Preheat the oven to 400°F
Cut one lemon into half-moon shaped slices, and juice the other. Set aside.
Sprinkle the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and set aside.
Place a large, oven-safe skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the olive oil.
Place the chicken thighs in the pan with the skin side down, and don't touch them for 30 to 40 seconds.
Wiggle the chicken to release it from the bottom of the pan. If it doesn't easily release, let it cook a little longer. Rotate and turn the chicken every 30 seconds, but don't flip it yet. Rotating it around helps it evenly brown. This process should take 3 to 4 minutes.
Turn the chicken thighs over and pour the chicken broth into the bottom of the pan to deglaze.
Sprinkle the garlic cloves all around the pan and tuck six lemon slices around the chicken.
Separate the sprigs of thyme and nestle them all around the pan, in between, and on top of the chicken.
Place the pan in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165°F.
Remove the pan from the oven, and discard the stems of the thyme and cooked pieces of lemon. Leave the garlic cloves.
Cut the butter into small pieces and add it to the pan right into the juice.
Pour the lemon juice into the pan, and gently shake the pan to incorporate the butter and lemon into the sauce.
Remove the leaves from the remaining sprigs of thyme and sprinkle them all over the chicken. If desired, you can add the remaining lemon wedges to the pan before serving like we did.
We like to serve this rustic-style right from the pan. The juice is delicious over rice pilaf or buttered orzo.