Cooking & Baking

This recipe has you cut leeks crosswise into rounds so that you can see their concentric circles. But if your leeks are filled with dirt, you’ll have to split them lengthwise to fully wash them. In that case, simply chop them and proceed with the recipe as written.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 large leeks (1 1/4 pound total), cleaned, trimmed and sliced into 3/4-inch-thick rounds (see headnote)
1 large lemon, sliced into thin rounds, seeds picked out
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (1 1/2 pounds total)
Fine salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Crusty bread, for serving

Step 1
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees.

Step 2
Pour the oil into a 9-by-13-inch pan, add the leeks and lemon, and gently toss to coat.

Step 3
Pat the thighs dry and lightly season both sides with salt and pepper. Gently loosen the skin to let a little air in — this will help it get crispy as it roasts. Place the chicken thighs, skin-side up and evenly spaced, atop the leeks and lemons.

Step 4
Roast for 35 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of a thigh registers 160 to 165 degrees. Let rest for at least 5 minutes, then serve with crusty bread.