Thighs Spread Wide - Fifty Shades of Chicken

Thighs Spread Wide - Roasted Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms

There are some books you can't NOT buy. Fifty Shades of Chicken, a parody in a cookbook, is one of those books.

I couldn't help myself. I tried. I glanced, I picked it up...giggled to myself, put it down and walked away. I even got as far as leaving the bookstore and going home. Only to find myself thinking about it. Often. I cook chicken a lot. 90 percent of my dinners are chicken. I have friends who call me The Chicken Queen. So, I think it was meant to be. Destiny. A requirement for The Chicken Queen to possess this particular cookbook. 5 days. I put myself through 5 days of thinking about the book before I realized....YES! I must make it mine.

There are 50 chicken recipes. As if I need more, right? But honestly, is it possible to have too many recipes of any kind? Of course the main question is....are they quality recipes. The answer? Yes. Delicious. And so fun to read. I mean when a cookbook starts off with "How have I gotten myself into this? I glance around the the spotless, meticulously organized kitchen: trussing twine, skewers, mallets-is that a cleaver? Holy crap." Or a recipes reads: "I must have you now," he says breathlessly, throwing me down and opening my thighs on the first surface he can find. "On this?", I ask. "Isn't this a baking sheet?" "It'll have to do." (keep in mind this is from the chicken's perspective. And yes. We are talking about chicken. In this case, chicken thighs, to be more exact).

Anyway...It totally cracks me up. And this book contains wonderful, quality, recipes. You might blush while you're cooking dinner. Have some wine and blame it on that if it bothers you. Besides, there is a saying about food being sexy. If you ever doubted it, this is your proof. Food porn. On more levels than you may have imagined.

If Fifty Shades of Grey wasn't your thing (and I know there are a lot people who wouldn't read the trilogy), that's totally fine. I hope you can still at least enjoy the recipe for the ingredients alone.

Thighs Spread Wide (Roasted Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms)
Printable Version

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, patted dry
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano (I used 1 tsp dried)
2 TB fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp pepper
8 oz cremini mushrooms, quartered
1/3 cup olive oil
2 - 3 tsp capers
2 TB white wine (or chicken broth)
Garnish: flat leaf parsley, chipped and lemon wedges

Sprinkle the chicken with salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the oregano, lemon juice, garlic, pepper, mushrooms and olive oil. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Allow to marinade for up to 4 hours (in the refrigerator). If you can't wait...then 15 minutes will do, at room temperature will do.

Preheat the oven to 500' F.

Arrange the thighs (spread open) on a 9x13 baking dish, scattering the mushrooms and capers over and around the chicken.

(I cut the recipe in half since Sir Sportsalot and I were the only ones eating dinner.)

Pour in the wine and roast for about 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through (juices run clear).

Garnish with parsley and lemon if desired.

I didn't have the parsley but I did drizzle with lemon juice...just forgot to leave a pretty wedge on the plate. This dish is so simple. Full of flavor. And very tender..as is all thigh meat. Btw, I read that 3 oz of chicken thighs only have 40 more calories than 3 oz of breast meat. Your cooking method will of course effect the true outcome of that statement.

I have a lot of cookbooks dedicated to just chicken. Even if you took away all the Fifty Shades of Grey parody stuff.....I have to say, this is the best chicken cookbook I own.

Not to mention, the only one that contains the "F" word.