Roasted chicken thighs are easy
Whether rubbing a fiery spice paste on them, or a simple drizzle of oil and lemon dusted with oregano, you can’t go wrong with oven-roasted chicken thighs for a quick dinner.
Of all the parts of a chicken, many people think this part is the most flavourful, inexpensive and easy to cook.
Using boneless, skinless thighs saves you time and aggravation. Without the bone in, the chicken cooks faster.
Twenty-five minutes in a hot oven, and they are ready.
The meat is so juicy by itself, that you don’t need the fatty skin on it.
Today’s recipe uses a simple sauce of oil, vinegar, mustard and brown sugar to create a tangy glaze.
But as long as your sauce contains some oil and some acid (such as vinegar or lemon or lime juice) then you could create your own glaze just as easily.
For example, try substituting lime juice instead of vinegar, and soy sauce instead of mustard. Then drizzle the thighs with sesame oil right after they come out of the oven. (Sesame oil doesn’t like to be cooked.)
For additional flavour, marinate the thighs in the sauce, refrigerated, overnight.
You can also prepare the marinade in the morning and leave the meat to soak in the sauce all day in the fridge.
Chicken Thighs with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze
450 g (one pound) boneless, skinless chicken thighs Salt Freshly ground black pepper 30 ml (two tablespoons olive oil 15 ml (one tablespoon) Dijon mustard 15 ml (one tablespoon) balsamic vinegar 5 ml (one teaspoon) brown sugar 1 clove garlic, crushed to a paste or finely minced Pinch of hot red pepper flakes (optional) 1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees 2. Put the chicken in a bowl and sprinkle the meat with a pinch of salt and pepper. With a fork, prick holes in the meat to allow the marinade to penetrate. 3. Whisk the oil, mustard, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic and optional hot pepper flakes in a small bowl. Pour over the chicken, turning it with a fork so that all the meat is covered with the sauce. 4. Place chicken and sauce in a foil- or parchment-lined baking dish on a rack in the middle of the oven. Make sure each piece of meat has plenty of sauce on top. Roast 25 minutes or until the top of the chicken is nicely browned and juices run clear (not pink) when you cut into the meat. Makes two servings