Frugal Chicken Dinner

Here's something I threw together tonight with some chicken from the freezer and pantry staples. Pretty easy to cook, and family pronounced it yummy.

Glazed Chicken Thighs

8 chicken thighs
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup chicken stock or water
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon siracha
2 oranges
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 onions, sliced

Salt and pepper the chicken. Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Brown the chicken in batches. Meanwhile, supreme the orange segments and squeeze the juice into a medium bowl. Add the soy sauce, stock, honey, and siracha; stir to combine.. Remove the chicken to a plate. Pour off most of the rendered fat from the pan and return to the heat. Add the onions to the pot and saute, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook the onions until they begin to brown. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant. Return the chicken to the pot; layer on top o f the onions. Pour any reserved juices from the chicken into the pot. Add the orange/sauce mix and cover the pot. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 20-30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the lid, and cook until the sauce thickens and begins to glaze the chicken, another 10 minute or so. Serve with rice.

Lemony Chicken Thighs

This is adapted from a recipe that I got from my grandfather many years ago. Gramps was an old skool foodie--ingredients like soy sauce and rice wine vinegar were exotic in his day. (Wonder what my kids will be cooking with in 20 years?) Chicken thighs are an inexpensive yet satisfying protein. Serve this with steamed rice and a green vegetable.

Lemony Braised Chicken Thighs

6-8 chicken thighs
2 onions, sliced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup chicken stock or water
2 lemons, sliced

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy saucepan and brown the chicken on both sides. It's important to do this in batches of no more than 3-4 thighs at a time; if you overcrowd the pan, the meat will not brown. Remove the chicken to a plate and reserve. Pour off most of the oil and rendered chicken fat from the pan and return to the heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent. Add the garlic and saute for a minute until fragrant. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, and stock, and stir with a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cover the onion mixture with a layer of lemon slices. Lay the reserved chicken thighs on top. Top the chicken with a layer of lemon slices. Cover tightly. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes until chicken is cooked through.