Yep, more chicken being cooked over at the EIA homestead. There were a few years after I first read Kitchen Confidential that I rarely ate chicken, and almost never in a restaurant. Bourdain said the single chicken dish on the menu was for the unadventurous who didn’t know what they wanted. I ordered the lamb with pride; I ain’t no boring diner!
I would argue now that the educated eater orders the chicken when appropriate. That is, when you know the chef respects the protein, and it’s not just menu filler for the picky.
Pepin is arguably one of the best poultry preparers of our time, so it should be no surprise that his recipe for pan cooked chicken thighs is amazingly easy and delicious. Starting with the cold pan is key, otherwise you will burn the chicken skin before it cooks through.
I used chanterelles from the PRFM to create the quick pan sauce. $6 for a pint sized package of them, not a bad price.
The finished product. This recipe must be in your repertoire.
But of course, I also fried some chicken using another variation of the Rowdy method. Cayenne, cumin, and Sichuan pepper are the basis. Everything else provides some color variation and slight flavor difference. Dipping pieces of the fiery skin in Duke’s mayo was pure joy.
Don’t feel like frying your own chicken? Apply the Sichuan chicken paste to some Popeye’s.
Last week, Rowdy cooked up some spices in duck fat and we brushed it on the chicken. Extra heavy on Sichuan pepper. I couldn’t feel my face. In a good way?
One last chicken related link – I enjoyed this post on slaughtering chickens from the folks at Full Moon Farm, the farm associated with Farm 255/Farm Burger.
