Weeknight Marinated Chicken Thighs
Chicken thighs marinated in Mayonnaise, Ginger and Lime
Mayonnaise-based marinade makes for a tender chicken with just the right amount of crisp!
inspired by NYT Cooking
I make this meal probably every week. Its easy and requires items I usually have lying around or that can be easily found at the corner market. Mayonnaise may sound weird, but it has a great effect. It helps flavors stick to the chicken, keeps the meat moist, and has a nice crispy browning effect. If you struggle to cook chicken without drying it out, give this a try.
Ideally, you should let this marinate for a few hours to let the flavors soak in. I do this during lunch on a work from home day. It makes for a super easy dinner after I get done with my last session at 7pm.
Ingredients
12-16oz chicken thighs (breasts would work too, but let’s face it - they’re worse)
1/2 TB lime zest (about one lime’s worth)
1/2 TB fresh ginger, peeled and grated with a microplane
~1/6 cup mayo
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Do some prep during lunch (1-4 hours before cooking the chicken)
Combine 1/2 TB grated ginger, 1/3 TB lime zest, and 1/6 cup mayonnaise in a medium bowl (one that will fit all the chicken!). Season with salt and pepper.
Pat the 12-16oz chicken thighs dry, then season with about 1 to 1.5 tsp salt and plenty of pepper.
Place the chicken in the mayo mixture, slather to make sure that each thigh is coated. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge till dinner (4 hours, less is ok if you forget though!).
Grill the chicken using a cast iron or similar. Grill chicken over medium-high heat.
Tips on grilling thighs
Let the thighs grill on one side for about 5 minutes. They should release easily from the pan when they’re grilled and crisped enough to flip, be patient. If you do it too thin the chicken will not come off cleanly!
If you aren’t confident, use a meat thermometer! It should read around 160 when you remove the thighs from the grill.
Serving suggestion
I like this meal to be SUPER easy. I pair it with a salad mix + some goodles mac n cheese. I imagine it would be good with whatever your favorite vegetable + carb sides might be! The ginger lime marinade also makes for great chicken tacos.