Jacques is always a joy to watch. I love his down-to-earth style and the fact that he rarely uses crazy, expensive, or hard-to-find ingredients. Most blog recipes nowadays seem to call for one or two things that I never have on hand, but Jacques’ dishes are never out of reach.
With my work schedule, it is nice to cook a quick and simple meal of his and still feel like I am making something gourmet. Love his Instagram and daily cooking vids.
I just finished reading his memoirs “The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen”. It was a very well written series of short stories about his life, with a few recipes and photos. Published in 2015 - before he lost his wife. It was fascinating.
I’m particularly fond if his series “Fast Food My Way.”
Chicken thighs are much more versatile and forgiving in cooking than breasts. The number of meals in which I’ve been served overcooked, dried out breast meat actually makes me avoid white meat these days. Thighs on the other hand can take a beating and keep on ticking.
In deference to Jacques, I’ve found a common french technique for thighs to be eminently flexible. Variations are endless. Season the bone in skin on thighs with salt and pepper. Get pan hot, sear the thighs skin side down until well browned, turn and sear other side. At this point based on my mood, I may or may not pour off the rendered fat. Now depending on what direction I’m going, pour in white or red wine or vinegar of some sort of stock or soy sauce or just water and deglaze pan, add spring onions or tomatoes or mushrooms or artichoke hearts or pearl onions or bok choy or what ever veg is in the crisper, throw in what herbs I have. Cover, turn heat to simmer. Let cook for 15-20 minutes. Uncover and serve, or add a dollop of creme fraiche or heavy cream or a spoonful of mustard or sour cream, or flame with brandy, bourbon or calvados or whatever or not. A non-recipe recipe.
I like to take thighs and put them in an iron skillet and bake for 45 minutes. Usually at 425. I season with salt and pepper.
Another good thigh technique! I’m trying it!
The Bomb @Phoenikia! 
Vietnamese-style Chicken Thighs
This was the first time I baked them on a rack in a sheet pan and it won’t be the last. The fat rendered into the pan and the skin came out perfectly. We like sauce, so I did finish them off in a Pyrex in the marinade, basting once. The other couple things I did differently was follow @Phoenikia‘s tip and reduced the fish sauce (a 1/4 cup of fish sauce? Just no!), nixed the oil and added a couple tablespoons of coconut cream, because I had an opened container in the fridge and one of my favorite recipes (Vietnamese caramel salmon) which has almost the exact ingredients calls for coconut oil or cream. Delicious!
My husband who has no interest in food photos loved them so much he said “Take an inside photo!” 
Sooo good. I’ll put the rest of the meal on WFD.
Happy Thigh Cooking… and Eating!
Yeah baby! That’s what I’m talking about! I wonder if you mean what I mean when I think coconut cream. Actually I am talking about "creamed coconut " like this.
As opposed to coconut cream
…or cream of coconut.
It was Coconut Cream. I threw out the can and had the leftovers in a container in the fridge, but I think it was this.
It has the milk but also the coconut butter solids.
P.S. I Coco Lopez. We always had it in the house when I was a kid and I’d sneak spoonfuls from the open cans.
Love it.
That is how I ended up cooking thighs based on a conglomeration of recipes and ideas from this thread. I cook on racks fairly often. The thighs made a mess that took a lot of scrubbing to clean up. Was that your experience?
Very classic! Welcome to Hungry Onion!
I find it helpful to line the pan with foil when baking or roasting fattier meats on a rack. Saves a lot of time and mess with the clean up.
Yes, soaking was involved, lol. Plus it added an extra pan to clean since I put them back in the pyrex they marinated in & baked the last 10 mins in the liquid. If you bake them solely in the pyrex clean up is easy. It was worth it though - they were delish.
I’ve been putting a layer of parchment under many different things that get baked or roasted in Pyrex or cookie sheets lately, if I don’t need the jus- cuts down on scrubbing.
Haven’t done it with this Vietnamese thigh recipe, but I have done it with baked wings
I may not have been clear. I lined the sheet pan with foil and cleaning it was easy. It was the rack that was unusually difficult to clean. Well beyond sponges, scrubbies, and bronze wool. Major effort.
One could try spraying the rack with Pam beforehand. It does help.
I see. I used a stainless steel rack (like a cooling rack) and didn’t have a problem cleaning. It was the pan underneath that was burnt-on, but I didn’t put anything underneath - will use parchment next time @Phoenikia.
Same sort of rack. I had burned on fat that took a lot of work to get off.
