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What Are the Different Ways of Cooking Chicken Thighs?
Traditional methods of cooking chicken thighs, such as fried, baked and barbecued, are complemented by alternative recipes, such as curried, sweet-and-sour and lemon chicken thighs. Many cooks spend time cooking chicken thighs in beer batter, while others treat diners to blackened or bacon-wrapped chicken thighs. Chicken is a versatile food that is easily adapted to almost any type of local flavor, and the thighs can be prepared in numerous ways.
The chicken thigh is a large, dark meat that can be left on the bone as it is or pulled apart and shredded into a rich, red sauce. People have been cooking chicken thighs in recipes that have been handed down for generations, such as southern fried chicken thighs in the American South and sweet-and-sour chicken thighs in the Orient. Italian chefs have practiced cooking chicken thighs in tomato sauce and with pasta for generations, while the Spanish have combined the thighs with rice and spices to create fillings for many dishes.
There are several methods of cooking chicken thighs in the oven, from plain chicken thighs to battered and baked thighs. Several spices, including salt, pepper and paprika, go well with baked chicken. Many cooks remove the skin when cooking the thighs and use a buttermilk and breadcrumb coating to provide the crunch on baked chicken thighs. Ingredients such as flour, eggs and cracker crumbs can be used when frying the chicken thighs to create a crisp and golden brown center piece for the table. Middle Eastern-styled curried chicken thighs can be made to go with couscous or a number of different rice dishes.
Popular with some diners, lemon chicken recipes are easily applied to the thigh and offer a taste of Asia. Many cooks reserve their chicken thighs for the grill and top them with a thick coating of tangy barbecue sauce. Whether using dry or wet barbecue sauce, the chicken thigh makes a good companion for the finger-licking good taste of barbecue on a summer picnic or for other meals. Chicken tacos and burritos are made by shredding the dark thigh meat into a spicy blend of Mexican seasoning and topping it with sour cream, tomatoes and lettuce. Creole chefs prepare chicken thighs to be used in gumbo, blackened with rice and beans and other regional specialties.
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![A bowl of sour cream, which can be used to top chicken thigh tacos.]()
A bowl of sour cream, which can be used to top chicken thigh tacos. -
![Paprika is commonly used to season chicken.]()
By: Ekaterina LinPaprika is commonly used to season chicken. -
![Chicken thighs are often used to make slow-simmering chicken cacciatore.]()
By: Joe GoughChicken thighs are often used to make slow-simmering chicken cacciatore. -
![Chicken thighs can be curried.]()
By: Monkey BusinessChicken thighs can be curried. -
![Although the terms are often used interchangeably, barbecuing and grilling are two different methods used to cook chicken.]()
By: Monkey BusinessAlthough the terms are often used interchangeably, barbecuing and grilling are two different methods used to cook chicken. -
![Frying chicken thighs can create a crisp and delicious meal.]()
By: harikanFrying chicken thighs can create a crisp and delicious meal.
Discussion Comments
One of my favorite ways of cooking thighs is a dish I learned from my mother. You can cook any of the chicken pieces this way, but the thighs work best, in my opinion.
You boil the chicken with the spices of your choice and you can add vegetable if you like. I would recommend onions and maybe celery or some other hard green vegetable. When the mixture is cooked you add rice and you have a meal.
The thighs work best because they give the stew more flavor than does the breast; their bones are less likely to break apart into sharp intrusive shards as drumstick bones sometimes do; and they have more meat than the wings have.
As a rule, I prefer the breast to the other pieces of the chicken. The problem with the breasts, however, is that if you aren't careful when you are cooking them they can be dry and short on flavor.
I like the thigh as a change of pace from time to time. When cooking thighs, you have more room for error. The flavor of the seasoning easily reaches all the meat and thighs seldom dry out. They are great barbecued, fried or baked with salt, pepper and garlic.
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