Chicken is a relatively inexpensive product, but it is filling, tasty, and cooks fairly quickly. If you do it not entirely, but in pieces, then the process takes a minimum of time. A good choice would be chicken thighs, meaty, juicy, covered with an appetizing crust when baked or fried. Fried chicken thighs can become the basis of a family lunch or dinner; they just need to be supplemented with a side dish.
Chicken thighs with a crispy crust in a frying pan: a classic recipe
You will need:
- chicken thighs - 6 pcs.;
- garlic cloves - 3 pcs.;
- granulated sugar - 50 g;
- purified water - 70 ml;
- potato starch - 60 g;
- salt - 30 g;
- vegetable oil;
- grated nutmeg, curry, coriander to taste.
Step-by-step cooking process
Rinse the chicken thighs, place in a colander and let drain. Pat the meat dry with paper towels so that the moisture does not prevent the marinade from soaking all the fibers of the chicken. Mix the seasonings and spices in a cup, rub each thigh with the mixture, cover with film or a lid and leave to marinate for 1 hour.
Next, prepare the syrup for the chicken. To do this, heat a clean and dry frying pan, pour coarse rock salt onto it, add granulated sugar and fry, constantly stirring the bulk ingredients with a silicone spatula
After a few minutes, the sweet component of the mixture will dissolve and a caramelized thin light brown cake will form in the pan. Add water to it in small portions and mix thoroughly each time until a thick syrup is obtained.
Bread the marinated meat in starch, making sure that the powder is evenly distributed over the entire surface of each thigh. Place the pieces with a fork into the golden sauce, hold there for 2 seconds, then turn over to the other side. Fry the food in a frying pan until golden brown.
Serve delicious, crispy-skinned chicken thighs on a platter lined with lettuce. Sprinkle with chopped garlic cloves and finely chopped herbs.
Fried chicken thighs with crispy skin
Compound:
- chicken thighs – 0.6-0.7 kg;
- starch – 50 g;
- salt, ground black pepper, paprika - to taste;
- refined vegetable oil – 150 ml.
Cooking method:
- Wash the chicken thighs, pat dry with a napkin, and rub with salt and pepper.
- Pour starch into a plate, add paprika to it, stir.
- Sprinkle the thighs on all sides with the resulting starch mixture.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan (it is better not to save it).
- Place chicken thighs in oil, fry them for 5-6 minutes on each side, and temporarily transfer to a plate.
- Place the second batch of thighs in the pan, fry them, and transfer to a plate.
- Return the first portion of chicken thighs to the pan and fry them for another 10-12 minutes, spending a noticeably equal amount of time on each side.
- Finish cooking the remaining thighs.
- Place the thighs on a plate lined with a napkin to absorb excess fat, after which the appetizer can be transferred to a platter and served.
Paprika in this recipe serves not so much to add aroma and taste to the dish, but to tint the breading. It can be replaced with turmeric or curry if you like these seasonings better.
Chicken thighs in a frying pan in sour cream sauce
You will need:
- chicken thighs - 6 pcs.;
- sour cream with a fat content of at least 33% - 60 g;
- onions - 1 pc.;
- carrots - 1 pc.;
- dill greens - 1 bunch;
- garlic cloves - 1 pc.;
- olive oil;
- sea salt, curry, chicken spice mixture.
Cooking process step by step
Prepare chicken thighs as usual. Rinse, remove excess fat, decide for yourself whether to get rid of the skin, for this recipe it is not important. Peel the garlic and onion, chop the onion into thin half rings.
Take a deep frying pan and pour in olive oil (in extreme cases, you can replace it with vegetable oil without a strong smell). Place a clove of garlic and onion half rings into the oil.
Sauté the vegetables until slightly fragrant, then add the chicken thighs to the pan and fry until golden brown on both sides. Peel and grate the carrots on a coarse grater and add to the chicken.
In a mortar, crush the peppercorns along with sea salt, a pinch of curry and chicken spices. Add homemade sour cream to the chicken, pour half a glass of very heated drinking water into the frying pan, add chopped dill and add spicy seasoning. Gently mix the ingredients of the dish, close the lid and simmer for 45 minutes.
Serve chicken thighs in sour cream sauce with freshly baked bread or homemade buns. This very filling and high-calorie dish can be garnished with boiled potatoes or rice.
