Good morning. Chicken thighs are a home-cooking secret weapon for delicious meals.

• If you want to load up on high-quality chicken and other great cuts of meat, check out our favorite online meat dealer, Porter Road. More info below.

COOKING PROTOCOLS 🛠️

Three chicken thigh techniques

Advanced home cooks know multiple ways to tackle ingredients. Chicken thighs are a versatile protein that stays juicy regardless of how it’s cooked, thanks to its higher fat and collagen content. Here are three methods to try:

1) The quick method

Aka the mayo marinade technique:

• Coat a boneless skinless chicken thigh in mayo + salt, then spices of choice (try Ethan’s favorite combo: oregano, red pepper flakes, & garlic powder).

• Sear it in a pan until browned and cooked through.

• Enjoy on a sandwich, salad, or over some rice.

Why it works: Quick, flavorful, and customizable with any seasoning. Our go to way of making one or two servings of chicken in a rush, although you could bring a bunch of these out to the grill.

2) The meal prep method

Aka the broiled sheet pan technique:

• Chop boneless skinless chicken thighs into small cubes. Season with salt & msg.

• Toss with oil & spices, then evenly spread it out onto a baking sheet.

• Broil on high until lightly charred in spots. The chicken pieces should be cooked through by then.

Why it works: The bite-sized pieces are great for throwing into your meals all week — burritos, curry dishes, rice, salads, pasta, etc.

3) The fancy method

Aka the pan-seared & baked technique:

• Skin-on is preferred here. Dry-brine the thighs with salt for an hour or overnight.

• Set a carbon steel or cast iron pan over high heat with a drizzle of oil, and sear until the chicken & skin are deeply browned.

• Throw the pan into a preheated 400°F/ 204°C oven and bake until the meat is cooked through.

  • Level up → make a pan sauce from the fond & rendered chicken fat.

Why it works: Keeping the skin on adds texture contrast and doubles down on the chicken flavor, especially with an unctuous pan sauce.

RECIPE RECOMMENDATIONS ✅

Chicken thighs at work…

Once you’ve mastered the above three techniques, here are some great recipes to use chicken thighs in:

READER Q&A 🧠 presented by Porter Road

Underrated meat cuts

Answer: Supermarkets stock popular steak cuts like tenderloin, ribeye and NY strip because these cuts are in high demand, well-known to consumers, and simple to butcher off the animal.

• The rest of the meat is processed into ground meat or sausages, which is faster and easier than carefully removing the harder-to-access “butcher cuts” left on the carcass.

Unless you have a great butcher, most of us consumers don’t get a chance to buy the special cuts that end up on restaurant menus.

• There’s a reason why cuts like teres major, hanger, picanha, and bavette are a favorite among chefs: these cuts tend to have a deep, strong flavor with great texture and fat content.

If you’re looking to try some of these restaurant-grade cuts at home, we’ve partnered up with Porter Road, an online butcher shop that delivers high-quality meat directly to your door, including rare butcher’s cuts.

• Porter Road employs skilled butchers who hand-cut all of their meat. They practice whole animal seam butchery — reducing waste while offering unique cuts you can’t easily find in the grocery store.

They also offer a wide variety of pasture raised, dry-aged beef, pork, and chicken products. Make an order this week, Sept. 29th - Oct. 6th, to receive our special Cook Well discount:

(discount automatically applied)

FOOD TRENDS 🚀

Brioche crusted salmon

Is brioche replacing the iconic walnut crust?

Another day, another way to cook salmon. Which is great — making slight variations in the kitchen is the best way to keep staple meals and proteins interesting.

Walnut-crusted salmon had a good run, and for great reasons — the nut topping provided crunchy, textural contrast, and something about the toasty, nutty flavors paired so well with the fish.

• Among home cooks, the crust method is a favorite. It allows for hands-off cooking in the oven. No pan splatter, plus the insulating crust layer creates a thermal barrier that prevents overcooking.

Brioche-crusted salmon has all of those benefits, and then some:

• The bread toasts into a similar, golden-brown & nutty layer, but with a pronounced sweet flavor.

• The bread becomes crispy and light, instead of oily like nuts tend to.

• It’s a great way to use up leftover bread. Even buying brioche is cheaper than nuts these days, which have experienced price hikes.

• While you can make this with breadcrumbs, crusting each filet with a fitted slice of bread reduces messiness.

You know the trend is a winner when it originated restaurant menu developments instead of influencer home kitchens.

WINNING READER SUBMISSION 🏆

First place falafel

This week’s dinner winner is Fedor Z., who prepared an Egyptian-style (fava bean) falafel, homegrown tomatoes, and pickled cabbage salad, served with pitas + tahini yogurt sauce. Well done!

Reply with a picture of the best meal you made this week for a chance to be featured in a future email.

EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️

A read: The Woman Who Created the Modern Cookbook

In a minute or less: Taste Test Mayo

What we’re watching: A day making thousands of NYC's favorite bagels

Food science: Pork fat cured in marble

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