Sometimes Mistakes are Delicious

Sometimes you just don’t know what you are getting. And when that happens, you just gotta punt.

When we do a Costco Run, we try to break everything down into smaller, more reasonable portions. While it’s easy to tell a whole chicken from a package of breasts, it’s not always easy to tell boneless thighs from bone-in thighs. Costco tends to fold the boneless thighs over on themselves, making the thigh appear larger and there are times when the skin is still almost all there. When Hubby or I break down the packages, we take the time to write Bone-In or Boneless, along with the date. We also pull out the older meats for F-I-F-O usage (first in, first out, older to the front, newer to the back). Grocery stores often stock their shelves the same way.

If Kiddo is left in charge of breaking down the Costco run, he doesn’t always include the little details such as dates or types of meats. Chicken is chicken, pork is pork, and we’re suppose to guess. He’s gotten better, since messing up doesn’t relieve him of the task – it just means if I catch it, he starts over again. Recently, our Costco run was getting down to the point that we needed to think about making another trip. But before we did, I wanted to use up as much as I could of what was on-hand. There were two packages of thighs – one just said “Thighs”, and the other said “Package of 3”. They looked the same, so I thawed out both packages since three would not be enough. I assumed “Thighs” were bone-in. It looked like bone-in.

Turns out what I had were six bone-in thighs and six boneless (the ones marked Package of 3). Time to punt. I had planned to make Bone-in Oven Fried Chicken. Now I had to remove the bones and go with all boneless, skinless thighs. That was okay, we didn’t need to marinade in the buttermilk nearly as long. And without skin, I thought Panko Breadcrumbs would be nice. As I was reaching for the breadcrumbs, I spied the Crisp Fried Onions. Hey, why not?

So what started out as Oven-Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Corn turned into Breaded Baked Chicken, Wedge Potatoes and Corn. It wasn’t the supper I had planned for Sunday. But it sure was tasty.

Oven Baked Boneless Chicken Thighs
12 boneless Chicken thighs
1 cup Buttermilk
2 teaspoons Habanero Hot Sauce
2 cups Crispy Fried Onions
2 cups Panko Breadcrumbs
1 cup Flour
Salt to taste
Cooking Spray as needed

In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and hot sauce. Add chicken pieces, submerge into the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for several hours.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line two rimmed baking sheets with foil. Place a wire rack in each sheet. Spray one well with cooking spray, set aside. DO NOT spray remaining rack, just set aside for drainage.

Remove chicken pieces from the buttermilk mixture, allow excess buttermilk to drip back into the bowl. Place chicken on the UNSPRAYED wire rack to continue to drain.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade, mix Fried Onions with Panko Breadcrumbs. Pulse several times until coarsely chopped and mixed together. Place mixture in a pie tin. Whisk in the flour, set aside.

Season drained chicken pieces with salt. Working with one thigh at a time, dredge in flour mixture, then place on wire rack for baking. Repeat until all the chicken has been coated.

Spray chicken lightly with cooking spray. Place in the heated oven to bake for about 25 minutes, rotating pan mid-way through for even browning. Cook until juices run clear.

Let chicken rest for several minutes before arranging on a platter to serve.

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Air Fryer Potato Wedges
4 medium Russet Potatoes
1-1/2 tablespoons Olive Oil
Seasoning Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste

Wash, pat dry potatoes. Cut in half, then cut each half in half again to create 8 wedges from each potato. Place in a large bowl.

Drizzle potatoes with olive oil. Toss to coat, then season with seasoning salt and pepper to taste. Toss a second time to coat.

Spray the basket of the air fryer with cooking spray. Set air fryer to 400 degree cooking temperature, 25 minutes on the time. Let basket warm for 5 minutes. Pause fryer, fill basket with wedged potatoes in a single layer. Air fry for 10 minutes, pause, shake basket, continue to fry for remaining 10 minutes.

Serve hot and enjoy.

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Awesome together with some buttery corn for an easy Sunday Supper.

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The Lord is near to all who call upon Him