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Does anyone else love chicken thighs?

2.1K views 74 replies 50 participants last post by  Lilbuck2.0  
#1 ·
We think they're great. They're moist and used to be dark meat but that started to change 50 years ago and now they're just moist light meat. Very hard to screw them up in cooking. And they're very reasonably priced. The ones I'm cooking tonight were $.99/lb.

I sometimes grill them but for the past few years I've been cooking them the Jacque Pepin method. It's simple and results in crispy skin and moist meat. And best of all, no oven spatter.

OK, here's how to do it.

Take your thigh(s) and trim any skin that you wish. If there are some feathers that didn't come out that's the loose skin that I trim. Then skin side down cut on each side of the bone but don't cut through. The reason for those 2 cuts is to open the thigh up so that the heat better penetrates and also to lay the skin down flat for better crisping.

I use a 12" frying pan that has a lid. Put oil in the pan and put the thighs in the pan over medium heat. there is a narrow end and a wider end to a thigh. Narrow end is at one end of the bone and that goes to the pan center. Wide end toward the outer edge. I cock the lid to allow gentle escape of the steam so that I don't get spatter. Fry them for 24 minutes +. They're done when the juice in the cuts you made is no longer pinkish but clear. 12 minutes in loosen the thighs from off of the pan, but otherwise leave them alone. With experience you'll know your rangetop and how to adjust the heat.

I always buy 12 thighs and the pan comfortably hold 4 thighs.

I've sprinkled them with gran' garlic and had them sit overnight or for a few days and that's good. Use what you like. Would other herbs and spices work? Sure.

Enjoy! Oh, and the reason I thought to post this? Cooking 12 thighs as I type. That'll give us plenty of leftovers for the week. To rewarm I put a serving in the toaster/broiler skin side up for 10 minutes at 350F. Yours might be different.
 
#5 ·
The thighs are by far the best part of the chicken. ( livers are second) I don't cut into them for cooking. I put enough oil in the pot to come up on them some. I said pot instead of pan because I use a heavy stainless pot because as you mentioned, the spatter. The high sides of the pot will prevent that. I don't like a lid because it holds in moisture which prevents a deep crispy skin. I know the recommendation is 165 but when mine is in the high 140's in the thickest part I turn off the heat and they will cook just a little more. This is the best way that I have found to do the breasts also. Breasts can be dry if one is not careful. Anytime a recipe calls for bite sized pieces of chicken the breast is best for this but only if fried whole and then cut into what will be moist pieces. I have found that letting them cook to a full 165 in the pot is much too dry for me.

Disclaimer; cook at less than 165 at your own risk.
 
#9 ·
Get a heritage breed bird like we had 50+ years ago, esp' if it's allowed to forage for itself, and you'll see what dark thigh meat is. Todays birds don't have dark meat even though it's called that. Then come back and tell me that todays commercial birds have dark thigh meat. A heritage breed also has 5x the flavor. For some folks the intense chicken flavor is off putting.
 
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#11 ·
Yeah, I know this is cheating but whatever. My favorite way to grill them is after marinating in Good Seasons Italian salad dressing. But don't mix it in the carafe, instead make it in the blender and add extra garlic and onion. In the blender it turns creamy and stays that way. It takes a couple of packets to get the job done. Marinating for a few days is fine.

FWIW, I always make my Good Seasons in the blender, even for use in salads, because it doesn't separate.
 
#13 ·
When I was a kid, my mom told me that white meat was better, and that dad ate the dark meat only because he was making sure his family got the better white meat. Like a kid , I believed my mom and loved my dad for the sacrifice he was making. So it was 20 years later when my girl friend laughed at me and handed me a chicken thigh and said “taste it” then I realized that my mom had lied to me and that my dad just liked the dark meat better.
 
#24 ·
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs from CostCo. One in the skillet with 5 CostCo tenderloins. That's for four people. Just enough fat (which intake I am supposed to keep low) to help the tenderloins get some better flavor. I cook that in water to reduce that "8% salt and water". I have to watch my sodium intake. Wife hates it boiled and cooks the chicken down to where there's no water, and the salty taste truly disappoints my taste buds. I won't eat it, cooked that way. Way too salty. Since I cook dinner about 98% of the time, she's just going to have to tolerate it. Add fresh garlic cloves to taste late in the cooking time.

And yes, they are my favorite part of the bird.
 
#27 ·
In my mind that’s the only part of the bird to eat .I marinate them in a generous amount of kimchi overnight, and then bake in the oven covered in the kimchi till the meat is pulling off the bone. A couple of potatoes in the oven with the chicken or some rice as a side. definitely an easy way to do chicken thighs..
 
#46 ·
I have pics on the phone for the most part because I take pride on firing up the gas grill or charcoal grill and cooking outdoors on the coldest days of the year. Maybe single digit days, don’t recall any -0 days.
Send pics to the kids at dinner, they are fair weather grillers.
 
#31 ·
From the number of food posts and responses to them, I would venture to say that eating/cooking comes a close second to shooting (and guns in general) for the vast majority of RFC members ! So many new ideas to experiment withfor the next batch of chicken I cook ! And yes, dark meat and thighs in particular are my favorite !