1/2 pound medium parsnips, peeled, diagonally into 1- to 1 1/2-inch-thick pieces. Halve or quarter thicker portions lengthwise, if needed, so pieces are more similar in size. Set aside.

    A small bowl of peeled and cut parsnips

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely

  3. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium, swirling to coat the pan. Sprinkle 4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs chicken thighs all over with 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.

    A small baking sheet with four chicken breasts, seasoned with salt and pepper, next to a skillet with oil

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely

  4. Place the chicken, skin side down, in the hot oil. Cook, undisturbed, until the skin is golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer chicken, skin side up, to a large plate. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the drippings in the skillet and discard excess drippings.

    A plate of four chicken thighs with crispy skin

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely

  5. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the parsnips and 1 teaspoon kosher salt to the skillet. Cook, undisturbed, until browned on one side, about 3 minutes. Stir parsnips and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned on other sides, about 3 minutes. Stir in 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic until well combined, about 30 seconds.

    A skillet with browned parsnips

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely

  6. Arrange the chicken, skin side up, over the parsnips in the skillet. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat registers 165 F to 175 F and the parsnips are tender, 10 to 16 minutes.

    A skillet with browned parsnips and cooked chicken thighs

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely

  7. While the chicken cooks, pulse 1 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves (about 1 ounce), 2 ice cubes (about 1 ounce total), 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, and the remaining 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic in a food processor until roughly chopped, about 10 to 15 pulses.

    A food processor with ice, fresh parsley, chopped garlic and lemon juice

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely

  8. With the food processor running, pour the remaining 6 tablespoons olive oil through the food chute, processing until the mixture is mostly smooth and emulsified, 1 to 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. Transfer the parsley mixture to a bowl and stir in the remaining 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.

    A hand pouring a small container of olive oil into a running food processor

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely

  9. Remove the skillet from the oven. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes in the pan. Serve with the herb sauce and lemon wedges.

    A skillet of roasted chicken thighs and parsnips, topped with an herb sauce, served with lemon wedges on the side

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely

How To Store

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Feeling Adventurous? Try This:

  • Mix and match veggies—Carrots could be added in lieu of some of the parsnip mixture to add another vegetable. 
  • Add an allium—Frozen pearl onions or small (or halved) shallots would be a great addition in place of some of the parsnips. Add in when the chicken is being added back to the skillet. 
  • Spice it up—Use your favorite herb or spice blend to season the chicken.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
593 Calories
47g Fat
12g Carbs
35g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 593
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 47g 60%
Saturated Fat 10g 48%
Cholesterol 181mg 60%
Sodium 1127mg 49%
Total Carbohydrate 12g 4%
Dietary Fiber 3g 10%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 35g
Vitamin C 29mg 147%
Calcium 64mg 5%
Iron 3mg 16%
Potassium 669mg 14%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)