The leg/thigh man strikes again

I rarely buy chicken parts, unless it's a special bulk deal for legs or wings. I prefer to get a whole bird and break it down. Then I also can make some fresh stock. Those of you who read my blog from time to time know what a brining fanatic I am. Only when you have brined a chicken breast for several hours, pounded it flat, breaded and shallow fried it, will you know why I do it. My legs and thighs were brined overnight, a long time even for me. But a thorough rinse and no added salt during cooking are the only rules you need to obey.

Pan-fried chicken legs and thighs

2 chicken legs

2 chicken thighs

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika (all to taste)

Heat the oil and butter in a cast iron or other heavy skillet until the butter has melted and is almost ready to brown. Season the chicken with all the dry ingredients and place it skin side down in the pan. Leave it alone for 5 minutes. Turn it. Leave it alone for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low. Tent loosely with a piece of foil. Continue cooking about 10 more minutes until juices run clear.

Chicken thigh kebobs

I did chicken skewers recently with a different flavor profile. That time I used boned drumsticks, although boning them is a bit of a challenge. It’s just that I couldn’t get thighs at Safeway that day without buying a jumbo pack.

I’m pretty good at boning out chicken parts, so it wasn’t daunting to make this recipe with less expensive bone-in thighs. Once boned, I just cut them lengthwise in half and skewered ‘em up. I did brine the chicken for about 3 hours. Then all I did was season them with some pepper (no salt), paprika, and after turning them, a sprinkling of dried tarragon.

I tossed some green pepper strips on the back end of the stovetop grill. Peter made corn cakes that were lovely. Maybe I’ll get him to post that recipe soon.

Chicken thigh kebobs
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, halved lengthwise (and brined, which is of course optional)
olive oil
paprika
black pepper
dried tarragon

If you don’t brine the chicken, add salt to taste before cooking. Brush the skewers with olive oil, sprinkle on the paprika and pepper, and cook 4-5 minutes per side (turning just once). After turning, sprinkle on the tarragon. Allow to rest for a couple of minutes before serving.