I am declaring this the year of the chicken thigh. I don't have any empirical proof or trend-spotting evidence that this will be so — just a gut feeling that this will be the year when the food world will fall hard for the sinuous charms and soul-satisfying goodness of this economical cut of poultry. You watch. It's going to happen.
Of course, chefs have known for years that chicken thighs are where it's at. They know that the less-popular thighs can be doused with sauce or dredged in breading, roasted until crispy or braised in a pot, spiked with chilis or scented with aromatic fresh herbs — and they'll still emerge silky-tender, juicy, and utterly delicious. This is why you see thighs show up more frequently than breasts on Top Chef: they're both fool-proof and dependably tasty.
It's time for the rest of us to get on board. Yes, chicken thighs have more fat than chicken breasts, but this is why breasts are tricky to cook without drying out while thighs can handle almost anything. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are a good route if you're worried about fat, and they are just as easy to cook. Also remember that thighs are an excellent source of protein and iron.
But it's not all about the nutrition. Chicken thighs make an excellent midweek dinner, and they're often a more economical choice at the grocery store. Check out these recipes for some meal inspiration:
• How to Cook Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs in the Oven
• Braised French Onion Chicken with Gruyere
• Spicy Roasted Chicken Thighs with Miso and Ginger
• Chicken Tagine with Apricots, Almonds, and Chickpeas
• 30-Minute Coq au Vin
What are your favorite meals with chicken thighs?
Related: Help! I Have Chicken Exhaustion! Got Any Good Recipes?
(Image: Faith Durand)
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How funny, I JUST--like within the last month--started cooking chicken thighs and I couldn't believe what I'd been missing! I'd always stuck with white meat because that's what my husband prefers, but finally decided to try a couple recipes (starting with the French onion chicken on this site--amazing!) and they were a hit. The meat is so much more tender and flavorful than breast meat. (Although my picky-eater husband will still leave behind the few little pieces that look too pink or dark...sigh.)
Isn't this already a "secret" of not-so-wealthy cooks everywhere?
I use thighs all the time! Much cheaper and better tasting! Great for soup, baking, braising, stews...you name it!
Thighs are great in the crockpot. I just made a stew using chicken thighs, smoked sausage, and white beans for dinner last night. I didn't even have to chop the thighs up before cooking. They just fall apart with the touch of a spoon when they're done.
My fiancee considers herself to be a thigh purist - it's the only thing she'll buy, chicken-wise, if it's actually in the market.
She makes a fantastic lemon caper artichoke chicken.
I made (what she termed) a fantastic indian-inspired crock pot chicken tikka masala.
Love chicken thighs! I just started using Cooks Illustrated's method - where you heat the pan in the oven, and then put the (bone-in, skin-on) thighs, skin-side down - they turned out fantastic! So simple but so delicious.
I absolutely love dark meat poultry and it always surprises me that restaurants don't serve it more often (I actually can't remember the last time I saw a chicken thigh dish on a menu, but you see chicken breast everywhere). I slow cook chicken thighs in broth in a crockpot, shred it up, and add it to soups, salads, pasta, etc. I definitely prefer the taste and texture of chicken thighs over chicken breasts and you can't beat the cost. I hope you're right about this being "the year of the chicken thigh", I'd be really excited if it started popping up more in restaurants!
I just hope they don't become so popular that the price goes up! It is the one "sustainably raised"
chicken part I can afford!
If these get more expensive, I'll be really mad.
Is there a link to the recipe pictured in this post? I love cooking with chicken thighs, there is nothing more delish! My favorite is tossing them in a good aged balsamic and grilling them...yum!
Whenever I buy boneless, skinless chicken thighs, there is always a slippery, tough membrane left on them that I have to fight to remove. Does anyone have a trick for getting that membrane off? My uber-sharp knives just slide right off it.
(And before anyone makes the joke--yes, I did remember to remove the plastic packaging first!) :)
We made Mark Bittman's braised turkey recipe for Thanksgiving. The braised thighs were so good that I'm not even worrying about the turkey breast the next time!
Country Captain is a great dish for chicken thighs and this is the perfect weather for it.
I am a fan of the thigh. I often make a paprikash in which I brown thighs skin side down, and then peel off the skins for a quick cracklin' snack. :)
What ficklegold said. This happened to me with flank steak - used to be a relatively inexpensive cut. Wicked tasty, easy and fast to cook. Then people started hyping it and now it's not so cheap anymore.
I don't know what the recipe in the picture is, but it reminds me of Filipino Chicken Adobo. Cooked with chicken thigh (and using my mom's recipe), it's an affordable and easy to put together mid-week meal.
I love Jamie Oliver's chicken in milk recipe made with just chicken thighs-- much better than the whole bird, in my opinion.
Thighs to me sometimes have a metallic flavor so anything I cook with them has to be very boldly flavored. That being said, skinless bone-in thighs are the ONLY cut to use for the most amazing crockpot paprikash. Thighs, several thinly sliced onions, many spoonfuls of sweet paprika and a small spoon of hot paprika, little bit of butter and chicken broth, cook on low for 8 hours while at work. Stir in sour cream atthe end and serve with egg noodles.
Another thing they're great for is Hawaiian style teriyaki, just sugar, kikkoman soy sauce, water, mass amounts of smashed garlic and ginger, and the green parts of scallions. Marinate for two days, grill over direct heat.
don't forget cassoulet, this is the best time of the year for it.
Every year is the year of the chicken thigh for me. Om nom nom
I always prefer chicken thighs over breasts. They are much cheaper and have more flavour than the white meat. There are many chicken thighs recipes I love... chicken with 40 cloves of garlic, chicken and sausage casseroles, fried chicken....
1. I love to use tandoori paste and rub the thighs and refrigerate them over night and then bake them in the oven until charred. Usually you would then use them for butter chicken but I like them on their own with rice. The yogurt mixed with the the tandoori spice keeps the chicken so nice and moist on the inside!
2. There is a great recipe for orange tarragon chicken on Food Network, pan sear the thighs and then bake them and reduce the orange tarragon sauce to a glaze that is sooooo good drizzled on the thighs!