Crispy Broiled Chicken Thighs and Rosemary Rice Recipe

Chicken thighs can be very economical alternatives to other meats, often costing less than $1 per pound.  For those that prefer dark meat, the flavor of the thigh is preferable to white meat because it is richer and more moist.   That flavor is actually fat.  This recipe could be altered to remove the skin, which lowers the overall fat content.  Broiling should cook a lot of the fat off as well. Also, by de-boning the thighs, you also make them more appetizing to those that don't like to mess with taking the meat off of the bone.

Ingredients
4 chicken thighs
1 cup of rice
2 stalks of celery
1/2 cup of baby carrots
1/2 cup of fresh green beans
1 medium onion
Salt, Pepper, and Seasoned salt
Rosemary

Directions

1. Slice the onion in half then put it in a large pot on the stove with about two cups of water.  Start the heat at medium.

2. While the water begins to heat begin de-boning your chicken thighs.  Place the thigh bones in the pot and bring the heat up to get the water to a boil. Once the water has boiled lower the heat to simmer the liquid.  Place the chicken thighs on a piece of foil.

3. Cut the celery into sections one inch long.  Add the celery and carrots to the pot.

4. Season the pot of vegetables and chicken bones with salt, pepper, rosemary, and seasoned salt.

5. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and seasoned salt.

6.  After the chicken bones have cooked in the pot for 15 minutes remove them from the pot and discard.  Pour one cup of rice into the pot and add a 1 to 1 1/2 cups of water.  Bring the heat to high briefly to get the water boiling.  Then reduce the temperature later.

7. Move the oven rack to about 7 inches from the broiler. Preheat the broiler at high.  Place the chicken one inch apart on the foil lined baking pan or on a broiler pan.

8.  Broil the chicken for 10 minutes.  Check the chicken to determine if it is cooking too fast.  If the top is brown or black, you may want to move the oven rack down several inches.  Cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Tips: Frequently stir your rice and add water if it is getting dry too quickly and place the chicken with even thickness on the broiler pan for even cooking.

What is the cost per serving?
Each chicken thigh is about three ounces of meat.  Including the weight of the skin and bone, four chicken thighs should weigh about one pound and at $0.99 per pound, the cost of the chicken is $0.99.  A bunch of celery costs about $1.49 and has at least 8 stalks.  So, the celery should cost you about 19 cents.  A bag of baby carrots could about $1.  A 1/2 cup of carrots should cost about 20 cents.  A cup of rice would cost about 8 cents.  One medium onion might cost 50 cents.  And the green beans could be purchased on sale, leading to a price of about 20 cents for this 1/2 cup.  The cost of the spices would be about a nickel.  The total price of this meal would be about $2.21 and has four servings.  The cost per serving is 55 cents.


How do you de-bone a chicken thigh?  
De-boning the thigh eliminates a mess at the dinner table and can actually eliminate waste.  Someone that turns their nose up to meat on the bone may eat the entire thigh rather than picking small pieces off of the bone.  Follow the instructions in this video and you should have no trouble.  Use a sharp knife to make the job easier.