Chicken thighs are made from dark meat and are a quick and tasty alternative to preparing a whole chicken. This cut can be prepared in various ways, such as sautéed in a pan, stewed or baked. If you want to learn how to cook chicken legs, keep reading and follow the simple steps you find in this article.
Ingrediants
Fried Chicken Thighs
- 8 Chicken Thighs
- 75 ml of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 60 g of sea salt
- 45 g of freshly ground pepper
- 30 g ground cayenne pepper
- 10 g of Garlic powder
- 10 g of Onion powder
- 5 g of mustard powder
Stewed Chicken Legs
- 2 l of Chicken Broth
- 1 leek
- 1 yellow onion
- 3 Carrots
- 3 stalks of celery
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 6 Chicken Thighs
- Salt and Pepper To Taste.
- 15 ml of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Bay Leaf
Baked chicken thighs
- 6-8 Chicken Legs
- 60-75 ml of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper To Taste.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Sautéed Chicken Thighs
Step 1. Marinate the chicken
Mix the spices with three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (45 ml) and use the mixture obtained to massage the chicken legs. This will enhance the flavor of the spices. Before cooking, let the chicken marinate for at least an hour in the refrigerator. Obviously, the more you let the meat marinate, the deeper the flavors and aromas of the spices will penetrate.
Step 2. Pour the extra virgin olive oil into a pan and heat it over medium heat
Add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (30 ml), or enough to completely grease the bottom of the pan. Wait for the oil to heat up and start to sizzle, this will only take a couple of minutes.
Step 3. Arrange the thighs in the pan and let them 'sizzle' for 5-10 minutes
Cook the chicken until it is golden and crisp.
Step 4. Turn the chicken legs
Continue cooking until the second side also reaches the consistency and color of the first. To check the doneness, score the thickest part of the thigh. The meat must have an opaque color, no longer pink, and the juices must be clear.
Step 5. Remove the chicken from the pan and let it cool
Place it on a plate for at least 10 minutes, until it has cooled.
Step 6. Serve
Enjoy the tasty flavor of your chicken. You can enjoy it on its own, or decide to accompany it with vegetables or potatoes.
Method 2 of 3: Stewed Chicken Legs
Step 1. Prepare the broth
For a great chicken broth, finely chop the leek, onion and garlic. Pour the extra virgin olive oil into the broth pot and turn on a medium-low heat. Pour the ingredients into the pot and brown them slowly. Add the chopped carrots and celery, bay leaf and chicken broth.
Step 2. Cover the pot with the lid and cook slowly for an hour
As soon as the liquid comes to a slight boil, add salt and pepper, then reduce the heat to a minimum.
Step 3. Add the chicken legs to the broth
Gently mix the broth and thighs together so that they fit perfectly into the pot. Thanks to this trick, you will obtain an even cooking of the meat and you will avoid that the thighs on the bottom remain crushed by the weight of the ones above.
Step 4. Cook for 25-30 minutes, or until the meat is tender
Make sure the chicken's core temperature reaches 74 ° C before eating it. When cooked, arrange the thighs on a plate and let them cool for 5-10 minutes.
Step 5. Serve
Enjoy your chicken. You can enjoy it on its own, or decide to accompany it with vegetables or potatoes.
Method 3 of 3: Baked Chicken Legs
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 200 ° C
Step 2. Grease the bottom of the baking sheet with extra virgin olive oil
2-3 tablespoons (30-45 ml) of oil should be sufficient.
Step 3. Prepare the chicken
Rinse the thighs with clean water and then pat them dry with absorbent paper. Massage the meat using extra virgin olive oil, it will protect it from the intense heat of the oven, preventing it from burning and contributing to the excellent final flavor. Sprinkle both sides of the meat with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
Step 4. Arrange the chicken thighs in the pan, skin side up
Remember to leave some space between one piece of meat and the other so that the hot air can circulate freely.
Step 5. Place the pan in the oven and cook the meat for 30 minutes
Step 6. Lower the temperature to 175 ° C and cook for 10-30 minutes
The rule suggests cooking the thighs for 14-15 minutes for every 450g of meat. Check the doneness by cutting the chicken legs with a knife. The meat must have lost its pink color and the juices must appear transparent. The internal temperature of the thighs must reach 74 ° C. If the meat has not reached the desired browning, complete the cooking by turning on the grill of the oven for 5 minutes.
Step 7. Remove the meat from the oven
Arrange the thighs on a plate after wrapping them in aluminum foil. Let them rest for 5-10 minutes before serving them on the table.
Step 8. Serve
Enjoy your delicious baked chicken while it is still hot.
Advice
- The meat, after being frozen, even if only for a few hours, will no longer have a tender consistency at the end of cooking.
- An organic chicken should smell like corn, or the feed it was raised on.
- Do not store the cooking liquid and above all do not reuse it. Any food that has not exceeded 48 ° C contains a large number of live, very dangerous bacteria. The cooking process kills many bacteria, but never 100%. For example, mold spores begin to die very slowly at a temperature above 48 ° C.
- If you want to cook game, such as a pheasant or guinea fowl, you can use the cooking methods detailed in this article, although for these varieties of meats, you should never exceed medium-rare. Cook the game as per the rule only if you are sure of the origin and the goodness of the meat, otherwise it ensures complete cooking.
- In Maryland, chicken that is boned and then stuffed with a filling is called 'Ballotine Chicken'. You can make the filling using ground chicken, breadcrumbs, herbs, nuts, or seeds. Mix all the ingredients with dried apricots and a few eggs. Stew the chicken, or in a pan, and glaze it with an apricot sauce or jam.
