Greek Thighs (of the Chicken Variety)

Grocery finds: boneless chicken thighs (on sale at Rainbow for $1.89/lb) and spinach (Fresh Express, on sale for $1.00, including .55 off coupon)

(additional ingredients: romaine lettuce, kalamata olives, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, herbs & spices)

Yes, yes, another chicken dish for today's AE entry--I can't help it!  When chicken is on sale, I snap it up.  And when chicken thighs are on sale, I jump for joy.  I just love them.  It's really hard to overcook chicken thighs (unlike boneless chicken breast), mainly because of the dark meat content, so they almost always turn out tender and juicy, as long as you're careful.

What I did: I used an easy Greek-inspired marinade for these thighs, which consisted of the following:

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tablespoon thyme

1 tablespoon rosemary

1/2 small onion, shredded

1 teaspoon white pepper

1 tablespoon Maldon sea salt

I mixed everything together, and marinated my thighs (the chicken ones, you pervs) in the fridge for about three hours.  (Note: with this particular marinade, given the lemon juice content, you don't want to marinate them for more than a few hours, otherwise the acid will toughen the protein fibers in the chicken.  Here is a blog that explains this process in more detail.)

For the cooking portion, I used my trusty cast-iron skillet, and sauteed them on medium-heat.  It's important not to cook these boneless thighs on too high of heat, otherwise the garlic and onions will burn--but with medium heat, the chicken cooks evenly, and the onions end up caramelizing by the time you're done: delicious!  Also, there is no need to sear on high heat here, given that the thighs are boneless and skinless (i.e., there is no skin to crisp!)

The salad consisted of a mixture of romaine lettuce and spinach, sliced kalamata olives, tomato, cucumbers, feta crumbles, and thinly-sliced red onion.  Here is the finished product:

The Verdict

Okay, I'll admit: this dish isn't particularly inspired...but it sure is delicious!  I've been on a kick lately making salads with some kind of protein (chicken, pork chops, etc.) for dinner, just because it is easy, light, and makes a nice summer meal.

Taste: 8
Appearance: 7
Creativity: 5

Improvements for next time: can't think of any--this is pretty straightforward!  We are a thigh-loving household, and Greek chicken thighs are no exception! :-)

Chicken Skin Salad?

Grocery finds: chicken thighs at Rainbow (on sale for $1.49/lb)

(additional ingredients: carrots, celery, lettuce, red onion, chicken stock, etc.)

Oh dear lord.  Let me kick off this post by saying that for me, personally, this dish didn't really do it for me.  It wasn't BAD per se, just not the typical delicious awesomeness that I end up producing.  But that is kinda the point of this blog: to try new things, and be creative.  And you know what?  I definitely think this concept has potential, so I'm sure I'll be revisiting it again in the near future.

So here's the deal--I've been reading a lot of articles and recipes online lately (salads, sandwiches, etc.) that advocate for incorporating crispy chicken skin into a dish, and I thought--hey!  What a great idea.  My friend's mom used to refer to chicken skin as 'Jewish bacon' (which I thought was hilarious), and I don't know about you--but I love me a nice piece of chicken with crispy, crackly, delicious skin (whether it's fried, breaded, broiled, etc.--it is usually the best part!)

Here is a tumblr on chicken skin that I found particularly interesting, and would encourage ya'll to check out if this whole concept intrigues (and/or horrifies) you!

What I did:  I had this HUGE pack of chicken thighs, it was a hot day, and I decided to dump them all into the crock for a few hours.  I peeled off all the chicken skin first, and saved it (note: I felt really creepy carefully setting aside a ziploc bag of chicken skin in my refrigerator); since crock-pot chicken skin gets mushy, renders extra fat, and ends up looking pale and sad, it doesn't really need to be in the crock with the rest of the vittles.  I added some carrots, onions, potatoes, and chicken stock.  Seasoned it up a bit, and left it alone for 6 hours while I mopped the floors, emailed my mother, and watched the Season Two DVD extras of LOST.  And if that is not the saddest, most pathetic line in the history of...the world, then I don't know what is.  What a loser!

Black Beauty in all her glory, full of thighs

At any rate, we ate the crock-pot meal a couple nights ago.  Can I just say, as an aside--I really love crock-pots in the summer.  Here in Minnesota, the summer humidity is a superbitch, so cooking in a little crock plugged into the countertop is a way better option than heating up an entire oven.

