Poultry Essentials Easy Crispy Chicken Thighs Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.
• Arrange chicken thighs on prepared baking sheet.
• Combine garlic salt, onion salt, oregano, thyme, paprika, and pepper together in a small container with a lid. Close the lid and shake container until spices are thoroughly mixed. Sprinkle spice mixture liberally over chicken thighs.
• Bake chicken in the preheated oven until skin is crispy, thighs are no longer pink at the bone, and the juices run clear, about 1 hour. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

Steps:

• PREP/PREPARE
• If you are doing the optional brine, then add all the ingredients to the water, and whisk until the sugar and salt are completely dissolved. Add the chicken thighs, and place in the fridge for 3 - 4 hours. I like how the tamari flavors the chicken; however, if you are not too sure about it, just leave it out.
• The reason I do not include any salt in the spice mix, is because I am brining the thighs. If you choose not to brine, then add about a teaspoon of salt, or to taste.
• Gather your Ingredients (mise en place).
• Combine all of the spice mixture ingredients into a small bowl, and reserve.
• Take the chicken (after the brine), and pat dry. Then place on a plate or small sheet pan, and sprinkle with the potato starch.
• Chef's Note: The purpose of the potato starch is to help dry out the skin. It will not impart any flavor of its own. You could use salt, or baking soda, but both of those methods make the chicken taste a bit too salty for my palate.
• I like to remove the bone from the thighs before baking. The only reason for this is the final presentation; plus, without the bone, it makes it easier for my guests to slice. If you leave the bone in, no worries.
• Stick them in the fridge, uncovered, for 2 - 3 hours.
• Remove from the fridge, place on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet, fitted with a wire rack (if you have one). They should be skin-side up.
• Lightly brush the skins with the olive oil.
• Sprinkle with the reserved spice mixture, then let sit on the counter for 20 minutes.
• Place a rack in the middle position, and preheat the oven to 425f (220c).
• Add the chicken thighs to the oven, and bake for 15 minutes.
• Lower the heat to 400f (205c), and cook until the internal temperature of the thighs reaches 165f (75c), about an additional 15 minutes.
• PLATE/PRESENT
• One of my favorite ways to serve these is on a plate of homemade pasta, and a nice spicy tomato sauce. But, how you serve them, is totally up to you.
• Keep the faith, and keep cooking.

Steps:

• PREP/PREPARE
• For this recipe, you will need an ovenproof skillet that is big enough to hold all the chicken.
• When I was working on this recipe, I tried several variations, so I only cooked 2 chicken thighs at a time (as the photos indicate). However, the ingredient list is proportioned to accommodate 4 thighs.
• On my third attempt at this recipe, I felt the sauce was missing something, so, I decided to add some sautéed shiitake mushrooms to the sauce, and that made all the difference.
• If you want to make the sauce a bit more decadent, you could use cream, in place of the milk; however, I found that whole milk did the job quite nicely.
• If your chicken thighs have large flaps of skin hanging down, then cut them off. They will only sit in the sauce and become soggy. YUK!
• Gather your Ingredients (mise en place).
• Place a rack in the middle position, and preheat the oven to 300f (150c).
• Add the butter and grapeseed oil to a skillet over medium heat.
• Pat the chicken thighs with a paper towel, season with a bit of salt and pepper, and add to the pan, skin-side-down, and cook until the skin is crispy, about 4 - 6 minutes.
• Chef's Tip: If you have a small pan, you might need to sear the chicken thighs in two batches. If you crowd the pan, the chicken will steam, not sear, and you will be left with steamed, pale, tasteless chicken. I HATE it when that happens. When you properly sear the chicken, you will have crispy, flavorful chicken.
• Flip the chicken, and cook for an additional 4 - 6 minutes.
• Remove the chicken, reserve, and then remove all but 2 tablespoons of the grease, then add the mushrooms to the pan; along with the white wine.
• Chef's Note: If you do not wish to use wine, then use 3 tablespoons of chicken stock, and 1 tablespoon of freshly-squeezed lemon juice.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms soften, and release their moisture, and the wine or stock is cooked down, about 5 - 7 minutes.
• Add the garlic, and stir until fragrant, 60 seconds.
• Add the sun-dried tomatoes, and the sun-dried tomato oil, and stir for 2 minutes.
• Combine the remaining ingredients (except the chicken), to the skillet
• Stir to combine the ingredients, while slowly bringing up to a simmer, about 2 - 3 minutes.
• Chef's Note: While the sauce is coming up to the simmer, taste and season with salt and pepper.
• Return the chicken to the pan, skin side up.
• Place, uncovered, in the pre-heated oven, and bake for 25 minutes.
• Raise the heat to 375f (190c), and bake an additional 10 minutes.
• PLATE/PRESENT
• Serve with pasta, rice, mash potatoes, veggies... whatever you choose, and do not forget that yummy sauce. Enjoy.
• Keep the faith, and keep cooking.

Steps:

• PREP/PREPARE
• You will need an ovenproof skillet to make this recipe.
• Gather your ingredients (mise en place).
• THE POTATOES
• Cut the potatoes in half, toss with the oil, salt, and pepper, then reserve
• THE SAUCE ENHANCER
• Combine the garlic and lemon juice in a small bowl, and reserve.
• THE CHICKEN
• Place a rack in the bottom position and preheat the oven to 450f (230c).
• Add the oil to an ovenproof skillet over medium heat.
• Sprinkle the chicken with a bit of salt and pepper.
• Place the chicken, skin-side-down, and cook without moving until the skin crisps, and easily releases from the pan, 3 - 5 minutes.
• Flip the chicken.
• Add the potatoes, cut-side-down, and let them brown for a few minutes in the chicken fat.
• Sprinkle the chicken and potatoes with some dried oregano and thyme.
• Toss in the smashed garlic.
• Add the wine and chicken stock, but do not pour it over the chicken. We want to keep that skin nice and crispy. Bring up to a simmer.
• Add to the preheated oven and bake until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are tender and brown, 15 - 18 minutes.
• Remove the chicken and potatoes, and cover. We are going to make a quick pan sauce.
• Take the garlic from the pan, and then using the flat side of a kitchen knife, smash it into a pulp.
• Add the garlic back to the pan and turn the heat up to medium.
• Simmer the sauce until reduced by 20 - 30 percent, and begins to thicken, 3 - 4 minutes.
• Add the reserved lemon/garlic enhancer and simmer for an additional 2 - 3 minutes.
• PLATE/PRESENT
• Add a chicken thigh and potatoes to a plate, and spoon on some of that yummy pan sauce. Enjoy.
• Keep the faith, and keep cooking.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C). Set a wire rack inside a broiler pan or baking pan.
• Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Lift up skin gently; sprinkle salt, pepper, and garlic powder under the skin. Replace skin. Season skin and underside of the thighs with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Arrange on the rack.
• Roast in the preheated oven until golden, about 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Continue roasting until juices run clear, about 30 minutes more. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.