Ingredient

Chicken thigh

A chicken thigh is a working muscle: darker, fattier, richer in connective tissue and far more forgiving than the breast. It stays succulent over a much wider range of cooking, it costs less, and it tastes more of chicken.

Why dark meat behaves differently

Leg muscles in a chicken are used constantly and are built for endurance, so they carry more myoglobin — which makes them darker — more fat, and more connective tissue.

That connective tissue is the reason thighs are forgiving. As the muscle fibres tighten and squeeze out water, collagen is simultaneously converting to gelatine, which keeps the meat feeling moist. A breast has almost none of this, so once its fibres tighten there is nothing to compensate.

The practical result is a much wider window. A breast overcooked by five minutes is noticeably dry; a thigh overcooked by fifteen is often better than it was.

Which to buy

Bone-in, skin-on

The best eating and the cheapest. The bone slows cooking slightly and adds flavour; the skin crisps.

Boneless, skin-on

The most useful all-rounder. Lies flat, crisps well, cooks quickly.

Boneless, skinless

For curries, stews and anything where the skin would go flabby. Still far better than breast in the same dish.

Thigh versus drumstick

Thigh has more meat and less sinew. Drumsticks have tendons running through them that stay chewy.

Weight

Thighs vary considerably. Four to six boneless thighs is roughly a chicken breast's worth of meat per two people.

Crisping the skin properly

The commonest failure is flabby skin, and it is always moisture.

1. Dry the skin thoroughly with kitchen paper. Salt it and leave it uncovered in the fridge for a few hours if you can.
2. Start in a cold or barely warm pan, skin side down, with a little oil. Starting cold renders the fat gradually instead of seizing the skin.
3. Let it cook over a medium heat without moving it, for eight to twelve minutes. The fat renders out and the skin flattens and browns.
4. Press down gently with a spatula for the first minute or two so the whole surface makes contact.
5. Only turn it when the skin releases from the pan by itself. Skin that sticks is not ready.
6. Finish it in the oven, or turn and cook the second side briefly. The skin side does most of the work.

What to do with them

• Roasted on a tray with potatoes, lemon and oregano, skin side up, so the fat drips into whatever is underneath.
• In a curry or a braise, boneless and skinless, where they hold together far better than breast.
• Chicken thigh confit, cooked slowly in fat then crisped, which is easier than duck and nearly as good.
• Butterflied and grilled, marinated in yoghurt and spices.
• Coq au vin or a wine braise, where bone-in thighs are the right choice.
• Minced, which makes far better chicken burgers and meatballs than breast.
• Boned out and rolled around a stuffing, then roasted and sliced.

Common questions