Poor Little Thigh

by Kristin Franklin

Chicken breasts are all the rage.  They have been for as long as I can remember.  “All white meat” this.  “Skinless, boneless chicken breast” that.  What’s so fabulous about the cherished breast anyway?  McDonald’s is currently promoting their Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips (try saying that five times fast).  Okay, first of all, anything should taste good and stay juicy when smothered in a seasoned batter and deep fried until golden and crispy (just try the Snickers and Twinkies at your next county fair).  And second of all, for you health nuts, these Carefully Selected Premier Breast Pieces Thingies are really not any “healthier” than the good old classic McNuggets.  Now, I had to do some number crunching here since 3 breast strips would be about equal in weight to an 8-piece box of Chicken McNuggets, which we all know doesn’t exist.  This is what I discovered during my first visit to the McDonald's nutrition webpage; I call it “Ounce for Ounce”:

I’m just gonna call it equal (even though the Superior Hand Chosen Breast Loins are a whopping 35 calories more, but who’s counting?).

Now, I’m not meaning to bash the breast.  Certainly it has its place.  I’m just expressing a little sympathy for the thigh.  You know, for every breast butchered, there’s also a lonely little thigh which gets practically no love (I’m not even getting into the leg here, which has a nifty little built-in handle going for it).  Sure, compared to the breast, this underappreciated morsel may be lacking in eye appeal and voluptuousness, but certainly not in flavor and juiciness.  Not convinced?  Try grilling a thigh and a breast (with a little salt and pepper) side by side.  Let them rest five minutes and take an unbiased bite of each.  If the breast isn’t dry and a bit tough, you’ve done a superb grilling job.  Now taste.  I know!  That is one delicious piece of thigh!  Think how it would taste marinated in a Thai barbeque concoction.  Mmmmm.  Now the breast (although still retaining some moisture from your stellar grilling skills) just doesn’t pack the same flavor punch as the juicy, tender thigh (which is gone now because you ate it all).  I won’t even get into chicken stew; you’ll just have to trust me on the best choice for that one.

I’m just asking for you to give the thigh a chance. This poor little piece of poultry, which probably makes up the majority of those irregular-shaped McNuggets, deserves more.  I’m sure it also gets thrown into cat food, hot dogs, and Nabisco brand Chicken-in-a-Biscuit crackers, unnoticed.  At the grocery store, the royal breast demands a much higher price than the humble little thigh, which usually is passed by even in the “Reduced for Quick Sale” section.  The late, great Julia Child comments in her cookbook The Way to Cook, “The thigh, by the way, is one of your best buys---fine, tender meat and little bone.”  So if you don’t believe me, trust Julia and save a buck or two, and marinate and grill a few thighs tonight.  Or braise them, or stew them, or pan-sear them, or chop and kabob them…

Thai Barbeque Marinade

4 T. fish sauce
2 T. rice wine (sake)
1 T. sesame oil
2 T. crushed garlic (crush with one sweeping blow with the side of your biggest knife)
4 T. sugar
2 T. grated ginger
2 T. honey
4-8 skin-on chicken thighs (bone-in is fine too)

Combine fish sauce through honey and whisk together.  Pour over thighs in a Ziploc bag and close tightly, removing as much air as possible.  Marinade for 8 hours or overnight and turn occasionally.  These are best cooked on the grill.

How to bone a chicken thigh, by Julia Child

To bone a chicken thigh:  Using a paper towel, pull the skin off the thigh, and cut most of the visible fat off the meat--smallish globs of yellow clinging to the flesh.  The single thigh bone with its ball joints at either end is in the center of the meat, and shows more clearly on one side than the other.  Lay the thigh so the more-easily-seen bone is facing you vertically.  With a small sharp knife, cut down through the meat very close against one side of the bone to remove the meat from its other side.

You now have two delicious tender pieces of quick-cooking, juicy meat that you can season, dredge lightly in flour, and sauté for a simple snack.  Or you can poach them and serve in a salad or sauce, or cut them into strips and add to a chicken soup or the makings of a pot pie.

Kristin can be reached at kristin@babblog.com.

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