My shift was cut tonight, so instead of eating at the restaurant I work at, I made dinner.
“Chicken thighs” just sounds like a poor man’s meal, doesn’t it? When you’re used to boneless, skinless breasts with all lean meat, the humble thigh with its fat and gristle seems like a consolation prize.
Not me, though. The thigh is the next best thing to a whole roasted chicken. Its higher fat content keeps it moist and juicy while cooking, while the breast can often dry out if you’re not careful. Furthermore, its very cheap – often under $2/pound, and if you buy in bulk they handle freezing well. Finally, there’s a real quick and tasty recipe that takes under ten minutes of prep and cooks in under 30.
My TV uncle Alton Brown did an episode of Good Eats many years ago called The Pouch Principle which covers this method, but he doesn’t do any chicken recipes. The principals, however, are the same:
Preheat oven to 400.
Cut up assorted vegetables: I used broccoli, snow peas, carrots and garlic because that’s what I had in the fridge, but you can use all sorts of stuff (see the chart in part 2 of his video.)
Pile the vegetables in the center of a sheet of foil, and place the (thawed) chicken breast on top.
The lady doesn’t eat warm blooded animals, so she lightly seared some tofu to throw in her packet.
Put in your seasonings – I used soy sauce and pepper. Make sure that everything gets some – if you use salt or spices get the chicken on both sides. Close the packets around the food such that there’s a little chimney to let excess steam escape.
Roast the packets in the oven for 25-30 minutes; cut the chicken to check the doneness (or use a probe thermometer if you’re a fancypants.)
There! That actually looks sort of like a meal.