Garlicky Chicken With Lemon-Anchovy Sauce

For those who, like me, use anchovy paste from the tube rather than whole fillet anchovies, note that according to most sources one anchovy fillet is the equivalent of 1/2 teaspoon of anchovy paste.

I make this all the time, too, and I've shared the recipe with lots of people. I use bone-in, skin-on thighs (because chicken skin is the best part of a chicken), and I brown the chicken a bit first before adding the anchovies, garlic, etc. so nothing burns. Perfect weeknight meal.

I've made this many times now, and it is always a hit. I put capers in after the anchovies dissolve (Step 1) so they don't get too over cooked. Also I find that the juice of a whole lemon (Step 3) is necessary.

I'm going to make this tomorrow night. It sounds great. I'm beginning to think Ms. Clark is onto something when she goes on and on about the magic of anchovies. I've slipped them into a number of meals and they seem to add sparkle without added a "fishy" taste. (My wife's big fear.)

I must tell you that your Cooking site is wonderful. Well laid out, great videos (short but informative) and lots of contagious enthusiasm. Nice work. You can all take a bow.

Cheers!

Brown the thighs first, remove from pan. THEN make the sauce. Cook the anchovies and garlic together on a low heat to control the garlic not getting over cooked. Then add capers as suggested by another reader. I add at least a half to 3/4 c white wine at the end when thighs have been removed from the sauce along with more lemon. simmer to reduce a bit and thicken. the more sauce the merrier! finally a T of butter.

There wasn't enough sauce for my taste so I added vermouth to the pan along with a little more lemon juice. Probably could have used chicken broth, but the vermouth was more interesting.

Your assertion is overblown.

Guests generally bear the responsibility of informing their hosts about life threatening allergies.

Allergies to shellfish are fairly common, as food allergies go. Anchovies, though, are a fin fish, not a shellfish. They do not contain chitin, which is the allergen present in shellfish. Fin fish allergies are rare. People frequently believe anchovies are shellfish, and also commonly believe they don't like them due to fishy smell. She's saying try them.

Last night, I briefly steamed thickly sliced potatoes and added them when the chicken went into the oven. Before deglazing the pan, I transferred the potatoes to a platter, placing the chicken on top, and returned to the oven. I poured the deglazed pan sauce over all and served with the parsley. (This eliminated the step of adding the chicken back to the pan.) The spuds were an easy way to round out the menu and take advantage of all the delicious pan sauces this recipe makes.

I have tried both ways and the oven finish really adds more depth to the flavor

Just wow. Truly lives up to the hype!

I also skipped the whole oven thing. Used thighs, which I think pan fry well without drying out. Another lazy shortcut I took was putting in white wine instead of lemon. Turned out plate-licking good. I'm literally making it again tonight, though we just had it last night. Melissa is my girl.

Splendid recipe, though there's no real need for the preheated-oven bit, which seems an entirely unwarranted complication. Instead, why not turn and cook chicken on other side in the pan, then transfer to plate and proceed with step 3?

Love this dish. Fast, easy and delicious. Its too hot to put the oven on, so, I made it entirely on top of the stove. I cooked for about 3-5 minutes per side and used a lid on my saute pan to keep the splatter at bay. On the plus side, I once I put everything on a platter, I used the light coating of oil remaining in the pan to saute some broccoli. Will be making this dish over and over again. Don't forget the bread!! Its essential to mop up the sauce.

I've cooked this dish for years - it's a good one. I suggest several modifications. Tinned anchovies can taste fishy; if using them instead of jarred ones, rinse them gently first. I brown the chicken in the anchovy/oil/red pepper mixture, then add the smashed garlic (this way you won't burn the garlic).To keep the chicken moist, I pan roast it with a little chicken stock on the stovetop. I perk it up at the end with lemon zest (not juice), finely minced capers, garlic and parsley.

Great served over spinach.

Next time try jarred anchovies in olive oil--and definitely "Italian" flat-leaf parsley--for an even higher flavor profile.