Yesterday, I thought I'd take some of the leftover chicken and make a salad.  Additionally, I thought I'd dredge and fry up some of that reserved chicken skin real crispy, season it, and add it to the salad.  My thought process was: salad croutons suck, but the texture is nice, so why not add crispy chicken skin in lieu of croutons?

Not the 'healthiest' crouton...

So I did, and I threw together a salad of lettuce, chicken, red onion, carrots, cucumber, and green olive. I made a light lemon garlic vinaigrette, cut the chicken skin into strips, and tossed it all together.  Here is my chicken skin salad:

As you can see, it turned into quite the beautiful little salad!  So pretty!  So robust, and full of color!  So full of potential!  But the taste?  So...blah.

The Verdict

That's right, kiddies, the chicken skin salad just didn't have a lot of flavor.  The crunch was great, but everything else kind of fell flat.  Don't get me wrong....like I said before, it wasn't BAD, just not...great.  The bar is high here, I guess, at this point.  I mean, it was a salad.  With chicken skin in it.  And I wanted it to be transcendent, and soooo delicious, and...it was a salad.  With chicken skin in it.  Oh well.

Taste: 5

Appearance: 7

Creativity: 7

Improvements for next time: I have a theory that the crispy chicken skin would be much better served as a stacking component on a chicken salad sandwich (bread, chicken salad, crispy chicken skin, lettuce, bread...or something of that ilk).  I've also read online that chicken skin is really good with stone fruits, so maybe I'll have to grab a peach or something at the grocery store and give it a whirl.  Stay tuned!

89 Cent Chicken

Grocery Finds: chicken leg quarters (on sale for 89 cents a pound)

Okay.  Here's the thing about chicken: it's cheap.  Usually on sale, it is easy to pick up and make a quick meal out of.  The thing is, it gets boring...and fast.  However, if you make it right, it can be delicious, and leftovers can always be repurposed (chicken salad, eggroll stuffing, chicken noodle soup, etc.).  There are a couple of tricks that I've learned over the years regarding chicken, and here they are (in no particular order):

1) boneless, skinless chicken breasts are NOT your friend.  Chicken on the bone is always, always juicier and more flavorful, and usually less expensive, too.

2) if you want crispy skin, salt your chicken and leave it uncovered in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours before cooking.  Sometimes this is called a 'dry brine', but that is deceiving, as the salt does not actually permeate the skin and therefore does not actually 'brine' the meat.

3) speaking of brining--I'm a fan!  A little brine goes a long way.  Here's a good article on brining turkeys, but the basic rules can be applied to chicken, too.

4) my favorite tip: for juicy, flavorful meat, instead of brining and/or applying a butter or oil rub under the skin, simply place thinly sliced raw rings of onion instead.  It adds flavor, keeps the meat moist, and also assists with crisping the skin!

5) a roasting rack is not necessary.  I learned this the hard way--I used to always place my chicken on a rack, but I eventually caught on that doing so evaporates the juices that drip off the chicken; once they hit the hot roasting pan, they evaporate.  Pan juices are like liquid gold (excellent for gravy or a pan sauce), so you don't want them to disappear!

Here are my chicken leg quarters, pre-onion.  I salted them last night and put them in the fridge to dry out.

As you can see, I stuffed the my leg quarters with onion under the skin.  If you aren't a fan of onions, this isn't the recipe for you--and that is a damn shame!

Here is the final product.  I placed a bed of baby carrots under my chicken, and added about 1/2 cup of chicken stock when roasting.  I roasted 5 leg quarters in a 400 degree oven for about an hour...however, I must confess that time/oven temp is all relative.  The bottom line for me, when it comes to poultry, is temperature--I always use my meat thermometer to determine whether or not it is done.  My little sister once poisoned herself with undercooked chicken.  That shit ain't cool!

In addition to the chicken, I also made a pan sauce with the chicken drippings, some minced shallots, lemon juice, and a bit of butter.

The Verdict

In conclusion, although this blog entry isn't particularly inspired, it IS insanely inexpensive--which is always fun!  My five chicken leg quarters cost $3.50, and served five people...which comes out to 70 cents a serving.  And THAT, my friends, is always a good thing.

Taste: 9

Appearance: 8

Creativity: 4

Improvements for next time: honestly, I can't think of any.  Maybe some additional root vegetables to add to the carrots?  Parsnips and turnips perhaps?