The Melaniff Family Cookbook

Grilled Chicken Thighs

Cook’s Illustrated - July & August 2018

Flavorful, meaty, inexpensive thighs should be the easiest part of the chicken to cook on the grill, not a direct path to an inferno.

Ingredients

8 bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed

1/2 t salt

Mustard-Tarragon Paste

2 T Dijon mustard

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 T finely grated lemon zest

2 t minced fresh tarragon

1 1/2 t salt

1 t water

1/2 t pepper

Rosemary or thyme can be substituted for the tarragon

Procedure

Combine all paste ingredients in bowl.

Place chicken, skin side up, on large plate. sprinkle skin side with salt and spread evenly with one-third of spice paste. Flip chicken and spread remaining two-third of paste evenly over the flesh side. Refrigerate while preparing grill.

Charcoal Grill:

Open the bottom vent halfway. Light large chimney starter mound with charcoal briquettes. When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half the grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent halfway. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.

Gas Grill:

Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn off other burner(s). Adjust primary burner as needed to maintain grill temperature around 350 degrees.

Clean and oil cooking grate. Place chicken, skin side down on cooler side of grill. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Rearrange chicken, keeping skin side down, so that pieces the were positioned closest to the edge of grill are now closer to heat source and visa versa. Cover and continue to cook until chicken is 185 to 190 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes longer.

Move all chicken, skin side down, to hotter side of grill and cook until skin is lightly charred, about 5 minutes. Flip chicken and cook until flesh side is lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to platter, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 10 minutes, Serve.

On www.melaniff.com since 2018