Chicken thighs will be juicy with a crisp skin every time with chef's simple tip
Chicken is one of the most versatile and popular meats, but getting it perfectly cooked can sometimes be trickier than it seems. Chicken thighs are especially forgiving, yet it's still easy to make mistakes and leave them dry, tough or lacking flavour. From using too much heat to cooking them for too long, small errors can make a big difference to the final result.
TL;DR
- Dry chicken thighs with skin-on by placing them skin-side down on paper towels for at least 15 minutes to absorb excess moisture.
- Place seasoned chicken thighs, skin-side down, into a cold cast-iron pan.
- Turn the heat to medium and allow the fat to render slowly for about 10-15 minutes until the skin is golden and crispy.
- Flip the chicken thighs, add garlic and rosemary to the rendered fat for flavor, and cook for another five minutes.
- A stainless steel pan can also be used.
- Starting with a hot pan can lead to soggy skin due to trapped fat.