Baked Ranch Chicken Thighs

by Pam on September 23, 2014

I was honored to get a copy of a great new cookbook written by my friend Chris from Nibble Me This^[1]. It’s called The Kamado Smoker & Grill Cookbook and it’s filled with mouth watering recipes, excellent photos, and great tips about smoking and grilling food.

Sadly, I don’t have a smoker and my grill doesn’t get much use, but all the recipes in the cookbook are adaptable and can be cooked in a grill pan or oven. Chris has mastered his smoking and grilling techniques and makes the most amazing recipes for dry rubs and marinades. I have so many recipes bookmarked in this cookbook and I plan on taking it to Idaho with me so my brother in law, who has a smoker, can give some recipes a try (and I can eat them).

I decided on the Grilled Ranch Chicken recipe and adapted it to work with what I had on hand. I used boneless skinless chicken thighs, I reduced the marinade in half because I only cooked 5 thighs, and I used homemade seasoned salt (because I didn’t have any). I let the chicken marinate for 6 hours and cooked one side on the stovetop until it was nice and brown then placed it into the oven for 25 minutes. The chicken was AMAZING! This was one of my very favorite marinades ever and I will be putting it in my regular rotation. My son ate all of his chicken before anything else on his plate and said it was the best. The rest of us were impressed with the excellent flavor as well as how juicy and tender it was. This chicken paired beautifully with the Sliced Heirloom Tomato and Avocado Salad with Basil and Shaved Parmesan^[2] and brown rice I served it with.

If you have a smoker or grill and you need some handy tips & techniques and some really great recipes then you should get a copy of The Kamado Smoker & Grill Cookbook! If you are like me, and prefer cooking indoors, you should still get a copy of this excellent cookbook because it has amazing recipes that are easily adaptable for indoor cooking. Thanks for the cookbook Chris^[3] – you did an excellent job my friend!

If you don’t have seasoned salt on hand, click here for a quick and easy recipe.^[4]

Combine the buttermilk, Greek yogurt, salt, seasoned salt, turbinado sugar, minced garlic, minced onion, black pepper, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes together in a bowl. Add the canola oil while whisking until well incorporated. Place the chicken thighs into the marinade and seal with plastic wrap. Place into the refrigerator for 6-8 hours. Remove from the refrigerator 20 minutes prior to cooking.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Heat some olive oil in an OVENPROOF pan over medium high heat. Once hot, add the chicken thighs to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Flip the chicken over and place into the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove from the oven and let the chicken rest for 5 minutes. Place onto a serving plate, drizzle with the sauce from the pan, and sprinkle the top with fresh cilantro. Serve and enjoy!

Print^[5]

Save^[6]

Baked Ranch Chicken Thighs

Yield: 5 thighs

Prep Time: 6-8 hours marinating

Cook Time: 30-35 min.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
3/4 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp seasoned salt
2 tsp turbinado sugar
2 tsp sweet yellow onion, minced
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Zest from 1 small lemon
2 tbsp canola oil
5 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 tbsp olive oil, (for cooking)

Directions:

If you don’t have seasoned salt on hand, click the link up above for a quick and easy recipe.

Combine the buttermilk, Greek yogurt, salt, seasoned salt, turbinado sugar, minced garlic, minced onion, black pepper, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes together in a bowl. Add the canola oil while whisking until well incorporated. Place the chicken thighs into the marinade and seal with plastic wrap. Place into the refrigerator for 6-8 hours. Remove from the refrigerator 20 minutes prior to cooking.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Heat some olive oil in an OVENPROOF pan over medium high heat. Once hot, add the chicken thighs to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Flip the chicken over and place into the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove from the oven and let the chicken rest for 5 minutes. Place onto a serving plate, drizzle with the sauce from the pan, and sprinkle the top with fresh cilantro. Serve and enjoy!

Adapted recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net
Original recipe by Chris Grove ~ The Kamado Smoker and Grill Cookbook

References

1. ^{^} Nibble Me This (www.nibblemethis.com)
2. ^{^} Sliced Heirloom Tomato and Avocado Salad with Basil and Shaved Parmesan (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
3. ^{^} Chris (www.nibblemethis.com)
4. ^{^} Homemade Seasoned Salt (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
5. ^{^} Print Recipe (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
6. ^{^} Save to ZipList Recipe Box (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)