How do you like your chicken? I like it fried, braised, BBQ’d, roasted, and smothered with sauce. While writing up this post Forest-Gump came to mind. You know the infamous scene when Bubba goes on and on about shrimp,”… barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. There’s shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo…” Truly, this is how I feel about chicken. Yesterday, Mr. Lunch made killer spatchcocked chicken on the grill with a spicy dry rub.  When I bit into the chicken thigh, my mind exploded with the joy of flavor.

Chicken thighs are the highly prized pieces of the chicken in Korea.  When I was growing up, my brother and I used to fight over who was going to get a chicken thigh. There were only two thighs but our family had four members 🙁

Eating is one of the most intimate relationships we have with our environment. I thank the planet who brought the chicken to the world, the chickens themselves, the people who raise chickens properly, the people who prepare the birds, those who transport them to market, and a special thanks to those who prepare them and serve them to me.

Enjoy the chicken and the recipe!

 

~ Write a comment below to let the Gopher know how you like the recipe ~

 

SERVES 2

 

Meal Pairing Tips: pickled radish or cucumber salad

 

Total: 20 minutes     Active: 20 minutes

 

2 pieces boneless chicken thighs, about 0.2 Lbs each

1 Tbsp flour

1 whisked egg

½ cup panko bread crumbs

6 Tbsp virgin unrefined coconut oil

 

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

 

 

Directions

1.  Pound out each piece of chicken until the meat is about a half an inch thick. Pound on the thicker parts so they become the same thickness as the thinner parts.

* There are two reasons for doing this: First, the meat will cook evenly since it’s roughly the same thickness. Secondly, it will cook faster and crispier due to having a greater surface area in contact with the pan.

 

2. Put some short cuts into the meat with a sharp knife so that the meat doesn’t curl up in the pan when cooking. This will also aid in a faster cook time.

 

3. Salt and pepper both sides of the thighs. Put about two pinches of salt on each side because this is going to be the only seasoning for the cutlet.

 

4. To bread the thighs: coat the chicken with the flour lightly, then dredge it through the eggs, and finally coat it well with the panko crumbs.

 

5. Add the coconut oil to a large skillet and bring it up to high heat. Make sure your oil is nice and hot, but not too hot since we don’t want to scorch the bread crumbs.

*When the oil runs more freely and seems thinner it’s about ready.

**You can add a piece of bread crumb to test if the temperature is right.

When the crumb floats to the top and bubbles up, it’s time to cook.

 

6. Add the chicken gently in order to avoid any oil splashback. Cook them uncovered for 2.5 – 3 minutes over high heat, on one side, until they become golden and crispy.

Then, turn them over and give them another 3 minutes to finish.

*take a look in between flipping them to make sure things are cooking appropriately.

**If you see too much smoke, lower the heat a notch. It’s a balance of cooking hot oil, but not too hot, so it will get crispy and cooked through.

 

7. Slice these beautiful cutlets on the bias and serve them up.

 

Gopher’s tips:

• This dish is typically served with thinly sliced cabbage dressed with Thousand island dressing in Korea. Personally, I like it with a bed of thinly sliced cabbage, simply dressed with fresh lemon juice and salt.
• Slicing the cabbage thinly is a lot easier with the right tool. A mandoline slicer is one of the kitchen tools I use often in the kitchen.