Today’s recipe is adapted from the amazing Michelle Tam of Nom Nom Paleo whom I got to meet briefly at her book signing in my Seattle neighborhood!! As you can see below, the place was packed with a line out the door.
I’ve already made this three times. So easy and so good. Perfect for quick weeknight dinners. I had to share her Cracklin’ Chicken recipe because I just enjoy it that much. Of course you can also head to her site to see Cracklin’ Chicken.
The first time I prepared it, we ate it topped with my guacamole. YUM. Here I served it alongside Caramelized Cauliflower and Warm Tomato Eggplant Relish.
Michelle’s recipe is simple and I’ve made it even simpler (AKA I took short-cuts cause I’m usually short on time, but still love to cook).
You start out with bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. If you’re lucky enough to find skin-on thighs already de-boned, go for it. I just can’t ever find them! Sometimes I actually leave the bones in and just cook ’em a little longer or finish them off in the oven.
Otherwise, you can do what Michelle suggests and de-bone them yourself. That way you can save the bones to make your own batch of chicken broth. I’ve not done it before but am inspired to, so I have a freezer bag right now collecting veggie scraps like broccoli stems, mushroom stems, kale ribs, and chicken bones. Sometime soon, I will have all the contents I need for broth ready to go.
Back to the chicken… Michelle pounds out the thighs for uniform cooking, but I haven’t had a problem skipping that step to make this even simpler! As far as seasoning goes, she suggests not seasoning the skin-side to avoid burning the herbs, but so far I haven’t had that experience. I season both sides of the chicken for maximum flavor.
For seasoning, I’ve been using Michelle’s Magic Mushroom Powder. Magic Mushroom Powder is her delicious blend of umami flavors you make by pulverizing dried porcini mushrooms into powder in a spice grinder. Then you add thyme, salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. It’s the most magical seasoning ever. I totally can’t take credit! Again, head to her site for the original Magic Mushroom Powder recipe. I will say however, that when I make the MMP I use way less salt so it’s more like a spice instead of a seasoned salt. I use it mostly as a seasoning on chicken, but I’ve also used it on cod and Brussels sprouts, and am loving how much flavor it adds for being so simple. I love the earthly, comforting, home-y flavor it adds to the chicken in this recipe. Now get cracklin’!
- 5 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons seasoning blend of choice (I use Magic Mushroom Powder)
- If you have bone-in, skin-on thighs, cut out the bone with kitchen shears starting at one end of the bone, staying as close to the bone as possible.
- Pat the chicken with a paper towel until completely dry. Season both sides with your seasoning blend.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium to medium-low heat. Once the pan is nice and hot, add the coconut oil.
- Add the chicken skin side down. Do not touch or move it for 10 minutes.
- Flip the chicken and cook for 8 minutes.
Want more chicken recipes? Check out these favorites:
White Wine Chicken Thighs with Creamy Polenta
Spicy Kale Caesar with Chicken and Candied Pepitas
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