MANGO CHIPOTLE ORANGE CHICKEN THIGHS

Chicken breasts can serve a lot of purposes — they’re inexpensive, low in fat, and cook pretty quickly. They can also be kind of boring if you eat them a lot out of convenience. So for the New Year, I’m urging everyone to eat more chicken thighs. They’re usually cheaper, and have a richer flavor. They’re also pretty easy to cook, and take well to a lot of different flavors, although their richness is usually accompanied by heavier sauces and ingredients than this one. I urge you to try it anyway.

Bright orange paired with a sweet and spicy seasoning blend that is delicious on these chicken thighs. It’s the kind of sweet heat that reminds you of beaches and exotic vacations while you’re in your cold winter hometown eating chicken thighs instead. Sometimes you need that in your life, people. Best of all, it’s not complicated, and can have dinner on the table in about an hour, so it’s perfect for a busy weeknight.

While this is a pretty easy meal, one thing not to skip is searing the chicken until the skin is a deep golden brown. You’ll think it’s done and go to flip them, and they won’t lift — don’t force it. Let them continue cooking until they lift nice and easy from the pan. It will take longer than you think. If you lift them and they are a little bit browned? Let them cook longer. Golden. Brown.

Serve these with a green vegetable and rice or mashed potatoes for a complete meal. I’m partial to braised greens myself, but roasted broccoli or cauliflower would be good here too.