January 19, 2012

Crispy Rosemary Sriracha Chicken Thighs (Low Carb and Gluten-Free)

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Do rosemary and Sriracha sound like a funny combination to you? I confess, it wouldn’t have been something I would automatically put together myself, except that I did it by accident one day. Yes, by accident. That makes it sound a little like those old Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup commercials. Hey, you got your rosemary in my Sriracha! Hey, you got Sriracha on my rosemary! Okay, so it wasn’t exactly like that. It was more like I ran out of regular hot sauce for a recipe so I grabbed the Sriracha. And I happened to be helping my son with his homework at the same time as getting dinner ready. So before I knew it, I had added several tablespoons of Sriracha to the marinade when I only meant to add a teaspoon or two. I took a chance and just went with it. And it turned out to be amazing.

Chicken thighs have always been one of my favourite meals. I’ve always preferred dark meat over light, and it doesn’t hurt that they tend to be inexpensive as well. But there’s always a danger that thighs will turn out too rubbery, especially if cooking bone-in, skin-on thighs. I’ve cooked a fair bit of chicken thighs in my day and in my humble opinion, the best way to cook them is grilling or broiling. Or at least, baking them and then turning on the broiler at the end to crisp up that skin. It makes a huge difference to the overall outcome. And unlike breasts, thighs are pretty hard to overcook. My husband and I have experimented with a couple of recipes, and we’ve found that five to ten extra minutes in the oven, plus a few minutes under the broiler, makes them far less greasy and rubbery.

The Results: With the amount of Sriracha in these, you’d think these would be pretty spicy. But they’re not really. I’d say that these barely even register on the heat meter. My kids all love them, and like many small children, they are averse to anything even mildly hot. But somehow, that Sriracha gives the thighs incredible flavour. The whole marinade together – the yogurt, the lemon, the garlic, the rosemary and the Sriracha – seem to add up just right. I always make a double batch when I cook these thighs, because they are just as good re-heated the next day. Just make sure you reheat in the oven, and not in the microwave. The microwave is no friend to chicken thighs!

Crispy Rosemary Sriracha Chicken Thighs

1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 tbsp Sriracha
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 to 5 large bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, rosemary, Sriracha, garlic, salt and pepper. Place chicken thighs in a large ziploc bag and pour marinade over. Turn bag over several times to coat chicken. Place in refrigerator and let marinate for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 375F. Arrange chicken thighs in a single layer in a baking dish or broiler pan. Spread any marinade remaining in the bag over the thighs. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Then broil on high for 4 minutes, until skin is crispy and golden brown.

Serves 4. Each serving has 4.5 g of carbs.

Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.

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