Chicken thighs on a grill pan in herbs
You will need:
- chicken thighs - 4 pcs.;
- garlic cloves - 3 pcs.;
- mayonnaise - 50 g;
- Italian herbs, sesame - 20 g each;
- sunflower oil;
- pepper mixture.
Cooking process step by step
Process the chicken thighs, remove feathers, rinse and pat dry thoroughly with paper towels. Season the prepared meat with salt and pepper, sprinkle with dry herbs and aromatic seasonings.
Peel and squeeze the garlic cloves through a press, mix with mayonnaise, coat the thighs with the resulting mixture and leave in the refrigerator overnight. Using a pastry brush, grease the grill pan with vegetable oil, place the chicken thighs, and sprinkle them with sesame seeds.
Pour plain water into the frying pan and cover the pan with a lid. Cook the dish over high heat for the first 5 minutes so that delicious stripes form on both sides of the chicken. Then reduce the heat intensity and keep the chicken on the fire for another 15 minutes.
Adjust the degree of browning of the dish to your taste. Chicken thighs fried on a grill pan go well with fresh vegetables or a boiled side dish.
Chicken thighs in sour cream and onion sauce
Compound:
- chicken thighs – 1 kg;
- sour cream – 70-80 g;
- garlic – 20 g;
- onion – 0.2 kg;
- salt, ground black pepper, paprika - to taste;
- refined vegetable oil – 40-60 ml;
- water - how much will go.
Cooking method:
- Wash the chicken thighs, pat dry with a napkin, and remove the skin.
- Make 3-4 cuts down to the bone on each thigh.
- Peel the garlic and crush it with a special press.
- Rub the bird's thighs with garlic, salt, paprika and pepper. Using a pastry brush, coat them with vegetable oil and leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
- Peel the onion and cut into thin half rings.
- Heat a frying pan by pouring some oil into it.
- Place the chicken pieces in the pan. Brown them over high heat and place on a plate.
- Add onion to the oil in which the thighs were fried. Reduce the heat under the frying pan to medium.
- Fry the onion until it acquires a caramel color.
- Add sour cream, stir.
- Pour in boiled water. You need so much of it that the sauce becomes similar in consistency to thick cream.
- Add fried chicken to the sauce.
- Simmer the dish covered over low heat for 30-35 minutes.
This dish won’t cost much at all, but you and your household will surely enjoy it.
Chicken thighs in a frying pan in soy sauce
You will need:
- chicken thighs - 6 pcs.;
- liquid honey - 30 g;
- lemon - 1 pc.;
- garlic cloves - 4 pcs.;
- soy sauce - 150 g;
- salt, seasonings, spices;
- vegetable oil.
Rinse the chicken meat, trim off excess fat, and blot the thighs with napkins to remove excess moisture. To get an interesting and rich taste, make an express marinade. In a cup, mix chopped garlic cloves, liquid honey, and classic soy sauce. Squeeze lemon juice in there and mix everything until smooth.
Coat the chicken thighs thoroughly with the resulting mixture and place in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 1 hour. After this procedure, the flavor accents will change somewhat, the meat will become tender and juicy, not requiring long-term heat treatment.
Remove the thighs from the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature for half an hour. Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan. Salt the thighs if desired, keeping in mind that there was a lot of salt in the dressing sauce. Place chicken thighs skin side up in hot oil. Fry one side until golden brown, turn over and fry the other side in the same way. Serve with greens.
Chicken thighs stewed in sour cream sauce
Compound:
- chicken thighs – 0.5 kg;
- sour cream – 0.2 l;
- water or broth – 150 ml;
- butter – 20 g;
- refined vegetable oil – 40-60 ml;
- wheat flour – 30 g;
- salt, chicken seasonings - to taste.
Cooking method:
- Wash and dry the chicken thighs with a towel. Rub them with salt and spices and leave for 15-20 minutes.
- Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry chicken thighs until golden brown. Remove from pan.
- Melt the butter in a clean frying pan and fry the flour in it until caramelized. Pour in water or broth. In this case, the liquid must be stirred vigorously with a whisk to prevent the formation of lumps.
- Add sour cream, stir. Wait until the sauce starts to boil. Place chicken thighs in it. Cover the pan with a lid and reduce the heat underneath. Simmer the bird's legs in sour cream sauce for 40-50 minutes.
