The market · Meat
Chicken thighs
Dark meat from the leg: more fat and flavour than breast, and far harder to overcook.
savoury · juicy
What to do with it
Rosa Ibarra's Clarified milk punch, mezcal and pineappleChicken thigh would soften its edgeIbu Sari's Sambal ijoChicken thigh would soften its edgeKenji Hara's Milk punch, with hojichaChicken thigh would soften its edge
JavaneseGudegYoung jackfruit simmered for hours in coconut milk and palm sugar until brown, sweet and tender, served with rice, chicken, egg and a hot stew of cow's skin.No one here has made it yetJavaneseSate MaduraSmall skewers of chicken, glazed in kecap manis and grilled over charcoal, under a peanut sauce with lontong and raw shallot.No one here has made it yetSundaneseNasi timbelRice rolled hot in banana leaf, served with fried chicken, tofu, tempeh, salted fish, raw vegetables and sambal.No one here has made it yetMinahasanAyam rica-ricaChicken cooked in a paste of fresh red and bird's eye chilli, shallot, garlic and ginger, finished with lemongrass, lime leaf and lemon basil.No one here has made it yetThaiKhao soiEgg noodles in a coconut curry broth with chicken or beef, under a tangle of crisp fried noodles, with pickled mustard greens, shallot and lime on the side.No one here has made it yetMalaysianSataySkewers of turmeric-marinated meat grilled over charcoal, with a sweet, spicy peanut sauce, rice cakes, cucumber and onion.No one here has made it yetMalaysianAyam pongtehA Nyonya braise of chicken and potato with fermented soybean paste, shallots, garlic and gula melaka — salty, sweet and dark.No one here has made it yetFilipinoAdoboChicken or pork braised in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay and black pepper until the sauce is dark and glossy.No one here has made it yetFilipinoChicken inasalChicken marinated in vinegar, calamansi, lemongrass and ginger, grilled over charcoal and basted with annatto oil.No one here has made it yetHunanSteamed trio of cured meatsSlices of smoked pork, cured chicken and cured fish packed together in a bowl with fermented black beans and chilli, and steamed until their fats and flavours mingle.No one here has made it yetFujianRed wine lees chickenChicken braised with red wine lees, ginger and rice wine until it turns a deep rosy red — sweet, winey and warming.No one here has made it yetYunnanSteam-pot chickenChicken cooked in a clay pot with a chimney at its centre, set over boiling water, so the steam gathers into a pure, clear broth.No one here has made it yet
SichuanKung pao chickenDiced chicken stir-fried with dried chillies, Sichuan pepper and peanuts in a glossy sweet-sour sauce.No one here has made it yetSichuanChongqing chicken with chilliesSmall pieces of chicken fried crisp, then tossed in the wok with a heap of dried chillies and Sichuan pepper — you hunt for the chicken.No one here has made it yet
JapaneseOyakodonChicken and onion simmered in sweet dashi and soy, bound with barely set egg and slid over a bowl of rice.No one here has made it yetKoreanDakgalbiChicken in a gochujang marinade, stir-fried at the table on a wide iron pan with cabbage, sweet potato, rice cakes and perilla — and rice fried in what's left.No one here has made it yet
PunjabiButter chickenTandoori chicken simmered in a mild, silky sauce of tomato, butter and cream, scented with dried fenugreek.No one here has made it yet
PunjabiTandoori chickenChicken on the bone, marinated in yoghurt, lemon and spice, then roasted fast in the fierce heat of a clay tandoor.No one here has made it yetBengaliKolkata kathi rollA flaky paratha fried with a beaten egg on one side, then rolled around skewered kebab, raw onion, green chilli and lime — Kolkata's street food.No one here has made it yetGoanXacutiChicken or mutton in a dark, complex sauce of grated coconut and a long list of whole spices, all roasted until brown and ground together.No one here has made it yetGoanCafrealChicken marinated in a bright green paste of coriander, green chilli, garlic, ginger, spice and lime or vinegar, then pan-fried until charred at the