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The Kitchn published a roundup of five chefs’ favorite dinners that can be made in about 30 minutes. All five chose chicken thighs, in dishes ranging from skillet chicken and Turkish-style köfte to smothered chicken and dakgalbi.
The Kitchn has published five chefs’ go-to 30-minute dinners, and all five feature chicken thighs. The roundup offers home cooks a set of fast weeknight ideas, from a lemon-butter skillet meal to Korean dakgalbi, based on interviews by assistant editor Alexandra Foster.
Steve Ingber, executive chef and owner of Denver private-chef company MileHighCook, says he pounds chicken thighs to an even thickness, sears them in a hot cast-iron pan and makes a quick sauce with garlic, lemon, butter and available herbs. He estimates the dish takes about 20 minutes. Ingber recommends salting the meat ahead of cooking and letting it rest briefly; he says even 15 minutes of salting makes a difference.
Laura Ascher, founder and recipe developer at Cast Iron Skillet Cooking, also cooks thighs in a hot skillet, seasoning them with melted butter and Cajun spices for blackened chicken. Her method leaves the chicken undisturbed for four to five minutes before turning it, then cooks the second side for another three to four minutes. She puts the total cooking time at about 20 minutes.
Melih Yilmaz, executive chef of New York restaurant Foursome, makes Turkish-style chicken köfte from ground chicken thighs mixed with grated onion, garlic, parsley, cumin, Aleppo pepper, breadcrumbs, olive oil, salt and black pepper. He serves the browned patties with a salad of sumac, onion and parsley and a quick lemon-tahini sauce. Yilmaz estimates the meal takes about 25 minutes.
Five Quick Meals Built Around Thighs
The roundup gives readers five practical dinner approaches that rely on one shared ingredient, while showing how different seasoning and cooking methods can change the meal. The recipes range from a simple one-pan sauce to spiced patties and a saucy chicken-and-vegetable dish, offering options for different flavors and serving styles.
The chefs’ comments also explain why they reach for thighs: Ingber and Ascher describe them as forgiving, while Yilmaz says their fat helps keep köfte juicy during high-heat cooking. Those are the chefs’ stated reasons for their choices; the article does not compare cooking results or nutrition across cuts.
The Chefs’ Weeknight Shortcuts
The Kitchn frames the article around a familiar dinner-planning problem: finding a meal that comes together quickly without sacrificing flavor. Foster interviewed five chefs about their own reliable options. The shared preference for chicken thighs emerged from those interviews, according to the report.
The two remaining dishes widen the range beyond skillet-seared chicken. Virginia Willis, a French-trained Southern chef and James Beard Award–winning cookbook author, recommends smothered chicken in onion gravy. She sears the chicken, cooks onions until golden, adds spices and starch, then returns the chicken to cook in the gravy. Willis says the recipe can use affordable bone-in thighs, with boneless skinless breasts or skin-on drumsticks as alternatives.
Mingoo Kang, co-founder of Jangin and chef-owner of Mingles, recommends dakgalbi, a South Korean dish of chicken stir-fried in a spicy sauce with chewy rice cakes and vegetables. The source describes it as a one-pot meal that can feed a group and make good leftovers. The provided source text ends mid-quote, so it does not include Kang’s complete recipe details.
““My go-to is chicken thighs pounded thin, seared hard in cast iron, and finished with a quick pan sauce of garlic, lemon, butter, and whatever herbs I have.””
— Steve Ingber, executive chef and owner of MileHighCook
Recipe Details Still Missing
The provided report text stops partway through Kang’s dakgalbi quote. It does not include his full ingredient list, method or estimated preparation time, so those details cannot be confirmed from the supplied material. The article also does not provide complete measurements for each dish in the text provided.
The roundup presents chefs’ recommendations rather than a tested comparison of preparation times. Actual timing may depend on the recipe, ingredient preparation and equipment; the source does not report independent timing tests or a shared standard for what counts as total preparation time.
How Readers Can Use The Ideas
Readers can use the chefs’ suggestions as starting points for a weeknight meal, choosing a recipe style and checking the original Kitchn article for any full recipe instructions. The source gives specific methods for Ingber’s skillet chicken, Ascher’s blackened thighs and Yilmaz’s köfte, and summarizes Willis’s gravy method and Kang’s dakgalbi.
For safe handling, cook chicken until its thickest part reaches 165°F (74°C), measured with a food thermometer. Refrigerate leftovers within two hours and use them within three to four days, reheating to 165°F (74°C). The source does not specify food-safety temperatures or storage advice.
Key Questions
What ingredient did all five chefs recommend?
All five chose chicken thighs for their featured quick dinners, according to The Kitchn’s report.
Which dishes are included?
The roundup features garlic lemon butter chicken thighs, blackened chicken thighs, Turkish-style chicken köfte, smothered chicken with onion gravy and South Korean dakgalbi.
How long do the featured recipes take?
Ingber estimates about 20 minutes for his skillet chicken, Ascher says her blackened thighs take about 20 minutes, and Yilmaz puts his köfte meal at about 25 minutes. The supplied source does not give a specific time for Willis’s or Kang’s dish beyond the roundup’s 30-minute framing.
What is dakgalbi?
Dakgalbi is a South Korean dish made by stir-frying chicken in a spicy sauce with chewy rice cakes and vegetables. Kang’s complete recipe details are not present in the supplied source text.
What temperature should chicken reach?
Cook chicken to 165°F (74°C) at its thickest point, checked with a food thermometer. Refrigerate leftovers within two hours.
Source: rss
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