Rich doesn’t really care for chicken thighs; he thinks they’re kind of fussy to eat and not really worth the effort, so I don’t normally buy them. Unless the market has a too-good-to-pass-up sale on Perdue thighs for $1/pkg. At which point I turn to Rich and tell him that I know he doesn’t like ‘em, but at this price he is going to be flexible…
SO. Bargain chicken in the freezer, it was time to consider what to do with it. I’ve had this recipe for buttermilk-brined hot wings marked to try for a while; and, even though I had thighs instead of wings and no buttermilk in the house, I decided to try it out.
First things first – recipe call for buttermilk and you’re out and/or don’t want to buy any? No problem. Add one teaspoon of white vinegar (or lemon juice – BEST) to a one cup measure, then fill to the line with milk, stir, and let sit for five minutes.
Now, on to the brine:
•1 cup buttermilk
•1 clove fresh garlic, minced
•1/2 tbsp Tabasco Chipotle
•1/2 tbsp Cajun Power Spicy Garlic Sauce – I think I could’ve easily gone to a full tablespoon of Tabasco and it still wouldn’t have been too hot, and you could probably substitute Worcestershire or Pickapeppa
•Coarse salt
•1 tbsp brown sugar
•1-1/2 tbsp canola oil
Whisk together the brine and pour over 4 chicken thighs in a sealable plastic bag. Smoosh around to mix and place in a bowl in the fridge for four hours – turning after two hours.
Remove chicken from bag, shake off and bake at 350º for about an hour until done. The skin will get crispy and black, but the chicken will be moist and juicy.
By the way – you know how I said Rich doesn’t care for chicken thighs? He went back for seconds with these. It is similar to Nigella’s buttermilk roasted chicken, but different enough that I think I could do both in a week and not get caught.