Thick Thighs Save Lives

Lifestyle
Written By Nicole Jones

I know, I know, I know. You think you don't like chicken thighs; there are bones to contend with, and different cooking times, and concerns over getting the skin to be crispy rather than rubbery. As most of you know, access to your favorite cuts are harder to come by and I ask you again to consider my favorite cut of the chicken -- thighs are full of flavor and cheap. Here are a few ways to ensure success when cooking:  

1. Get Them Bone-In, Skin-On 

Keeping the skin on protects your chicken thighs from drying out while they cook, plus it allows for the additional textural treat of crispy, perfectly seasoned skin. The bones help prevent the chicken from drying out, they also mean you need a bit longer to cook the meat through, but the results are worth it and overcooking them is almost impossible. Source meat from a local butcher if possible. 

2. Choose the Right Skillet - I Recommend Cast Iron

If you are a regular reader, you know my feelings about cast iron skillets and they are the perfect vessel for cooking thighs. If you don't have one, you want a skillet that can go from the stovetop to the oven, and that’s big enough to fit the chicken thighs without packing them tightly together. If they’re overcrowded, it’ll mean the chicken will steam instead of roast. For four thighs, a 10-inch skillet should be perfect. 

3. Season Your Thighs

This means salt. I only use salt. You’ll just need one teaspoon of kosher salt for four chicken thighs (about two pounds chicken total). I use a little more and dust from high, getting an even coating on both sides. Use more salt than you think you need. 

4. Start on the Stove, in the Skillet, Cold

Heat your pan over medium. You may be tempted to bump the heat up higher, but don't. Coat the pan in about one teaspoon of high temperature oil, and then put the thighs skin-side down on the pan, before the pan heats up. The point here isn’t to cook the thighs through, you’ll do that in the oven later. You want all the lovely chicken fat to gently, gradually render, giving the skin that crispiness we crave. Cook until the skin looks golden brown and crispy about 10 - 18 minutes, until they are brown and shallow frying in their own renderings. 

5. Finish in the Oven

Do not flip the thighs and transfer the skillet to a 450-degree oven. Cook the thighs until the thickest part registers 165 degrees on an instant read thermometer (avoiding the bone). Take them out and enjoy with any of your favorite sides.Pro tip: Do not throw away the fat in the pan, called schmaltz. It is a fantastic oil for cooking other foods such as roasting vegetables -- it is liquid gold.  

Nicole Jones

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Head Janitor, Chef, and Proprietor | Modest Bread

Nicole’s cooking style is rooted in, but not limited to, her love of southern biscuits and her diverse culinary upbringing. A military brat, she spent her childhood in the Chicago suburbs enjoying her great-grandmother Mae’s Lithuanian cooking. As a tween, she moved to Paulding County, Ga. where she begrudgingly fell in love with the charmingly perplex small towns of the Deep South. She fondly remembers grubbing on Martin’s biscuits, late-night Waffle House debauchery and cooking with her family. 

After graduating from the University of Georgia, Nicole started a marketing career at an art nonprofit in Atlanta. At 25 years old, she became the youngest executive at the local Atlanta NPR affiliate. Chasing her dreams, she moved to Alexandria, VA where she took a short post in the Whole Foods marketing department. Realizing that cooking had been her true love all along, she began night courses at L’Academie de Cuisine. She completed her apprenticeship at Blue Duck Tavern where she was promoted to a line cook after graduation. From there, Nicole worked as a private chef for busy Washington D.C. executives and their families.

As grown-ups tend to do, Nicole realized something about her childhood -- the best parts were enjoying small town communities, cooking with her great-grandmother and sharing meals with family and friends. She opened Stomping Ground (now Rubia’s) to build a safe and welcoming community around yummy, handmade food from local sources. As her first foray running her own kitchen, she has shamelessly hired better, smarter cooks to fill her kitchen and your bellies. 

Modest Bread is a collection of idiosyncratic neighborhood restaurants devoted to hospitality in Northern Virginia and includes Rubia’s, Bagel Uprising, Mae’s Market & Cafe, and Virginia’s Darling.

www.modestbread.com

2309 Mt Vernon Avenue

Alexandria, VA 22301

703.664.0445

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