I've seen these at the store and after reading Peppi's thread about boneless skinless breaasts and boneless skinless thighs I am feeling the need to give them a try. Yes, I have never bought, made or eaten a boneless skinless thigh!
Anyway, my guys all like dark meat (and they are cheaper than boneless breasts) so I hope you all can share some recipes or ideas for how to prepare them.
oh Alexa, you poor thing - what in the world are you doing thinking about chicken thighs at 5 AM? lol.
This is my favorite way to use them. YUM.
Chicken in Caramel Sauce - Sol This recipe is from the Washington Post, which adapted it from a recipe from the Slanted Door restaurant that appeared in a cookbook called The Secrets of Success: Signature Recipes and Insider Tips from San Frans Best Restaurants by Michael Bauer 1/2 C packed dark brown sugar 1/4 C water 1/4 C Asian fish sauce 3 T rice vinegar 1 tsp minced garlic 1 tsp soy sauce 1 tsp thinly sliced fresh ginger 1/2 to 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper (1/2 usually enough for me) 2 small chili peppers, fresh or dried, halved (I always use fresh) 1 T canola oil 1 shallot thinly sliced 1 1/2 - 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh meat, cut into bite-size pieces (can use a combo of light and dark meat, if you prefer) In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, water, fish sauce, vinegar, garlic, soy sauce, ginger, pepper, and chilis, and mix well. Set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat (can also use a wok, but IÂve had better luck w/a skillet). Add shallot and cook, stirring, until brown, about 5 minutes. Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned on each side but not cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir the reserved sauce mixture and add to skillet. Bring mixture to boil, reduce heat to med-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced by about half and the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove and discard the chili peppers. Remove pan from heat, set aside until sauce has thickened and cooled slightly, about 3 minutes. Serve with rice. Note: This is traditionally a Vietnamese dish. If you havenÂt cooked w/fish sauce before, youÂll notice that itÂs pretty stinky before itÂs cooked (!), but when the sauce is all together it gives it a really distinctive flavor that would be difficult to duplicate without it. IÂm able to get it in my local grocery store, but if you canÂt, then Asian markets will be sure to have it. The dish can be more spicy or less, depending what you do w/the pepper and chilis. If I want it less spicy, I remove all the seeds from the chilis before adding them to the sauce. This time, I left most of the seeds in, and it was very spicy. Probably thereÂs a happy medium and it would be spicy enough w/about half the seeds. If you prefer it to be more sweet than spicy, remove all the seeds and use a bit less black pepper (even tho I like it spicy, I never need more than 1/2 tsp of pepper). One problem I have is that the chicken is usually done faster than the sauce is reduced. It doesnÂt particularly suffer as a result, but it would probably help if I used a larger skillet so the chicken could brown faster while cooking for a shorter time. Enjoy! I did use a larger skillet and it does the trick..I also add a touch of Sambal Oelek..Top w/ scallion sand or dried noodles..My rice..is like everyone elses:) I also really like the Boursin Chicken from Linda in TN.. the nuts are the kicker..
What's with all this thigh talk before the sun's even up?
We like them better than breasts and use them all the time, boneless or bone-in (saving the bones in the freezer for soup, of course). Here are a few recipes that specifically ask for them -
Chances Mom/Janet - Burnished Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potatoes, Parsnips and Shallots
3 tbsp olive oil 3 tbsp dijon mustard 1 1/2 tbsp balsamic salt and pepper 8 chicken thighs (I get them boned so they are easier to eat) 1 med large peeled sweet potato (I subbed 5 small potatoes quartered) cut into 1/2 inch pieces 4 med parsnips peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces 4 small shallots, peeled and halved thru root (I used at least 6) I also added 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces 3 strips bacon (I used pancetta diced)cooked and crumbled Stir together oil, mustard balsamic salt and pepper in large bowl, add chicken and toss. Marinate at least 1 hr and upto 8 hrs. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange chicken skin up on large rimmed baking sheet. At other end of sheet toss veggies with salt and pepper (I also added some butter). Roast 20 minutes, then baste chicken and stir veggies. Contine basting and stirring every 10 minutes. (I didn't do this just left it) When chicken is done, take veggies out and toss with 1/2 of the bacon , and transfer to serving platter, top with chicken and toss rest of bacon over. Because I used deboned thighs, I started the veggies about 15 minutes before adding the chicken and cooked the whole thing about and hour. The beauty of this dish is it can hold for quite a while without getting over done or dried out. Both times I made it when we had company and kind of forgot about it til it was time to eat. The chicken comes out a beautiful burnished brown and the veggies are sweet. (Woodie's note - I just throw it all together in a big roasting pan and let it rip!)
