Lazy Chicken for a Busy Night

Chicken thighs prepped with dry spices for when you're busy but still want something flavorful to eat with a salad or rice.

This recipe can be easily varied to suit different mixtures of dry spices. For instance, a smoked paprika based mix to be used in spanish food, an oregano and garlic based mix to be used in italian food, and so on.

All spice quantities are very rough estimates, and should be adjusted accordingly.

Prep time: 2 mins
Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

Base ingredients

• 4 Skin-on Chicken Thighs
• 1.5 Tbsp olive oil (enough to coat the chicken)
• Salt to taste

Spanish

• 1.5 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
• 1 tsp Chili Powder
• 1 tsp MSG
• 1.5 tsp Garlic Powder
• Black Pepper

Italian

• 1.5 tsp Garlic Powder
• 2 tsp Dried Oregano
• 1 tsp Dried Thyme

Chinese Salt & Pepper

• .5 tsp White Pepper Powder
• Black Pepper
• 1 tsp MSG
• 1 Tbsp Sichuan Peppercorn
• 1 tsp Chili Powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. Remove bone from chicken thighs if not already removed.
3. Poke holes in the skin with a sharp knife so as to allow the rendered fat to drain out from the skin while cooking.
4. Toss chicken with oil and spices until thoroughly coated, adjusting spice quantities as needed.
5. Arrange chicken on a sheet pan, and season with salt visually.
6. Cook in the preheated oven with the skin side up for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the chicken is crispy.
7. Slice chicken, and serve with your choice of sides.

Notes

1. As typical as it is for a recipe to prescribe you to, you should buy high quality chicken. This dish is all chicken, so it should be built off of good bones. I've found using Purdue chicken to be somewhat repulsive in my experience, and it ruins the quality of the dish.
2. This recipe relies on over-seasoning and over-oiling, to essentially let the meat cook in a very flavorful mixture of juices, oil, and spices once it's started to render it's fat.
3. The spice quantities are very arbitrary. I never measure them, and reccommend that you adjust the recipe to your own preferences. This recipe is a framework for daily meals, and should not be followed precisely.
4. I integrate this chicken into many different meals. For instance, the paprika version has found itself in an arroz con pollo, and the italian has found itself in a risotto. Use it as a building block for other recipes.
5. Skin-on thighs are essential, as the extra chicken fat lends a lot to the flavor of the dish, and the crispyness of the skin adds a lot to the texture.