Hatch Green Chile Chicken Thighs

Post and images by guest blogger, Rebecca White, of A Pleasant Little Kitchen. 

Visit her full blog or find out more about her here. 

Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs is one of my favorite parts of this commonly cooked bird. However, too often it is the thigh that undeservedly gets the shaft.

Some cringe—It’s dark meat! It’s near the bone! There’s skin attached!

All the reasons that makes this cut of chicken the tastiest and the best.

Due to the varied opinions of this cut of chicken, the thighs tend to be a bit cheaper. Frequently you will find it on sale at Market Street and so frequently I’ll grab a few packs and put it in my grocery cart.

Not only are chicken thighs tasty and inexpensive (and frequently on sale!), but they are also easy to prep and quick to cook.

A bit of salt and olive oil and then a hot roast in the oven for 35 minutes and dinner is done.

However, if you’re feeling fancy and want to utilize all the gorgeous Hatch green chiles Market Street has available---because it is that glorious time of the year, let me give you a nudge in the right direction.

Hatch Green Chile Tomatillo Tequila Marinade + Chicken Thighs = ☺ ☺ ☺

A quick blitz with the food processor, an overnight marinade and a high-heat roast in the oven will yield one of the tastiest chicken thigh dinners you’ve ever had.

If you want a nice little side with this dinner, double the marinade and set it aside to eat with Market Street’s addictive freshly made tortilla chips.

Hatch heaven. Chicken thigh heaven. Dinner heaven.

Hatch Green Chile Chicken Thighs

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

8 chicken thighs, fat trimmed

Hatch green chile tomatillo tequila marinade (see recipe below)

extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

1) Make the marinade and reserve 1 1/2 cups for later use.

2) Place the chicken into a container and cover with the marinade. Cover the container and place in the fridge for at least 8 hours.

3) Thirty minutes before roasting, take the chicken from the fridge. Remove the chicken from the marinade, pat dry and place on a rimmed baking sheet.

4) Lightly drizzle the thighs with olive oil and evenly distribute the salt on the thighs.

5) Heat the oven to 450 degrees.

6) Roast the chicken for 35 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degree (if the tops of the chicken began to burn while roasting, cover them with a piece of foil).

7) Remove from the oven, top with reserved marinade and chopped cilantro.

for the hatch green chile tomatillo tequila marinade

Ingredients

2 cups roasted Hatch green chiles, peeled and seeded

1 1/2-2 cups tomatillos, rough chopped

1 bunch cilantro (bottom stems removed)

1 cup scallions, rough chopped

1 garlic clove, quartered

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

5 tablespoons Mexican crema

1 tablespoon tequila

juice of 1 lime

Directions

1) Place all ingredients into a food processor. Pulse to the desired consistency.