The Thigh's the Limit!

In these trying economic times, and let's face it, even in the not so trying economic times, entertaining a large group of people with cheap cuts of meat is probably one of the most cost effective ways to save money. Of all the cheaper cuts of meat that exists out there, one of my personal favorites is the chicken thigh.

When I first started dating my partner and we would cook together, often he would bring out these rather large and intimidating packages of meat including the eight pack of bone-in, skin-on, chicken thighs and we would have to figure out what to do with them. Sadly, my first few attempts at cooking the thighs usually set off the smoke alarm in our then Cambridge condo and the end result was this overly cooked and burnt piece of chicken that was better suited as a door stopper or paperweight then actual food.

However, after much trial and error (along with many endless recipe searches online), I've come to rely on the following four recipes more and more as they seem to hit the perfect trifecta of easy, relatively foolproof, and uses ingredients that aren't esoteric or hard to come by in an average super market. I've made them many times, both for us, for company, and they all make great leftovers for lunch.

Enjoy!

Chicken Adobo (courtesy of Mark Bittman by way of Apartment Therapy)

Easy Chicken Marinade
Note: although the recipe doesn't produce a ton of marinade, don't be fooled as it's very potent with all the spices! Last I used it, I placed the chicken and marinade in a ziploc bag, turned it a few times to coat evenly, and marinated it overnight and it turned out even better than the previous times I cooked it.

Maple Mustard Chicken (by Ellie Krieger, one of my favorite food personalities)

Braised Chicken with Shallots (thank you Martha!)
Note: best served with crusty bread to sop up all the delicious sauce that this dish produces.