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1. Pat the chicken thighs very dry, then season all over with the sea salt and black pepper. Peel the garlic cloves and lightly smash 12 of them, leaving the other 8 whole. Cut the lemon in half, slicing one half into thin rounds and reserving the other half for juicing.
8 piece bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs,
20 clove garlic,
1 piece lemon,
1.5 tsp fine sea salt,
0.5 tsp black pepper
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2. Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy casserole or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken skin-side down for 6-7 minutes until deeply golden, then flip and sear 2 minutes more. Transfer to a plate, leaving the fat in the pan.
8 piece bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs,
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
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3. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add all the garlic and cook gently for 2-3 minutes, stirring, until just turning golden at the edges but not brown. Stir in the smoked paprika and thyme for 20 seconds until fragrant.
20 clove garlic,
1 tsp smoked paprika (pimenton dulce),
1 tsp dried thyme
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4. Pour in the white wine, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes until reduced by about half.
1 cup dry white wine
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5. Add the chicken stock and bay leaves, then return the chicken to the pan, skin-side up, with any resting juices. Tuck in the lemon slices, bring to a gentle simmer, then cover and cook on low heat for 30 minutes.
8 piece bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs,
1 cup chicken stock,
3 piece bay leaves,
1 piece lemon
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6. Uncover and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes more, until the chicken is tender and the sauce has thickened slightly and glossy. Chicken should reach 75°C (165°F) or higher internally.
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7. Stir in the sherry vinegar and a squeeze of juice from the reserved lemon half. Taste and adjust the salt and lemon. Discard the bay leaves.
1 piece lemon,
1 tbsp dry sherry vinegar
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8. Chop the parsley and scatter over the chicken. Serve straight from the pan with the garlicky sauce spooned over, and crusty bread or rice alongside to soak it up.
3 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley (garnish)
