New York City chef Seamus Mullen uses almonds and spices to make a crisp and tasty crust for chicken legs; the coating is also good on lamb chops. Slideshow: Chicken Thigh Recipes
How to Make It
Preheat the oven to 400°. In a spice grinder, pulse the almonds until finely ground. Transfer to a large bowl. In the spice grinder, grind the coriander, peppercorns and mustard seeds until coarsely ground. Add to the large bowl along with the salt and lemon zest and mix well. Brush the chicken with olive oil, then dredge in the almond mixture, pressing to help it adhere.
In a large cast-iron skillet, heat the 1/4 cup of olive oil over moderate heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken, skin side down, and cook until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Flip and cook until very lightly browned on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the chicken until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of each thigh registers 165°, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.