edges.No one here has made it yetSouth IndianAppam and stewBowl-shaped rice pancakes, lacy at the edge and soft in the middle, with a mild stew of coconut milk, whole spices and potato.No one here has made it yetSouth IndianChettinad chickenChicken in a dark, fiery masala of freshly roasted spices — pepper, dried chilli, fennel, star anise — with coconut and curry leaves.No one here has made it yetSouth IndianKori rottiA chicken curry of coconut milk and roasted red chilli, poured over crisp, paper-thin wafers of dried rice that soften as you eat.No one here has made it yetSri LankanKottu rotiFlatbread chopped on a hot griddle with two metal blades, tossed with vegetables, egg, meat and curry gravy.No one here has made it yetSri LankanLampraisRice cooked in stock, with a mixed-meat curry, frikkadels, prawn blachan, aubergine pickle and egg, wrapped in banana leaf and baked.No one here has made it yetPersianFesenjanChicken or duck stewed slowly in ground walnuts and pomegranate molasses until dark, thick and glossy — sweet and sour at once.No one here has made it yetPersianJoojeh kababPieces of chicken marinated in saffron, lemon and onion, grilled over charcoal and eaten with rice and a charred tomato.No one here has made it yetPersianZereshk poloSaffron rice scattered with barberries fried in butter and a little sugar — jewel-red and sharp — usually served with chicken.No one here has made it yetMoroccanPastillaA round pie of paper-thin warqa pastry filled with spiced pigeon or chicken, eggs and sugared almonds, dusted with icing sugar and cinnamon.No one here has made it yet
EthiopianDoro watChicken stewed slowly in onions, berbere and niter kibbeh until dark and thick, with whole hard-boiled eggs.No one here has made it yetCape MalayCape Malay chicken curryA mild, fragrant curry of chicken and potatoes with tomato and whole spices — sweeter and gentler than Durban's.No one here has made it yetValencianPaella valencianaRice cooked in a thin layer in a wide, shallow pan with chicken, rabbit, flat green beans, butter beans and saffron.No one here has made it yetCastilian and MadridCocido madrileñoChickpeas, meats, sausages and vegetables simmered for hours in one pot, then served in turns: the broth with noodles, then everything else.No one here has made it yetMexicanMole negroOaxaca's black mole: chilhuacle and other dried chillies toasted almost to char, ground with nuts, seeds, fruit, spice and chocolate into a near-black sauce.No one here has made it yetCreole and CajunGumboA thick, dark stew-soup built on a roux and the holy trinity, with meat or seafood, served over rice.No one here has made it yetCreole and CajunJambalayaRice cooked in one pot with the holy trinity, smoked sausage and chicken or seafood, until it has soaked up everything.No one here has made it yetJamaicanJerk chickenChicken steeped in a hot, fragrant paste of scotch bonnet, allspice, spring onion and thyme, then smoked slowly over pimento wood.No one here has made it yetPeruvianJuaneRice seasoned with turmeric and cumin, packed round chicken, egg and olive in bijao leaves, tied and boiled.No one here has made it yet
SichuanKung pao chickenDiced chicken stir-fried with dried chillies, Sichuan pepper and peanuts in a glossy sweet-sour sauce.No one here has made it yetSichuanChongqing chicken with chilliesSmall pieces of chicken fried crisp, then tossed in the wok with a heap of dried chillies and Sichuan pepper — you hunt for the chicken.No one here has made it yetJapaneseOyakodonChicken and onion simmered in sweet dashi and soy, bound with barely set egg and slid over a bowl of rice.No one here has made it yetKoreanDakgalbiChicken in a gochujang marinade, stir-fried at the table on a wide iron pan with cabbage, sweet potato, rice cakes and perilla — and rice fried in what's left.No one here has made it yetPunjabiButter chickenTandoori chicken simmered in a mild, silky sauce of tomato, butter and cream, scented with dried fenugreek.No one here has made it yetPunjabiTandoori chickenChicken on the bone, marinated in yoghurt, lemon and spice, then