Dark meat v’s light meat. This is a topic that has been discussed for millennia. It probably started with the first hunter gatherers, when they caught their first bird. I love the thighs, they are cheap, flavorful and delicious. Chicken thighs for one, I’ll crisp up the skin and finish them in the oven with some vegetables, and, serve over pasta. However this post isn’t all about the meat, it’s also about the meal. It’s part of a series of posts I’m putting together that focus on cooking for one. You can read more here
The portion
Let’s start with the meal. It’s cooking for one. I wrote a post about it, you can read that here. Some of the things to take into consideration are; Portion size, Simplicity, Cooking time and Clean up. So, starting with portion size. What ends up on your plate is the total of what you cook. Yeah, I hate to state the obvious, but it has to be said. So, this recipe contains chicken thighs, chopped tomatoes, onion, garlic, peppers and I usually serve it over pasta. So, we have to think total portion. I have a healthy appetite (I eat like a horse). You, may not. Some of you may be happy with one thigh, I like two. But, half a medium onion, half a medium pepper (color of your choice), half a cup of chopped tomatoes and one cup of pasta should work. Think of it as a starting point.
Keeping it simple
Now, lets move on to simple. Simple, in this case, means, easy to prepare. The idea is not to be tied to the kitchen for an hour prep. If you read my other posts, I like to prep everything first and have it ready. Starting with the thighs. Skin on and bone in, that’s how I like them, I love the crispy skin. If you want to go a little healthier, remove the skin. It just peels off. The cooking time will have to be adjusted, we’ll get into that in a bit. Pat dry and sprinkle with salt and set aside. Now, Half a medium onion, just peel, and cut into half rings, half a pepper, cut into thin strips and 3 cloves of garlic cut up. There, prep is done, set the veggies aside, in a bowl or on the cutting board.
Cooking
So, moving on to cooking. In my post about cooking for one, I had mentioned that you may have to invest in some kitchen utensils to ease the cooking process and save leftovers. Well, in this case I’m going to use a frying pan that can be used both on the stove and in the oven. These are extremely useful, and definitely make cooking easier. A cast iron skillet is not advised here, I’m going to be using tomatoes and they shouldn’t be put in cast iron unless it’s well seasoned. Pour enough water into a pot to cook the pasta and set on the stove, don’t turn on the heat yet. Turn the oven onto 400 to get hot. Preheat a frying pan with some olive oil, over medium heat. When the oil is hot, put the thighs, skin side down, don’t touch for 10 mins, cover to prevent splatter if you like.
Skin v’s Skinless
I had mentioned before about adjusting cooking times if you remove the skin. Well, to explain this we need to look at what chickens, or birds in general do about storing fat. One of the reasons chicken skin is bad for you is because birds store their fat under their skin. This is unlike beef, which stores it’s fat in the meat. This is what makes chicken a healthier option. So with the skin on, the outer skin will crisp and the fat under the skin will render down, which helps the cooking process. By removing the skin, the chances of burning and sticking are greater, so just cook 5 mins in the pan, then continue with the recipe
When the thighs have been cooking for 10 mins (or 5 mins for skinless), remove from the heat, add the veggies and 1 cup of diced tomatoes from a can, mix around and put the thighs skin side up on top. You’ll see the skins are golden brown and crispy. Put the whole thing in the oven, now turn on the heat under the pasta water to high. When the water boils, add salt and the pasta and cook till done. I like Al-Dente. The total time to boil the water and cook the pasta is enough time for the thighs and vegetables to cook, however, you can make sure the chicken is cooked by checking temp, 165 degrees. And there, it’s done, chicken thighs for one. Only one piece of the puzzle left
The Clean-up
The part everyone seems to forget, well, maybe not want to think about, the clean up. Easy clean up starts with how the dish is prepared. In this particular case, two pots, a plate, cutting board and some utensils. That will make for easy clean up, which nicely rounds up this post. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed the dish