Stop Making This Chicken Thigh Mistake And Thank Us Later
Chicken thighs are a stellar protein that is also quite versatile, making a great ingredient in myriad cuisines. There's a common misstep a lot of home cooks take when preparing them for any dish, though. It's just as easy to correct as it is to commit with a little bit of insight.
Thighs are among the top-ranked cuts of chicken due to their flavor and juiciness — when prepared properly, that is. Those qualities make them the featured ingredient in a smoked chicken thighs recipe and an authentic chicken scarpariello recipe. As Cookindocs explains, thighs are also useful in any dish that calls for chicken breasts, and doing so could save you money. Additionally, you might find thighs are actually more flavorful than breasts, although they are higher in fat content.
No matter what dish you use them in, the end result will be best if you avoid making this common mistake.
Don't go too high with your thighs
A common concern when cooking chicken is the meat drying out in the cooking process. You might also worry about undercooking the meat, which can result in illnesses according to the CDC. If you've left the skin on for your dish, which you absolutely should, for this reason, you still want to get that skin crispy and almost caramel in color. According to AllRecipes, you can achieve both goals simultaneously.
AllRecipes says a common mistake is cooking thighs at too high of a temperature. The advice from AllRecipes continues by recommending that you place chicken thighs in a cold pan and start them on medium heat at most. While it might take longer for them to cook through, it will maintain the meat's natural juiciness while still delivering the skin texture you desire. This is sound advice, as America's Test Kitchen also says the dark meat of the thighs gets more tender the longer the thighs are exposed to heat.
According to America's Test Kitchen, the ideal internal temperature you should aim for with chicken thighs is 195 degrees Fahrenheit. To AllRecipes' point, though, using a high level of heat to get them there in a short amount of time will reduce their quality.
There are other mistakes everyone makes when cooking chicken thighs, like discarding the bones and fat. To address the issue of them drying out before the skin cooks, though, the trick is to cook them low and slow.