Firecracker Chicken Thighs
Can we just take a minute to give props to the chicken thigh? It’s become my go-to when it comes to chicken lately. It’s extremely affordable, and has delicious flavor. It’s also not prone to getting dried out like its counterpart the chicken breast. The marinade for this dish is spicy and fresh. When I first found this recipe online, I was worried that the habanero pepper would be too spicy for me, but the Payaso and I absolutely loved the combination of the spicy chicken next to earthy, sauteed spinach and mushrooms. I didn’t have much time to marinade the chicken, but I imagine if you let the chicken and spicy sauce get to know each other for a few hours, the flavor would be even more poppin’. I may even use two habaneros next time just to pump up the spice factor, but if it’s your first time using this recipe maybe just start with one. Yum, yum and yum!
Firecracker Chicken Thighs
Ingredients:
- 1 habanero, with seeds, stemmed
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 scallions sliced, white and green parts
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 8 large skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
- Kosher salt
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Pulse habanero, garlic, and scallions in a food processor until finely chopped. With machine running, drizzle in soy sauce, then olive oil; process until emulsion forms (about five minutes). Transfer sauce to a bowl.
- Place chicken thighs, skin side up, on a work surface and slash each crosswise at 3/4″ intervals down to the bone. Season lightly with salt. Place on prepared baking sheet and brush with half of the sauce. Bake 35 minutes. Remove from oven and brush remaining sauce. Bake an additional 35 minutes or until cooked through. Broil on high for an additional 2-3 minutes for crisper skin, if desired. Let rest for 5-10 minutes.
Serve chicken with sauteed and/or roasted vegetables alongside.
This would be a great recipe to serve at your 4th of July picnics tomorrow. Like I mentioned, chicken thighs are super inexpensive, and are great for feeding a crowd. The chicken thighs could easily be made on a grill, too. As I’m typing this, I’m imagining these firecracker chicken thighs with a creamy cucumber and onion salad. The creaminess of the salad would pair very nicely with the spiciness of the chicken, and both are perfect picnic food. The last time I grilled chicken thighs, I used a medium high grill and flipped the thighs every 5 minutes for about 20-25 minutes. The general rule of thumb with chicken is to have an internal temperature of 165 degrees, but I like to take it up to between 170-180 degrees when it comes to chicken thighs. Because there is so much fat in these little chicken wonders, cooking the meat an extra 5-10 degrees won’t dry out the meat, and gets rid of that toughness chicken thighs can have. I also recommend moving the chicken thighs around the surface area of the grill to avoid any flare ups from the juicy fat they produce. Always, always, always allow your meat to rest once you remove it from the grill or oven. Loosely tent the meat with tin foil and let it rest at least 5 minutes. This will allow the juices to redistribute back into the meat.
A quick shout out to my mom who is celebrating her birthday today. Happy Birthday, mom!