TUSCAN CHICKEN Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast tenderloins Salt and pepper 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 6 cloves garlic, crushed 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar 2 tablespoons butter 2 shallots, chopped 6 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped 2 tablespoons flour 1 cup dry white wine 2 cups beef broth (yes, beef broth)
Heat a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, half the chicken pieces, and a couple of crushed cloves of garlic. Brown chicken 2 minutes on each side and remove from pan. Add remaining oil, another single turn of the pan, remaining chicken pieces and garlic. Brown chicken 2 minutes on each side and remove. Add vinegar to the pan. Let it cook off.
Add butter, shallots, and rosemary to the pan and cook 2 minutes, add flour and cook 1 minute more. Whisk in wine, reduce 1 minute. Whisk in broth and bring liquids up to a bubble. Return chicken to the pan and simmer over moderate heat 7 to 8 minutes to finish cooking chicken through.
¼ cup chicken broth 1 tablespoon rice vinegar 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce 1 tablespoon sugar 2 teaspoons sesame oil 2 tablespoons cooking oil 6 small dried red chilies 1 tablespoon minced garlic 2 teaspoons minced ginger 2 green onions, cut into 1 inch lengths ½ teaspoon crushed dried red chilies 1½ teaspoons cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water or chicken broth ¼ cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl. Place chicken in marinade and turn to coat. Let stand for 10 minutes.Combine sauce ingredients in a bowl.
Place a wok over high heat until hot. Add oil, swirling to coat sides. Add chilies and stir-fry for 10 seconds. Add chicken and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, green onions, and crushed chilies; stir-fry for 1 minute. Add sauce and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add cornstarch solution and cook, stirring, until sauce thickens. Place chicken on a serving plate and sprinkle with peanuts. Makes 4 servings.
I like to use bl/sl chicken thighs in curry, any Greek chicken dish and this one:
Chicken Oreganato Yields: 7 servings
"Lemon and oregano deftly flavor this accommodating chicken dish--you can serve it hot, cold or at room temperature." INGREDIENTS: 7 chicken thighs 2 teaspoons dried oregano salt and pepper to taste 1/4 cup olive oil 1/2 lemon, juiced
DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). 2. Wash chicken well and pat dry. Mix oregano with salt and pepper to taste. Rub well over all of the chicken pieces. Put chicken in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. 3. Whisk the oil with the lemon juice and drizzle half over the chicken. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Turn the chicken pieces and drizzle with the remaining oil/lemon mixture. Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm, cold or at room temperature!
I generally do them on the grill or make cutlets out of them, bread them, and pan fry them.
But, I don't pay for my boneless chicken thighs.
It takes less than a minute to skin and bone a chicken thigh, and I'll be danged if I'm going to pay anywhere from $1.50 to $2.00 a pound (or more) more for something that is so easy to do.
Sol's Lemon Garlic Chicken (I've made this with just the thighs before - easy and delicious)
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as thyme, rosemary, parsley, basil and/or oregano S & P to taste
1 3-1/2 pound fryer chicken, cut up 25 garlic cloves 3/4 cup chicken broth
In a small bowl, stir to combine, the lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, 1/4 cup of the herbs, and salt and pepper.
Preheat oven to 425ºF. Arrange the chicken pieces in a roasting pan, and pour the lemon-herb mixture over. Arrange the garlic cloves all around the chicken, stirring them to coat with the mixture. Roast for about 45 minutes, or until the chicken pieces are golden brown.
Remove the chicken from the pan. Add the broth to the pan and place on top of the stove over medium-high heat. Stir to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, while smooshing the roasted garlic to thicken the sauce slightly. I like to transfer the chicken to a platter, pour the sauce over the chicken and then, garnish with the remaining 2 tablespoons herbs and lemon wedges.
The best Kung Pao Chicken is made with thigh meat...
KUNG PAO CHICKEN
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 ½ pound chicken thigh meat, cut in bite size pieces ½ teaspoon salt 1 whole egg white 1 tablespoon cornstarch 4 tablespoons peanut oil, divided ½ cup skinless roasted, unsalted peanuts 10 whole dried red chili peppers 4 stalks green onions, cut into 1/2-inch lengths 2 cloves garlic, sliced very thin ½ cup diced water chestnuts (optional)
Sauce
1 teaspoon chili paste with garlic (more or less) 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon sherry 1 teaspoon rice vinegar 1 teaspoon sugar ¼ cup chicken broth 1 teaspoon cornstarch 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Directions:
Combine chicken, salt, egg white, and cornstarch. Mix well by hand and set aside.
In a small bowl, blend all sauce ingredients. Set aside.
Add 2 tablespoons oil to heated wok and stir fry chicken. Remove to serving bowl.
Add 2 more tablespoons oil to same wok. Toss peanuts and chili peppers in the wok and stir fry until peppers turn dark red. Remove from wok and add to chicken.