This version of the dish, made from chicken thighs stewed in sour cream, is considered simple; its composition is represented by a minimum number of ingredients.
Chicken thighs in a frying pan with onions: a simple recipe at home
You will need:
- chicken thighs - 6 pcs.;
- onions - 4 pcs.;
- table vinegar - 10 ml;
- pepper, salt, seasonings;
- vegetable oil.
Rinse the chicken thighs, pat dry with paper towels, and rub with herbs and spices. Peel the onion, chop it into half rings, put half in a cup and sprinkle with vinegar. Place the prepared thighs in a container with the marinade and leave them for an hour and a half.
After this time, remove the thigh and free it from onion particles. Fold the skin of the thighs inward on both sides and connect with a toothpick. Arrange the remaining pieces in the same way.
Heat oil in a frying pan and fry chicken thighs until golden brown. Heat treatment should take no more than 15 minutes, since the marinated product has received special juiciness and tenderness of the meat and requires less time for cooking.
Sauté the remaining onion until translucent and soft pink. Place the thighs on a plate and place sweet onion rings on top of each thigh. Serve the dish with a side dish of mashed potatoes.
Breaded chicken thighs in a frying pan
You will need:
- chicken thighs - 3 pcs.;
- flour - 60 g;
- egg - 1 pc.;
- garlic cloves - 2 pcs.;
- breadcrumbs;
- vegetable oil;
- spices, salt, nutmeg, curry, coriander.
Rinse the chicken thighs, pat dry with paper towels and carefully remove the meat from the bones. Trim all the tendons so that they do not tighten during frying of the product, but keep their shape. Lightly pound the chicken and shape it into cutlets.
Salt and pepper each serving and sprinkle with seasonings. Break an egg into a cup and shake, add some spices, chopped garlic cloves, a little grated nutmeg, a pinch of coriander and curry. Mix all ingredients thoroughly.
Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan, bread the aromatic meat in breadcrumbs and fry until golden brown on both sides. Place the finished chicken thigh fillet with a bright crispy crust first on paper napkins, then serve the dish in portions with any boiled side dish.
Cooking features
- For preparing any dishes, it is advisable to use fresh or chilled poultry meat, as it is more juicy. However, frozen chicken thighs can also be cooked deliciously, but for this they need to be defrosted correctly. Proper defrosting of this product involves thawing it under natural conditions, without sudden temperature changes. An attempt to speed up the process of defrosting chicken thighs using a microwave or hot water will lead to a change in the structure of the meat, loss of moisture and, accordingly, to a deterioration in the organoleptic qualities of the finished dish.
- When cooking in a frying pan, it is recommended to choose chicken thighs that are not too large, otherwise they may not be cooked through. If you come across large specimens, bake them or chop them in half before frying.
- Before frying, poultry thighs should be washed and dried with a kitchen towel. How to remove the skin from them depends on the preferences of the cook and the specific recipe. Chicken thighs cooked with skin are more rosy and appetizing, but also higher in calories. Removing the skin allows you to reduce, albeit slightly, the energy value of the finished food. It is also sometimes necessary to remove the bones from chicken thighs to cook just the fillets. Roasted boneless bird thighs turn into a delicious appetizer that can be served not only for a family lunch, but also for a dinner party.
- Chicken thighs are often marinated before frying. This is done in order to make the chicken meat more tender and juicy, and to obtain an appetizing crust when frying. If the chicken will be fried in a significant amount of oil, there is no need to marinate it in a rich sauce. Fruit juices, soy sauce, and balsamic vinegar are more suitable for marinating it. However, for food that is prepared from skinless thighs or fried without oil (or almost without oil), you can also use a fatty marinade made with mayonnaise or vegetable oil. To make the crust look more appetizing, paprika, turmeric, curry, ketchup, and honey are added to the marinade. Breading, especially starch, allows you to get a crispy crust.
- Roasting time for chicken thighs depends on the specific recipe, but usually ranges from 20 to 30 minutes. In order not to make a mistake and get the expected result, it is advisable to follow the recommendations that accompany a specific recipe.
As a side dish for fried chicken thighs, you can serve fried or baked potatoes, boiled rice, buckwheat, boiled or baked vegetables. Grilled vegetables and vegetable salad are also suitable. You can also complement the appetizer with sauce. Liquid seasonings with a sweet and sour taste work well.
