crossing off recipes one at a time…

Grilled Chicken Thighs

Our dinners of late have been odes to efficiency. The baby usually starts to lose her cool around 7:30 pm, at which point Francesco picks up making dinner where I left off (that is, if I even got around to starting). I come back down, (silently) knocking every piece of wood in the house in the hope that the baby stays asleep, and we have a glass of wine and a bite to eat before returning to (or, in my case, cracking open) the books.

Quick dinners, dinners that are seriously easy to prepare, are a must. We’ve taken to having lots of this and this and this, but there’s only so many nights I can eat pasta before I start to crave something a little, well, meatier. And thanks to Francesco’s Saturday morning trips to the butcher, that hasn’t been a problem.

There is nothing easier on a warm night than heating up the grill, sticking a few pieces of meat (or fish) on and calling it dinner. And so, for the last three nights in a row, that’s exactly what we’ve done. We’ve had grilled shrimp, grilled chicken thighs and, for Valentine’s Day, grilled aged steaks. But of the three? The chicken was the hit.

It’s true, chicken is supposed to be boring, dull and dry. But thighs, which that extra little bit of fat, are tender and juicy and sigh…they were delicious. We were supposed to have leftovers – we made enough for 4 people – but alas. We finished them. I didn’t think it was possible when Francesco, leaning back with a groan, announced he was “chickened out”. In fact, it wasn’t possible. He asked for more the next day.

Because I must be brief – there’s a baby at my feet who’s getting tired of turning herself round in circles – I present you with a chicken thigh recipe that will surely come in handy for those nights where minimal effort, time and thought are all the effort, time and thought you can afford. And it’s pretty damn delicious, too.

GRILLED CHICKEN THIGHS with GARLIC, GINGER and SOY

Adapted from Epicurious, which has become my favorite I-have-this-or-that-in-the-fridge-what-do-I-do-now destination. The measurements are approximate, so go with what you’ve got. 3 thighs per person should be more than enough, but then again, you’re better off making more. They’d make great sandwich fillers.

8 – 12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

In a large, sealable plastic bag, combine all the ingredients. Mix around gently, let sit for anywhere between 15 mins to a few hours.

Heat up your grill or a large frying pan. Remove the thighs from the bag and discard the marinade. Cook the thighs about 5 minutes per side or until done. (I think they are best cooked on the flat part of the grill, so pan-frying would work really well). Serve hot and enjoy.