Recipes: Roasted chicken thighs, red potatoes, buttered carrots, BBQ sauce
Maybe you start thinking about dinner, as I usually do, with something in mind. Those of us who are carnivores, or omnivores, often start with a meat although it doesn't have to be that way. Regardless, let's say you have chicken thighs in the freezer. Chicken thighs. What goes with that?
I think of planning a meal in terms of balance: balance of colors, of flavors, of nutrition, of crispness and softness, of sourness and spiciness and blandness (is that a word?). Balance of easy-to-make and having-to-do-last-minute-things, even balance of whether we eat something quite a bit and what would be a new adventure. Some days the most important balance is what you have time for and what you have in the house. Dinner, like Life, is a Balancing Act.
So chicken thighs. Roasting is one of the easiest, quickest, most hands-off ways to cook them, and it's also healthy and delicious. Let's go with that.
Roasted chicken thighs are: Brown and blond
Full of umami (an earthy satisfying taste)
Juicy (the meat)
Crisp (the skin)
Spicy or sweet or not, depending
Potatoes are a natural with chicken. And small red potatoes are easy to portion for two (two to three per person) and also delicious. They contrast, yet match, with the color of the roasted chicken. They're crisp on the outside, but soft on the inside. They can be put in the oven at the same time the chicken goes in and be done when the chicken is done. That's a big "yes"!
Now we need a big color and flavor contrast. A vegetable would be perfect; how about carrots? They're orange and soft and sweet when cooked. Good balance. Or it could be broccolini, or sliced tomatoes in the summer. But for today let's go with carrots. And lucky for us, you have the chicken, the potatoes, and the carrots IN THE HOUSE! Let's make dinner.
Roasted Chicken Thighs
- Turn the oven to 375 degrees.
- Use 4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs. If they're frozen, put them in your microwave on Defrost for 5 minutes. Turn them over and mike them on Defrost for 5 minutes more. They should be partly soft and you should be able to separate them. If not, put them on Defrost for 2 or 3 more minutes.
- Pat the thighs dry with paper towels. Do not wash - it just spreads the yucky stuff around your sink.
- Put the thighs in a baking dish that's just the right size to hold them in one layer. Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil over them. Sprinkle them with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Turn them over several times with your hands, ending with the skin side up.
Put the thighs in the oven, leaving some room along the side for the potatoes. Set the timer for 50 minutes.
If you're using BBQ sauce, slather it on the top of the thighs when the timer shows 30 minutes left to cook.
Roasted Baby Red Potatoes
Use 4 or 6 small red potatoes, depending on how small they are. Wash them well and dry them. Stick them a few time with the tip of a paring knife, so they don't explode in your oven (lots of fun!). Put them directly on the grate in your oven, next to the chicken. Or, if they're too small to stay on the grate, put them all in a small baking pan and put them in the oven next to the chicken. Done and done with that.Buttered Carrots
- Use 3 big carrots. Cut the ends and pare the skin off. Cut the carrots into rounds about 1/2" thick, or into half rounds, or cut them on a slant to make very chi-chi oblongs. Whatever you like, but they should all be approximately the same thickness. Don't obsess about it.
- Put a couple of inches of water and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt in a medium saucepan. Put the carrot slices in and let them sit until the chicken and potatoes only have 30 minutes to go.
- Turn the heat on to medium and bring the carrots to a boil. Turn the heat down and put a cover partway over the carrots. Let cook at a low boil until they are tender. Test them with the tip of a paring knife. They're done when the knife gets little or no resistance.
- Drain the water from the carrots, using the pot cover or pouring it into a colander. If you use a colander, put the carrots back in the pot. Add 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and a tablespoon of butter. Shake the pot to distribute the salt and butter, holding the cover on while you shake. Leave the pot covered until you are ready to eat.
!!!step it up!!!
. . .you could make your very own BBQ sauce to put on the chicken. C'mon, at least look at it for next time. It's easy, and it's more fabulous than 99% of the ready-made sauces out there. If you're cooking for a BBQ lover, this will really raise the bar. . .Your Own BBQ Sauce
From America's Test Kitchen CookbookTime: 35 minutes plus cooling down time (unless you're putting it right on roasting chicken)
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, like Wesson
1 medium onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Tobasco
Salt and pepper
- Heat the oil and cook the onion about 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, and cayenne and cook a few seconds.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients and simmer, stirring now and then, until it is thickened, about 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let cool.
- Keeps in the refrigerator for about a week. Great on all meats.
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