In defense of chicken thighs

I recently wrote an ode to the humble pork loin, which is a surprisingly tender and flavorful cut of pork at a surprisingly low price. The chicken equivalent to the pork loin is chicken thighs. I am eternally baffled by the low price of chicken thighs compared to other cuts of chicken. They are the second-cheapest form of chicken at my local grocery store; only whole roasters are less expensive per pound. And thighs are so tender and tasty!

I suspect a lot of people are put off by the idea of "dark meat," based on dim memories from childhood, or on the slightly darker shade of turkey meat that you get at Thanksgiving. But when it comes to mass market grocery store chicken, believe me: even the thighs are not that dark.

Even if you think you dislike dark meat, I urge you to give chicken thighs a try. The flavor is mild (to say the least), with the main difference being that they cost less than white meat cuts, and they are a lot more moist. What's not to love?

Boneless skinless chicken thighs can be substituted for chicken breast meat in any given recipe. I most often use thigh meat in slow cooker recipes, or bake them with sauce in the oven. Barbecue sauce, honey mustard, olive oil and garlic, teriyaki sauce, lemon and garlic, garlic and thyme, or even just the all-purpose spice mix called "Chicken Seasoning" (which secretly is one of my favorites), they all work well with thigh meat.

Drizzle Buffalo sauce over boneless chicken thighs and bake them at 375 degrees until they are done (165 degrees internal temperature, usually about 45 minutes). A delicious, affordable alternative to Buffalo wings, and no annoying bone to eat around!

Image courtesy Flickr/stevendepolo