roasted fast in the fierce heat of a clay tandoor.No one here has made it yetBengaliKolkata kathi rollA flaky paratha fried with a beaten egg on one side, then rolled around skewered kebab, raw onion, green chilli and lime — Kolkata's street food.No one here has made it yetGoanXacutiChicken or mutton in a dark, complex sauce of grated coconut and a long list of whole spices, all roasted until brown and ground together.No one here has made it yetGoanCafrealChicken marinated in a bright green paste of coriander, green chilli, garlic, ginger, spice and lime or vinegar, then pan-fried until charred at the edges.No one here has made it yetSouth IndianAppam and stewBowl-shaped rice pancakes, lacy at the edge and soft in the middle, with a mild stew of coconut milk, whole spices and potato.No one here has made it yetSouth IndianChettinad chickenChicken in a dark, fiery masala of freshly roasted spices — pepper, dried chilli, fennel, star anise — with coconut and curry leaves.No one here has made it yetSouth IndianKori rottiA chicken curry of coconut milk and roasted red chilli, poured over crisp, paper-thin wafers of dried rice that soften as you eat.No one here has made it yetSri LankanKottu rotiFlatbread chopped on a hot griddle with two metal blades, tossed with vegetables, egg, meat and curry gravy.No one here has made it yetSri LankanLampraisRice cooked in stock, with a mixed-meat curry, frikkadels, prawn blachan, aubergine pickle and egg, wrapped in banana leaf and baked.No one here has made it yetPersianFesenjanChicken or duck stewed slowly in ground walnuts and pomegranate molasses until dark, thick and glossy — sweet and sour at once.No one here has made it yetPersianJoojeh kababPieces of chicken marinated in saffron, lemon and onion, grilled over charcoal and eaten with rice and a charred tomato.No one here has made it yetPersianZereshk poloSaffron rice scattered with barberries fried in butter and a little sugar — jewel-red and sharp — usually served with chicken.No one here has made it yetMoroccanPastillaA round pie of paper-thin warqa pastry filled with spiced pigeon or chicken, eggs and sugared almonds, dusted with icing sugar and cinnamon.No one here has made it yetEthiopianDoro watChicken stewed slowly in onions, berbere and niter kibbeh until dark and thick, with whole hard-boiled eggs.No one here has made it yetCape MalayCape Malay chicken curryA mild, fragrant curry of chicken and potatoes with tomato and whole spices — sweeter and gentler than Durban's.No one here has made it yetValencianPaella valencianaRice cooked in a thin layer in a wide, shallow pan with chicken, rabbit, flat green beans, butter beans and saffron.No one here has made it yetCastilian and MadridCocido madrileñoChickpeas, meats, sausages and vegetables simmered for hours in one pot, then served in turns: the broth with noodles, then everything else.No one here has made it yetMexicanMole negroOaxaca's black mole: chilhuacle and other dried chillies toasted almost to char, ground with nuts, seeds, fruit, spice and chocolate into a near-black sauce.No one here has made it yetCreole and CajunGumboA thick, dark stew-soup built on a roux and the holy trinity, with meat or seafood, served over rice.No one here has made it yetCreole and CajunJambalayaRice cooked in one pot with the holy trinity, smoked sausage and chicken or seafood, until it has soaked up everything.No one here has made it yetJamaicanJerk chickenChicken steeped in a hot, fragrant paste of scotch bonnet, allspice, spring onion and thyme, then smoked slowly over pimento wood.No one here has made it yetPeruvianJuaneRice seasoned with turmeric and cumin, packed round chicken, egg and olive in bijao leaves, tied and boiled.No one here has made it yetKinds
- Bone-in, skin-on
- The most flavour; for roasting and braising.
- Boneless, skinless
- For skewers, stir-fries, karaage and curry.
Goes with
Knowing it
- Where to buy
- Anywhere; free-range if you can.
- Worth knowing
- Thigh stays juicy well past the point breast dries out, as its connective tissue softens — don't pull it too early.