THIGH GATE
Hey, welcome to my weekly newsletter. As you can tell, we’ve had a little revamp - oh la la! For the last few weeks I’ve been mulling over what the purpose of this newsletter really is. I blame Blod was where this all started, my beloved dinner lady. However, the more I write, the more I realise this newsletters is way more than Blod… it’s food, it’s love and it’s stories. Without further ado, welcome to: Food Love Stories.
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L E M O N & G A R L I C C H I C K E N T H I G H S
Before my housemate Rosanna, I hadn’t really used chicken thighs, maybe once or twice on a BBQ but I generally lead with the philosophy ‘breast is best’… oh wait, that’s about something else entirely oops!
It’s a funny thing when you move in with a friend, or in our case… a total stranger. I met Rosanna when I viewed my house for the first time. Her hands were chaotically filled with pages and pages, financial notes, sketches, stories and songs. “It’s nice to meet you btw”- I said halfway through the house tour. She looked up from her pages, laughed and said -“oh yeah sorry, it’s really nice to meet you too, I’m Rosanna”. And just like that, with a handshake, a long-time friendship was forged, as well as the new chapter I had long craved.
Our little, red brick abode, was our miracle home. Our landlord handed us the keys without a deposit and two months’ free rent. The very next day another generous man gave us all of his furniture and appliances for nothing. Jackpot! In the true style of Calamity Jane, we fixed her up good and proper in our favourite colours. Sure, the toilet sounded like a ship was coming into port, the window was broken and an oven occupied the garden (excellent for holding down gazebo’s btw) but none of those minor details could take away the pride we had in our new home.
For two strangers, we found our rhythm pretty seamlessly… that was until the food shop. You never realise what you automatically plop into the trolley until someone else is paying half. I whacked a pack of chicken breasts in, followed by beef mince. Rosanna grabbed chicken thighs and lamb mince - two cowgirls in a standoff. She lovingly reasoned that thighs were a third of the price and seen as I was paying with my overdraft, I stood down, panicking that all the meals I knew how to make had been wiped off the menu. I had just moved out of my grandparents’ house, a happy place where Roast beef and steak were regularly enjoyed. So, you can only imagine the shock to my system when I heard Rosanna exclaim “Let’s stock up on chickpeas, 33p a tin and a great source of protein… I always feel safe when chickpeas are in the house!”. I nearly passed out on the spot.
Over the course of the next two years, we ate a lot of thighs. Every now and again we went wild and splurged on chicken breasts, but I now realise it’s the underrated cuts of meat that hold the most flavour. Although no longer out of necessity, I opt for chicken thighs more often than not. I could legitimately write a book on all the ways Rosanna has helped me grow into the cook and person I am today, but she would hate that! So here’s just one way… she has taught me that ‘poverty is an opportunity for creativity’ as she so brilliantly wrote on the inside of our food cupboard.
I N G R E D I E N T S
6 x Chicken thighs (bone and skin)
3 x Lemons
3 x Red onions
1 x Garlic Bulb
Sprig of Rosemary and Thyme (whatever you have lying around)
1 tbsp of Honey
1 tbsp of oil
M E T H O D
1.) Preheat the oven to 220°C. Heat the oil in the oven proof pan. Generously season your thighs, once the oil is hot gently add the chicken, skin side down. We really want to crisp up the skin, so keep the temperature high. Move them round in the pan so that each piece of chicken skin has a golden colour, this will take 5-8 minutes.
2.) Meanwhile, peel and slice your onions. If possible keep the root in, this way the onions stay as wedges and imo I think it looks better when it comes to presentation. Also, by all means use white onions if you haven’t got the red ones in, I like the red as they are sweet and turn a gorgeous translucent pink colour. Slice a bulb of garlic in half, diagonally. Place the onions in the pan with the garlic and rosemary.
3.) Juice the lemons into a measuring jug, add the honey then top up with water until it reaches 200ml. Mix well then add to the dish. Season one final time then place in the oven. Whatever you do, make sure you don’t use a lid, the water will evaporate turning the crispy skin into a soggy mess. Roast for 25 minutes.
There are so many things you could serve this chicken with but imo buttery mash and my green bean recipe would complement this perfectly, to make life a little bit easier for you can find the link below:
This tender and succulent chicken warms the soul, just as food should this time of year! I also have some VERY exciting news to share, keep an eye out next week to hear all about it!
Smell ya later x