3 Different Ways for Baked Chicken Thighs

baked chicken thighs – 3 ways!

  By Cindy 

Marination is the process of soaking foods in a seasoned, often acidic, liquid before cooking. The origins of the word allude to the use of brine (aqua marina) in the pickling process, which led to the technique of adding flavor by immersion in liquid. The liquid in question, the ‘marinade’, can be acidic with ingredients such as vinegar, lemon juice, or wine or enzymatic (made with ingredients such as pineapple or papaya.)^[1] Along with these liquids, a marinade often contains oils, herbs, and spices to further flavor the food items.
It is commonly used to flavor foods and to tenderize tougher cuts of meat.^[2] The process may last seconds or days. Different marinades are used in different cuisines. For example, in Indian cuisine the marinade is usually prepared with a mixture of spices. (Source: Wikipedia)

Note:  I will try to be as accurate as possible, but not gonna lie – mostly eyeballed it, test-tested and hoped for the best when it came to the amounts of olive oil and balsamic that I put in!!!  I will make these again in the next week or two, and re-jig the recipe to include the exact measurements for y’all.

Marinades (12 chicken thighs total – each marinade was made for 4 chicken thigh pieces each.  You may want to adjust, depending on your quantity)
Balsamic

• coconut/olive oil – generous amount to coat
• balsamic vinegar (equal parts oil and vinegar)
• 3 shallots – finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves – crushed
• 2 tbsp grainy mustard – good quality
• coarse sea salt and ground pepper

Lemon

• coconut/olive oil – generous amount to coat
• 1.5 lemons – squeezed
• 3 tbsp Italian seasoned herb mix (dried basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, black pepper)
• 3 garlic cloves – crushed
• coarse sea salt and ground pepper

Smoky

• coconut/olive oil – generous amount to coat
• 2 limes – juice squeezed
• 3 garlic cloves (minced)
• 2 shallots or small white onion- finely sliced
• handful of fresh cilantro – finely chopped
• 2 tsp ground chipotle
• 2.5 tsp of chili powder
• coarse sea salt and ground pepper

Prep

• for each individual marinade – measure and pour all ingredients into a large Ziploc bag
• add chicken thighs into the bag and zip closed
• use your hands to shake and ‘massage’ the marinade mixture into the chicken pieces
• allow to soak and absorb all the flavours for at least 2 + hours (I let marinade for 24 hours – the longer, the better)
• when ready, preheat oven to 350 degrees
• remove chicken thighs from bag, and place in a single layer, in an oven-proof dish (Corningware), covering with the liquid marinade
• bake for approx. 30-45 minutes, until juices run clear (watch them, as you don’t want to overcook/dry-out)
• broil for an additional 3-5 minutes if you want the outside crispy (optional)
• remove, set aside and serve
• enjoy!