Crispy Lemon Chicken from "Dinner in One" from Melissa Clark

The concept of this book is to prepare meals using just one pot or sheet pan, minimizing the number of dishes to clean afterward (or to purchase if you don't cook frequently).

I made this dish on April 26, 2026, and have thought about it a lot. It was very tasty, but the skin was awful and it was messy to eat, in my opinion.

I used bone-in, skin-on thighs. I understood that you cook the seasoned potatoes (I added carrot sticks too because I LOVE carrots with Thanksgiving turkey cooked under the turkey!) on the sheet pan first, then place the marinated chicken on top, skin-side up, after the potatoes have softened considerably. I assume the author believes this would crisp the skin enough.

Personally, I would have preferred using a cast-iron skillet to crisp the chicken, skin-side down, for a few minutes before following the rest of the recipe. As written, my chicken skin remained rubbery. Additionally, eating it with the bone in was too difficult with a knife and fork, so I had to pick up the messy chicken to enjoy it.

For the leftovers, I ended up deboning the chicken and adding it to green salads, peeling off and discarding the skin.

The concept was flawed, BUT the ingredients were delicious.