Warning. The content below is going to be a millennial rant.
To me, being a millennial means instant gratification. Whether it is being able to do a quick search to find out who won the Oscar in 2012, or being able to instantly refresh your feed to find that the latest photo you posted got six likes in 10 seconds, we all are a bit guilty. While I do dabble in social media, my real millennial instant gratification vice is being able to think of a recipe and then drive, sometimes even walk, across the street to the grocery store and grab my ingredients. Maybe this isn't really a millennial issue, but a benefit of living across from a Stop & Shop. Having this novelty in life is game changing, especially when you cook as much as I do.
Living alone means I never do big giant shopping trips. Living on the third floor of an apartment complex with no elevators also supports that lifestyle. I'm a frequent small trip taker. Since I literally have to drive past the parking lot of the grocery store to get to my apartment, I often times stop, sometimes even on a daily basis. It's just so nice to be able to grab a loaf of bread, an avocado, or some cream with such ease. With such ease...that is until Stop & Shop decided to go on strike and ruin my life. If you didn't read the disclaimer above, here is where I get into some real deep "first world problems." Yes, Stop & Shop is on strike and God bless em. However this picket line has thrown a real wrench into my daily trips to the market. The fact that I now need to venture into an unknown store in a neighboring town roughly 10 minutes away takes its toll. In case you didn't read the disclaimer above, or do not have a feel for my sarcastic nature please don't take me seriously. The one thing that this strike has done is that it definitely has cut down my excessive shopping trips and has forced me to work with the ingredients I have on hand. It's probably a good thing. Marie Kondo would be very proud of me, cleaning out my pantry. Because God forbid I must drive ten minutes to the grocery store...
Living alone means I never do big giant shopping trips. Living on the third floor of an apartment complex with no elevators also supports that lifestyle. I'm a frequent small trip taker. Since I literally have to drive past the parking lot of the grocery store to get to my apartment, I often times stop, sometimes even on a daily basis. It's just so nice to be able to grab a loaf of bread, an avocado, or some cream with such ease. With such ease...that is until Stop & Shop decided to go on strike and ruin my life. If you didn't read the disclaimer above, here is where I get into some real deep "first world problems." Yes, Stop & Shop is on strike and God bless em. However this picket line has thrown a real wrench into my daily trips to the market. The fact that I now need to venture into an unknown store in a neighboring town roughly 10 minutes away takes its toll. In case you didn't read the disclaimer above, or do not have a feel for my sarcastic nature please don't take me seriously. The one thing that this strike has done is that it definitely has cut down my excessive shopping trips and has forced me to work with the ingredients I have on hand. It's probably a good thing. Marie Kondo would be very proud of me, cleaning out my pantry. Because God forbid I must drive ten minutes to the grocery store...
I tend to be a very clean and organized person but the freezer is different. I'm the kind of neat freak that is content when things are behind closed doors. Therefore, my freezer is chock full of multiple opened bags of frozen corn held together by rubber bands. It may or may not contain a bottle of Skinny Girl margarita that I can't bring myself to drink along with multiple ziploc bags of frozen chicken breast. The one lone item that remains there, slowly burning a hole in the 0 degree den is my pack of chicken thighs. For some reason, chicken thighs and I just haven't become friends yet. With a revolution underway at Stop & Shop and my meat selection dwindling, I decided to defrost the thighs, and tackle them for dinner. Right off the bat I noticed a huge difference in the thighs I had been handling and hated previously. In order to cook delicious, juicy chicken thighs you need to buy bone in and skin on. Don't be lazy like I once was. If you buy a higher quality brand (let's be honest chicken thighs are pretty cheap) they will still have a significant amount of meat. A lot of times I would steer away from bone in thighs because I found that they contained a lot of fat and little meat. I bought Bell & Evans and I will never stray away. So worth it to get this delicious cut. The best part of these thighs is the skin. Cook them skin side down in a cast iron skillet and you will get a delicious crispy outer shell to your tender juicy meat inside. I discovered the deliciousness of making a balsamic glaze style of sauce when I made this Asian Chicken Wings. I made a similar sauce for these thighs. Turns out, cooking thighs is a lot like cooking wings. I will 100% be making these thighs again. This post was inspired by Cooks Country.
Ingredients:
8 bone-in chicken thighs trimmed
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon water
salt and pepper
Heat an oven to 425 degrees F. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and place skin side down in a cast iron or oven safe skillet. In a medium bowl whisk together vinegar, honey, soy sauce, ketchup, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Pour the mixture over the chicken. Bake chicken for 20 minutes. Flip the chicken over and bake until the skin is golden brown and crispy to touch. Essentially, 20 - 25 minutes longer. Remove chicken when done and place thighs on a serving dish. Pour out the remaining sauce into a bowl and let settle for five minutes. Dissolve cornstarch in water in a small bowl. Skim off the fat the has risen to the top of the sauce mixture. Place the sauce in a sauce pan and mix in the cornstarch. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the sauce thickens and becomes syrupy. It should stick to a wood spoon. This should take about 7 - 10 minutes. Return the chicken to the skillet and coat it with the sauce. Serve immediately.
Ingredients:
8 bone-in chicken thighs trimmed
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon water
salt and pepper
Heat an oven to 425 degrees F. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and place skin side down in a cast iron or oven safe skillet. In a medium bowl whisk together vinegar, honey, soy sauce, ketchup, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Pour the mixture over the chicken. Bake chicken for 20 minutes. Flip the chicken over and bake until the skin is golden brown and crispy to touch. Essentially, 20 - 25 minutes longer. Remove chicken when done and place thighs on a serving dish. Pour out the remaining sauce into a bowl and let settle for five minutes. Dissolve cornstarch in water in a small bowl. Skim off the fat the has risen to the top of the sauce mixture. Place the sauce in a sauce pan and mix in the cornstarch. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the sauce thickens and becomes syrupy. It should stick to a wood spoon. This should take about 7 - 10 minutes. Return the chicken to the skillet and coat it with the sauce. Serve immediately.
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