Chicken Thighs with Mustard and Herbs

My hatred for birds is perhaps well-known, but I must admit that it does not preclude their deliciousness.  Unfortunately, like a patriarchical society, I feel like we often focus too much attention on the breasts, while other delicious parts of the chicken are left to the trained chefs.  Well let me tell you that chicken thighs are more intensely flavored than the breasts, usually cheaper at the store, and in fact not all that hard to prepare.  You need a few extra minutes and a small, sharp knife to cut out the bone (which may not be necessary in some recipes), but then you can make a little bonus chicken stock out of them.  Not a bad deal.  Here is recipe number one for chicken thighs to keep in mind the next time you're at the store:

Ingredients

• 4 chicken thighs, de-boned
  (place the thigh on a cutting board, skin side down, slice the knife down either side of the bone, and then use a combination of the knife and your fingers to remove the bone)
• 1 Tbsp dried parsley
  (tarragon would probably also be good)
• 1 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped 
• 1 heaping Tbsp Dijon mustard
  (I used a coarse ground variety, which added a little texture)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• a little dry vermouth
  (or white wine, or stock, or water, I suppose)

Directions

1.   Combine all ingredients except the chicken and the vermouth in a mixing bowl.  De-bone the chicken thighs and toss in the mixture to coat.  Set it aside to marinate for 1-2 hours, or overnight.

2.  Get a large skillet hot over medium-high heat, so that you start to see wisps of smoke from the residual oils in the pan.  Shake off the excess marinade from the chicken pieces (reserving it in the bowl) and place all of them quickly into the skillet.  They will sizzle and pop at first, so be careful.  Cook the pieces for about 4-5 minutes on each side, trying to move them as little as possible in between turning.

 3.  Turn down the heat to medium and remove the chicken pieces to another dish.  Pour in the remains of the marinade from the bowl along with the vermouth--enough to coat the bottom of the pan.  Stir the pan sauce constantly, scraping up all of the darkened pieces at the bottom as you go.  Let it get hot and bubble for a couple minutes, then pour over the chicken.  You may want to garnish it with a little salt.

Phil and I really enjoyed this recipe.  I can't believe I made chicken without garlic, and we loved it!  The thighs taste much more "chicken-y" than the breasts, and with the mustard and herbs it is very full-flavored.  I think I may spend a little extra time to cut out some of the fat from the thighs next time, though.  The skin is pretty rich on its own, and the extra fat from my (apparently obese) chicken almost overpowered the dish.  Not quite, though, and I don't think it ended up greasy at all.  It was just a little decadent, which is something I always strive for.  Anyway, I served it with wild rice cooked in a simple stock from the bones, which I made by covering them with water in a pan, adding a peeled onion, and simmering for an hour.  Aren't I resourceful?

(thanks to Phil for photography assistance with this post!)