Yummy chicken

 

I wanted to cook something simple last night and was hankering for chicken thighs. I decided to do them a bit differently than usual.

Last week I made drumsticks and was looking at a soul food recipe that recommended a teaspoon of baking powder in the rub in order to get crispier skin. Or was it a half teaspoon? I don't remember now.

Anyway the drumsticks came out great and I decided to add a half teaspoon to the dry rub I prepared last night. Now I assume and maybe I should not because everybody's tastebuds are different, that most of our poultry dry rubs are very similar. The only diff here is that my wife likes cumin, I can take it or leave it.

Depends how I feel.

My basic mix is salt, pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cayenne, a little onion powder on occasion and either Italian seasoning or herbs de provence, depending on how I feel. Might add a little sweet paprika too, for depth.

When I made my drumsticks I decided to try and add some of this stuff. 

It had been sitting on the counter for a while, minding its own business.

Someone gave it to us to try and I forget who now. Sorry!

I am not sure why but it added some wonderful piquant depth and complexity to the rub.

Might be the lemon peel or the thyme.

But what a difference.

I would use it once again last night.

We used the Weber the other night for lamb and fennel sausage, crookneck, corn and steaks, decided to stick with the oven this time.

I drizzled my olive oil, added my rub and then baked it skin side down on a sheet for twenty five minutes.

400°.

I usually start skin side up, don't you?

I flipped it at the allotted time and basted four pieces with the Kosmos cherry habonero sauce and four with the Kinders honey hot at 425° for five minutes and then a second baste of the same duration.

The recipe called for a third baste but I was at 185° internal at that point and pulled them.

Between the excellent rub and the barbecue sauce this was some great chicken. 

Loved both sauces equally.

The recipe suggested a one minute broil at the end but I didn't see the need, it was pretty near perfect. 

Leslie made orzo and fresh broccoli and we had a delightful meal.

My late brother Buzz, a lawyer turned chef, would have turned 67 yesterday.

I would love to have cooked with him. 

Miss you, man.

*

We have been using a lot of different table salts of late and I want to write a blogpost about it. Leslie is crazy for some black hawaiian finishing salt right now. If you have a second and favor a certain salt, please send me a message.