Rub ½ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper and salt onto both sides of chicken. Add a small amount of canola oil or cooking spray to the oven safe pan and heat over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add chicken pieces to the pan, skin side down; cook the chicken 6 minutes or until the skin is crisp and golden brown. Turn chicken over. Place the pan in the oven. Bake at 400°F for 12 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion of chicken reads 165°F.
Remove fried chicken pieces from pan; loosely tent with foil to keep warm. Discard pan drippings but do not wipe out the pan. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan, then add potatoes and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook potatoes over medium heat for 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove potatoes from the pan. Add lemon slices to pan; cook 1 minute on each side or until browned. Remove lemon from pan. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, then add shallots and garlic; sauté 2 minutes, stirring so that the garlic doesn’t burn. Add wine and chopped fresh thyme; cook 1 minute or until liquid almost evaporates, scraping the pan to loosen browned bits.
Return potatoes and lemon slices to the pan. Add 2/3 cup stock, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper; cover and cook for 10-12 minutes until potatoes are tender. Combine the remaining 1/3 cup stock and cornstarch, stirring with a whisk. Add cornstarch mixture and olives (if you choose) to the pain; bring to a boil. Cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
Stir in lemon juice, sugar (if using), and butter, stirring until butter melts. Add the chicken to the pan, coat the chicken, then sprinkle with parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
Adapted from Cooking Light January/February 2013.Flavor Tips - The dark bits that get stuck to the bottom of the pan when you are browning chicken are called fond. When you deglaze a pan, or add a liquid to loosen these bits and incorporate them into a sauce, you add lots of delicious, deep flavor to your final dish!Variations - Marinade: For more lemon flavor, you can use a lemon chicken marinade of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and fresh herbs. Storage - Leftover lemon butter chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can freeze leftovers for up to 6 months.