Turn this simple pan seared Herb Chicken Thighs into a chicken salad bowl or a chicken burrito bowl. This juicy herb-y chicken is so easy to make. Perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or as a meal prep!

This lemon herb chicken is one of my favourite recipes to make whenever I’ve got extra dairy lying around. A riff of my Greek chicken meal prep bowls, this herb chicken thigh recipe uses a bunch of my dried herbs hanging out in my pantry.

Herb chicken salad in a meal prep container and herb chicken rice bowl in a plate.

Why You’ll Love This Lemon Herb Chicken Recipe

It’s so easy! Marinate your chicken in a small dish (the smaller the dish the less marinade is needed) and then add it to your skillet on the stove top. Definitely one of the best herb chicken recipes if I do say so myself.
It uses up leftover ingredients. I always buy sour cream for a taco recipe or to go with chili and then the half empty tub will just sit in the fridge for what feels like forever. So I’ve started marinating my herb chicken in it to help tenderize my meat and to use up my sour cream!
Makes for the perfect meal prep. Meal prep a batch of this sweet herb chicken for the week! It reheats wonderfully. More info on this simple chicken meal prep bowl down below!
Pantry staples — this chicken thigh recipe uses dried herbs. While you can use fresh if you wish, I find it more convenient to cook my chicken with dried herbs, especially as we are going out less and I’m relying more on my pantry staples.

What You’ll Need

Ingredients for herb chicken marinade in a bowl.

chicken thighs — boneless skinless chicken thighs
olive oil
sour cream — or Greek yogurt if you prefer
lemon zest & juice — freshly squeezed is best.
garlic powder
onion powder
dried oregano
dried basil
salt
butter — use unsalted butter as you’re already seasoning the chicken thighs with salt.

To go with the chicken:

romaine lettuce — here’s a step by step tutorial on how to cut romaine lettuce.
red onions
cherry tomatoes
tzatziki sauce
feta cheese or goat cheese
optional: rice to make this into a chicken rice bowl.

How to Make Herb Chicken Thighs

In a small or shallow bowl, combine the chicken thighs with the olive oil, sour cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, dried basil, and salt.
Cover and set aside in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes or more.
On medium heat, heat up your skillet (preferably cast iron) and melt the butter and the rest of the olive oil before adding in the chicken thighs (shake off excess marinade), smooth side down and then cook for 5 minutes. Flip and continue to cook for 6 to 7 minutes, or until cooked through. Do not overcrowd the pan, cook in two batches if necessary. Be sure to add more butter and oil for the second batch.

Close up of pan seared herb chicken thighs.

Make this into a herb chicken salad: serve with chopped romaine lettuce, red onions, tomatoes, feta cheese or goat cheese, and tzatziki sauce.
Make this into a lemon herb chicken rice bowl: serve with the same as above overtop a bed of rice to turn this into a chicken rice bowl.

A bowl of Greek chicken over top of rice and salad.

Tips and Notes

Chicken thighs are done when they’ve reached an internal temperature of 165F/74C. Use an instant read thermometer to check.

My Recommendation

This is my go-to meat thermometer for making sure that the internal temperature of my meat is good to go. It’s also magnetic so I have it on my fridge door to save drawer space!

Get it Now!

Avoid moving the chicken when you first place it in. Allow the chicken to sear. The chicken will come off the skillet once it’s ready. If you move it too early, the chicken will stick to the skillet and tear.
Chicken thighs can be swapped out for chicken breasts but you’ll have to change the cook time to avoid overcooking it.
Allow the cast iron skillet to heat up before adding the chicken to the pan.
For the rice, I simply cooked it with vegetable stock and some dried oregano and dried basil.
Other things you can serve this garlic butter chicken with are: roasted asparagus, mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, roasted beets, wild rice, coconut rice, and more.

Make Ahead Tips

Meal prep: store the cooked chicken in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge. If you are serving this as a salad, feel free to pack it all together. If you are serving this as a chicken rice bowl, I recommend packing the rice (and the chicken if you’d like) separately. You’d want to heat up the rice before eating and the lettuce, tomatoes, tzatziki, etc will not reheat well alongside the rice. It’s easier to heat the rice up separately and then add it to your bowl afterwards.
Freezer: allow the chicken thighs to cool before transferring it into an airtight container before storing them in the freezer.

Herb chicken meal prep salad in a glass container.

A bowl of herb chicken over top of rice and salad.

Herb Chicken Thighs

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 40

Servings: servings

Ingredients

8-10 chicken thighs, boneless, skinless
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup sour cream , or Greek yogurt if you prefer
1 lemon zest & juice
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tsp salt

To cook the chicken:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter , more if needed

For chicken salad or rice bowl:

2 heads romaine lettuce
1 red onions, diced
1-2 cups cherry tomatoes
tzatziki sauce
feta cheese or goat cheese
rice , optional

Instructions

In a small or shallow bowl, combine the chicken thighs with the olive oil, sour cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, dried basil, and salt.
Cover and set aside in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes or more.
On medium heat, heat up your skillet (preferably cast iron) and melt the butter and the olive oil.
Shake off the excess marinade and add the chicken thighs smooth side down to the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes. Flip and continue to cook for 6 to 7 minutes, or until cooked through. Do not overcrowd the pan, cook in two batches if necessary. Be sure to add more butter and oil for the second batch.
Make this into a herb chicken salad: serve with chopped romaine lettuce, red onions, tomatoes, feta cheese or goat cheese, and tzatziki sauce.
Make this into a lemon herb chicken rice bowl: serve with the same as above overtop a bed of rice to turn this into a chicken rice bowl.

Notes

Calories estimate do not include the salad or rice bowl ingredients.

Tried this recipe?Did you make this recipe? I’m always so happy to hear about it! I’d love to see how it turned out. Tag me at @CarmysHungry on Instagram so I can see it! If you enjoyed the recipe, I’d really appreciate a comment with a 5 star rating! ♥

Nutrition Per Serving

Author: Carmy

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Nutrition Disclaimer

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