Chicken thighs

To specifically address your comment about finding them fatty/greasy. I feel the same, and don’t love thighs in braises or liquids. However, this recipe was a lifesaver for me, because the method of cooking renders almost all the internal fat out, while crisping the skin beautifully. I don’t use any of the spices. Salt and pepper only. But the cooking method is great, and reliable.

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And re other posters’ suggestion about just not saying anything, I don’t think I have particularly sensitive taste buds, but I can always tell white and dark meat chicken. Both flavor and texture are quite different.

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Agreed. I suppose, though, that there must be dishes where you can sufficiently mask what you’re eating

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I suppose. It could be chicken thighs. Or rabbit, snake, turtle, eel. :slight_smile:

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I can tell the difference breast/white meat to thighs/dark meat, blindfolded, standing on my head, with both hands tied to my ankles…

there is an analogy:
Do you like liver?
NO!
Have you ever eaten liver?
NO!

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Me too, except for the liver. I like liver. I was fed it as a child, before I had any preconceived notions.

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My ex SIL would not eat chicken in recognizable pieces no matter which part.
She liked chicken just fine but had a complete aversion to the bones and skin and other assorted “stuff”. In other words, the flavor.
Turkey too.
:slight_smile:

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Maybe snake or turtle which I’ve never tasted. I find rabbit terribly bland - even the locally shot ones that turn up regularly at the farmers market. I’d never confuse it with chicken. And, on the other hand, eel is quite strongly flavoured (at least in the ways I’ve eaten it) and, of course, very oily. Again not something I’d confuse with chicken.

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I’ve eaten rabbit just once, and literally thought it was chicken, until I got to some bones and thought what an oddly-constructed chicken this was.

I’ve never had any but the eel, which was part of a sushi dinner. But people often say about exotic meats - tastes like chicken. I suppose it is a joking way to make people comfortable with a new food. Me, I’d rather just know what I’m eating. I’ve found that my culinary comfort has certainly increased as I age, but it’s mostly to do with broadening types of ethnic cuisines. And I’m pretty comfortable with any type of produce or grain. Something about meat though - there are types/animals that, unless I was introduced as a kid, I’m just not going to do it now. Psychological barrier.

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heehee. we have three children. all have the coop flown.
I’m often surprised when they call up with questions - “heh Dad, how did you fix …”

they hated it then, they miss it now.

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I like liver also. Not often, but once in a while.

I actually hardly ever eat it. Occasionally a chicken liver or goose liver pate at a restaurant. Or Trader Joes has a good and cheap pate. It’s been forever that I had beef liver. I don’t know why, but I don’t cook it…

I haven’t had beef liver since COVID hit. My wife doesn’t travel anymore and I only cook it when she’s gone. Also on the list: corned beef hash and deviled ham.

I love corned beef hash. I have a big roast in the freezer and am thinking about corning it. When my husband is away, we eat cheesy things. He doesn’t like cheese in many preparations, and especially warm/melted. He pizzas, and that’s about it.

My wife and I both tolerate each others tastes. She is more sensitive to smell than I am so I’ll cook things for her I don’t want to eat. Liver and corned beef hash she doesn’t even want to smell in the house.

Once we and her sister’s family are vaccinated I’ll send her off to visit for a day and cook a bunch of “smelly” things I like. Not a big deal. On balance she’s worth it. grin

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Cheers to that. We are celebrating 25 yrs together this year. On balance, it’s been worth it.

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Exactly!

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Two things I have had good success with when making thighs for those who prefer breasts: shredded chicken chili verde for tacos where I oven braise them in green (tomatillo) salsa until falling apart tender and then shred, and simmered in enchilada sauce and shredded into enchiladas. In both cases you can prep ahead and defat, either bone in or boneless work equally well, and the vehicle was so attractive to my audience they didn’t really notice the meat.

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I find thighs to be versatile, tasty, and better than breasts for some things. I typically pull the skin off, as well as the excess fat - sometimes I even cut the side fat off, depending. Only if I’m roasting at a higher heat for crispy skin, or grilling, will I leave the skin on. I find strips or cubes of thigh meat excellent for stir fries, or fried rice, and all the teriyaki joints around here use thigh meat.

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