Lower heat. If necessary, add more oil. Stir fry green onions and garlic for several seconds. (Do not let garlic burn.)
Return chicken, peanuts and peppers to wok and stir fry a few seconds to combine. Add water chestnuts and combined sauce ingredients and stir fry till heated through and thickened (less than a minute).
I also prefer the thighs to other cuts. I also will skin and bone the rather than pay a high price. If there is a good sale price on skinless/boneless thighs, which happens occasionally, I will get them.
I use the thighs in almost any chicken recipe. A very simple meal, and one which is very attractive and tasty, is grilled teriyaki chicken thighs with steamed rice and a green vegetable. I marinate the chicken in teriyaki sauce, let it drain off, then grill it. The color and flavor are very nice. Make extra so you can slice it up cold as a salad topping the next day.
You all have convinced me that I need to give them a try. I certainly have LOTS of options here to choose from, so it will be a culinary adventure of new bird parts!
I don't see how it can be avoided in a thread like this one. I didn't even attempt to word my post unambiguously. Nor did I attempt to set you up. So, yes Jessica. Go ahead.
Alexa, I have a chicken and dumpling recipe that we love. Made with the thighs, leeks, and parsnips and plenty of seasonings, it is not boring for sure. Plus it freezes and reheats very well, including the floaters. Let me know if I should re-type. I found it a Cuisine at Home, but dang, they don't have it on line.
'I like to spread my thighs wiiiiiide open so I can get the juices in all the cracks.'
I'm talking about CHICKEN SOUVLAKI folks getchermindsoutta the gutter'
Denise - thats your cue to link me to the Led Zeppelin anthem of the lemon song on Youtube
Staying on topic:
I've been playing with chicken char sui bao, steamed chicken (usually pork) buns, Chinese dim sum. I first bought a seasoning packet to make the BBQ chicken but I want to make my own, especially because I got a HUGE bag of 5 spice powder from Lori316 in a swap. I'm looking for a recipe because I think boneless skinless chicken thighs would be perfect...something like this - from Chowhound? RachelEllen, you out there?
2lbs. pork tenderloin salt and sugar 1/2 c catsup 2 T. sugar 1 tsp. hoisin sauce 1 T. sesame oil 1 T. sherry 1 tsp 5 spice powder 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 tsp MSG- not me! 1/4 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt red food color- not me!
Cut meat into strips approx. 1.5 inches in diameter. Sprinkle with salt and sugar and let set several hours; drain. Combine remaining ingredients, pour over meat and marinate 24 hours, turning several times to coat all sides. Place on rack in roasting pan; bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes; turn meat, baste with marinade and bake 30 more minutes. Cool. Slice to serve.
Alexa, my experience wasn't as positive the first few times. We found them a bit fattier than using our regular breast meat, but when I made my paella dish a couple of weeks ago,they were better trimmed and perfect! In fact, white meat would have dried out. Okay Jessy, let's hear it!
I have a low tolerance for "guck" in my chicken, and the boneless skinless thighs are never 'clean' enough for me. I have tried boning them myself, but I end up taking so much off that all I have are tiny bits good for stirfry, but not much else LOL.
"I have a low tolerance for "guck" in my chicken, and the boneless skinless thighs are never 'clean' enough for me."
This is exactly why I have never tried them before.... That said, I did buy a package (heaven knows why, they were $1.79/lb the same price as BS breasts) but I will make them for the family tomorrow and report back.
THanks agian, there are some great sounding recipes that if the thighs don't fly, I may make them with breasts instead!
Another who can't manage thighs. I'm OK with dark meat but the thighs seem so fatty and way too much sinew and "guck" for me. I've tried them several times but it's sorta like the white yucky thing in eggs for me, a psychological turn off.
today i saw a recipe using these on thepioneerwoman site. hope it is okay to mention sites here. i like her recipes and especially the pictures that go with them.
Kroger has the best frozen boneless, skinless chicken thighs!!! If you have a Kroger, look for them in the frozen food section. Much tastier than any other brand we have tried. My son even likes them and he doesn't eat much meat at all!! We grill up a whole bag of them and freeze them. Yummy!!
They are positively REVOLTING when you take them out of the package! I have them marinating right now and will cook them for dinner tonight (I'm making Chances Mom/Janet - Burnished Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potatoes, Parsnips and Shallots) but it is unlikely I will ever buy them again. I am even having trouble with the thought of ever making whole roast chicken again now that I know what those thighs look like......
THanks anyway for the ideas everyone - I will probably try them with breasts in the future since so many sound great.
Jim, I could eat grilled teriyaki chicken, vegetables and steamed rice 4 times a week. One of our favorite meals.
I like boneless skinless thighs a lot... the boned ones, particularly leg quarters are the really yucky ones. I bought some leg quarters recently for .50 a pound but not again.
stacy3
triciae
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