Presenting the easiest BONE-IN CHICKEN THIGHS to date on withrecipe I almost can’t take the simplicity. Are you ready for this? Here’s how it goes:
- Marinate the chicken, because when is marination a bad idea? Marinate for as little as 15 minutes if you can. But if you can’t, you absolutely don’t have to marinate.
- Toss all but one of the ingredients (hint – it’s ketchup!) into a pan. Cover & cook.
- Add the ketchup. Sauté out excess juices.
- It’s done. Even if you don’t want it to be, it’s done.https://www.teaforturmeric.com/instant-pot-kadhi/
A bit of background – we grew up calling this “Chicken Roast”.
Ovens weren’t the norm in South Asia. So to recreate tender chicken and a roast-like finish on the stovetop, you would:
- Steam the chicken over the gentlest heat.
- Uncover and raise the heat to evaporate the excess juices & lightly sear the meat.
COOKING BONE IN CHICKEN THIGHS ON THE STOVETOP
With access to ovens, I don’t see much need or benefit of this method. I usually partly steam chicken in the oven anyway (ex. Baked Tandoori Chicken Curry and Peri Peri Chicken).
But in this case, the pan serves to contain and reduce the vinegar. Plus, it allows us to add the ketchup toward the end, creating a layer of flavor.
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED FOR BONE-IN CHICKEN THIGHS
Here are the ingredients, all of which you probably have in your pantry right now:
- Chicken: As I mentioned earlier, you can use any cut of skinless, bone-in chicken such as thighs, drumsticks or cut up whole chicken pieces (the breast pieces will still remain tender!).
- I’ve used thighs in the pictures and split leg quarters (drumsticks and thighs) in the video.
- If you can, try to use small chicken thighs (typically 2-3 oz each). Smaller cuts of chicken cook faster and soak up more flavor.
- Vinegar: I use distilled white vinegar but I think other types of vinegar could also work here.
- Oil: Any oil, including olive oil, works in this recipe.
- Cumin seeds: Plain, untoasted cumin seeds (not powder).
- Black pepper and crushed red pepper (chili) flakes are the only other spices you’ll need. Feel free to adjust according to your desired heat level.
- Ketchup: Though ketchup elevates the flavor, you really won’t be able to taste it in the final product.
BONE-IN CHICKEN THIGHS
Here’s the back-pocket chicken thigh recipe you didn’t know you needed! This recipe requires 30 minutes, one pan, and 5 pantry ingredients if you don’t count good old salt & pepper. Make this with chicken thighs, drumsticks, or any cut of bone-in chicken. Tested to perfection!
Equipment
- 1 Pan
Ingredients
- 2 ib bone-in, skinless chicken thighs, See Note 1
- 2 tbsp distilled white vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil or neutral oil, such as grapeseed oil
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp kosher salt, or 1 ¼ tsp fine sea salt or table salt
- 1 tsp crushed red chili flakes, plus more to taste
- ¾ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp ketchup
Instructions
- Optional (but optimal) marination: Place the chicken in a medium bowl and toss with everything but the ketchup. Cover the bowl and let it marinate at room temperature for up to 2 hours; or in the refrigerator up to 12 hours. If skipping the marinade, start with the next step.
- Heat a large, wide pan or Dutch oven with lid over medium heat. Add the marinated chicken and its juices (if you didn’t marinate, add all of the ingredients except the ketchup to the pan). Mix well to combine, then and spread out the chicken pieces into a single layer.
- Reduce the heat to low or low-medium to maintain a gentle simmer.
- Cover the pan and cook, tossing halfway through, until the chicken is fully cooked, about 25 minutes.
- Increase the heat to high. Bring the remaining liquid in the pan to a boil and cook until most of it has evaporated (~5-6 minutes). Stir in the ketchup. Sauté, stirring only as necessary to allow the chicken to lightly sear (~2 min). Once the moisture has completely evaporated, turn off the heat. Serve immediately.
