Crispy chicken thighs and steamed broccoli with butternut squash and sage from Evol.
Photo credit: Julie Negron
Dinner doesn't have to be fancy or take hours to make or even to plan. For tonight's dinner, I grabbed a pack of chicken thighs on the way home from work and turned on the oven when I walked in so it would be ready when I was.
Everything else, I found in the fridge. Sort of like a mystery basket on Chopped where the "Cheftestants" make something incredible out of random ingredients. While the photo above shows what is obviously a simple plate of food, I can testify that the flavors of the dish were incredibly tasty and received 5 out of 5 Mmms from my family.
The cooking techniques used to ensure maximum flavors from such a basic dish were learned from one of my all-time favorite teachers: Michael Symon.
I prepared my chicken by rinsing and patting dry, then liberally salting and peppering on all sides before placing skin-side down in a couple of tablespoons of heated olive oil (medium heat/gas stove). I then threw in lots of dried rosemary for flavor. That's one Mmm right there!
Michael Symon's technique is to let that chicken cook until it's really, really crispy. The skin on that chicken above is as crispy as a ginger snap! We took ours off and ate them like chips!Michael Symon encourages crispiness by lifting the wings (only if they're no longer stuck to the bottom...if they're still stuck, then wait) and tilting the pan to let the hot oil get under them.
This has to be done more than once for each thigh during the "crisping" phase of cooking.
Turn them over and repeat until the chicken is lightly browned and crispy all over.
Now is the time to cook your sides and ask someone to set the table, please.
Note: Always use a thermometer when cooking chicken. Thighs should be 165° or better near the bone.
No comments:
Post a Comment