In these quick recipes, boneless chicken thighs are the standout ingredient.
The boneless, skinless chicken thigh might seem like a dinnertime protein paragon to exhausted home chefs. There are a lot of good reasons to adore it:
The dark meat thigh is more difficult to dry out than its finickier relative, and the boneless, skinless chicken breast can maintain moisture even when exposed to intense heat.
Additionally, without the bone, the cut—also known as a "chicken thigh fillet" in England—is quicker to make and tastier.
The greatest cut of chicken for regular cooking is undoubtedly this one.
However, it has only recently gained in popularity, and we can credit Gene Gagliardi, who created Steak-umm, for making it more widely available in American stores today.
According to Craig Cavallo on the website Serious Eats, Galiardi offered KFC a patented technique for mechanically deboning chicken thighs in the early 1990s, which led to the creation and enormous commercial success of popcorn chicken.
While it's likely that humans have been deboning and skinning chicken thighs for as long as we've been eating chicken, the USDA started publishing prices for this specific cut in 2003, and since then, demand for boneless meat has been gradually increasing.
(According to Stephen Silzer, senior director of marketing at Tyson, sales of deboned chicken thighs have increased by roughly 50% in the past year alone. It is the fresh chicken kind that is expanding the quickest, he claimed.)
Those of us who enjoy the numerous benefits of boneless thighs are aware of how easily they can be prepared for dinner with only salt, pepper, and a few spins in a hot pan with oil.
One popular myth is that dark meat takes longer to cook than white meat, however with boneless chicken, the difference in cooking time is negligible and the chicken always remains juicy.
The following recipes highlight the possibilities of this cut, which, like any protein, can be dressed up in a variety of ways and are each supported by a tasty marinade (though a fried chicken sandwich is never a bad idea).
The key selling point is that supper will be ready for you if you marinate your chicken in the morning or the night before, not the other way around. You can prepare boneless thighs in a variety of ways, including roasting, sautéing, and pan-frying.
Chicken Thighs Roasted with Carrots and Tangy Apricots
This sheet-pan dish features sweet, acidic, and toasty chili powder coating on the chicken (the spice blend used for chili, not powdered chilies). When combined with pan fluids, mayonnaise functions as a marinade, cooking fat, and glossy sauce that is best slathered on top of fluffy rice.
- 4-serving yield
- 30 minutes total, plus 30 minutes for marinating
- Apricot preserves, 1/4 cup
- Mayonnaise, 1/4 cup
- Fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons, plus more to taste
- 10 ml of fish sauce
- Chili powder, two tablespoons
- Salt with black pepper kosher
- 3 1/2 ounces or nearly half a cup of dried apricots
- 1 pound of split-in-half, boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Coin-sized slices of 3 to 4 medium carrots (about 1 pound)
- For garnishing, use fresh herbs like cilantro, parsley, and mint.
- Served cooked white rice
Mix the apricot preserves, mayonnaise, lemon juice, fish sauce, chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl until well combined.
Each dried apricot should be split into two flatter pieces by tearing it in half at the seams. Add the chicken and apricots to the bowl and stir to combine. For at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours, cover and chill the marinade.
When you're ready to cook, preheat the oven to 425 degrees with the rack in the middle. Use parchment paper to line a big baking sheet.
Toss the carrots into the chicken mixture to coat them completely. On the sheet pan, distribute the chicken and carrot mixture in a single layer.
Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, turning the pan halfway through, or until the chicken is light brown and the carrots start to shrivel. Taste the dish for seasoning and, if necessary, add more salt and lemon juice. Serve over rice and garnish with fresh herbs.
Eric Kim
Sun-dried tomato and basil vinaigrette with chicken and orzo
This hearty pasta meal is a strong contender for lunch since it tastes delicious both warm, directly from the stove, and cold, straight from the fridge.
The chicken is marinated in the intensely flavorful sun-dried tomato and basil vinaigrette to keep it soft when stir-fried and serves as a sauce for the orzo and feta.
- 4-serving yield
- 30 minutes total, plus 30 minutes for marinating
- Eight sun-dried tomatoes in oil, plus six teaspoons of jar oil
- 2 cups of fresh basil leaves, firmly rolled
- White wine vinegar, 2 teaspoons
- One tablespoon of red pepper flakes
- salt with black pepper kosher
- 1 pound of boneless, skinless, and cubed in 1/2-inch pieces chicken thighs
- 1 big tomato, diced into half-inch pieces
- 1 lb. of orzo
- 1 block (4 ounces) of feta, cut into cubes of half an inch
Sun-dried tomatoes, their oil, basil, vinegar, red pepper flakes, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper should all be blended until smooth in a food processor.
Place the chicken in a medium basin, add half of the vinaigrette, and toss to coat. Chicken should be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Transfer the remaining vinaigrette to a big bowl and set aside while the chicken marinates. Add the tomato dice and toss.
A large saucepan of salted water should be brought to a boil. The orzo should be added and cooked, stirring periodically, until al dente. After draining, add the orzo and tomato to a bowl and stir to incorporate.
Large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and the marinade, and cook, stirring periodically, for approximately 5 minutes, or until the chicken is browned on both sides and no longer pink. Add the orzo to the cooked chicken along with all of its juices.
To mix, add the feta and toss. If necessary, taste and add additional salt. Serve hot or at room temperature, or place covered in the refrigerator and consume chilled for up to 4 days.
Eric Kim
Chicken Thighs in a Pan with Parsley and Lemon
To tenderize the meat, parsley stems are puréed in a strong, garlicky buttermilk marinade. The leaves and their delicate stems are then sautéed like spinach and spritzed with lemon juice. The well-marinated chicken thighs have caramelized edges after a little stovetop sear, and their bright, herbaceous flavor will have you saying, "Oh, that's what parsley tastes like."
- 4-serving yield
- 30 minutes total, plus 30 minutes for marinating
- Fresh flat-leaf parsley, 1 bunch (3 to 4 ounces)
- 10 peeled garlic cloves
- 1 stemmed jalapeno, one
- A serving of two capers
- 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and a few serving wedges
- 2 tablespoons of sugar, granulated
- Salt with black pepper kosher
- 50 ml of buttermilk
- 1 and a half pounds of skinless, boneless chicken thighs
- As required, olive oil
Sort the leaves and sensitive stems of parsley from the tough stalks. The stems should be roughly chopped.
The buttermilk, chopped parsley stems, garlic, jalapeno, capers, lemon juice, sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper should all be added to a food processor and blended until smooth. Add the chicken and turn to coat evenly in the medium bowl. For at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours, cover and chill the marinade.
2 tablespoons of olive oil are added to a big, ideally nonstick pan that has been heated to medium-high. Add the saved parsley leaves and soft stems, and cook, turning regularly, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they are noticeably wilted and brilliant green but have some burned places. Add salt and pepper, then move to a plate.
Add enough oil to the same skillet to cover the bottom and heat it over medium-high. Add the chicken and the marinade, and cook for 7 to 8 minutes on each side, or until the chicken is browned and slightly caramelized. Serve with lemon wedges for spritzing and transfer to the dish with the parsley.
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