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When we visited Amsterdam, our friend George would buy these packs of super-tasty seasoned chicken thighs from the grocery store around the corner, bake them up, and then they were just THERE for lunch, or if you needed a bite. It's lovely to have protein that's easy to grab... especially now that the school year is starting up again and work sometimes gets in the way of kitchen play. Here's my first homage. I didn't match the seasoning exactly, but the spirit is there. And I found a Cook's Illustrated video online that gave me great instructions for baking them up with crispy skin.
4 lbs (about 8) chicken thighs
1 T salt
1 T smoked paprika
1 t onion powder
1 t garlic powder
1 t curry powder
1 t lemon pepper (new addition!)
1/2 t cayenne
Mix dry seasonings. Rub under skin, on skin, and on back/meaty side. Use a metal skewer to stab through the skin 10-12 times per thigh (this will help the fat render later. Put on a plate or in bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2+ hours.
Cover a rimmed baking sheet with heavy foil (or don't... but cleaning up will be more of a pain if you don't) and place in oven. Preheat oven to 450 F. Spray skin side of thighs with olive oil. When oven is hot, take out baking sheet and place thighs on it, SKIN SIDE DOWN. Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. When a temperature probe reads 160 F, remove from oven and turn on the broiler. Flip chicken skin side up and put under the broiler on the middle oven rack. Broil, rotating pan as necessary until the skin is crisp and the chicken registers 175 F (video said 5 minutes, I only did a couple). Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes.
Yum!
[If you like... save bones/skin in the fridge or freezer. When you've got at least 4 thighs worth, toss them in a saucepan with a few cups of water and simmer for 45 minutes or more to make a tasty chicken stock. Now make Mille Fanti or Sopa de Ajo or your favorite chicken stock-based soup... and get a second Yum! from the same chicken :-)]
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To make a HALF recipe in an air fryer...
4 chicken thighs (about 2 lbs), trimmed of excess skin/fat
1 t salt
1.5 t smoked paprika
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t curry powder
1/2 t lemon pepper
1/4 t cayenne, optional
1.5 t oil
1/4 c Greek yogurt
Mix spices & oil in a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave about 30 seconds until fragrant. Let cool. Stir in yogurt.
Trim chicken and pat dry if needed. Use a metal skewer to stab through the skin 10-12 times per thigh (this will help the fat render later. Use a spoon to place about half a spoonful of yogurt mix under the skin of each thigh and rub around under skin. Rub remaining yogurt over skin and on underside of thighs. Let sit 10-30 minutes.
Place in air fryer basket (I added a layer of heavy aluminum foil under basket so it caught the drippings but didn't interfere with air flow).
Original (America's Test Kitchen) cooking instructions: Set temperature to 400 F. Cook until chicken is well-browned and crisp and registers 195 degrees, 20 to 30 minutes, rotating chicken halfway through cooking (do not flip).
First attempt: I started with 13 minutes at 400F. When I opened the fryer to rotate the chicken, the skin was starting to burn. I finished with another 13 minutes at 350 F. Chicken was done/slightly overcooked.
For the second attempt I plan to start with 13 minutes at 350 F and take it from there...
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