Citrus Marinated Chicken Thighs

So, I've been a little MIA lately. Life happens, eh? But that's not necessarily a bad thing on all accounts. Here's what the blondie household has been up to lately:

A couple weeks ago I was on a couple TV shows doing cooking segments. 

After a practice batch of mini-bacon cheesecakes for the TV segments, and on my way driving to my Mom's house to share said batch, a construction barrier (West Jordan, Utah is quite the windy place) was caught in a huge microburst and blew into the side of my car - leaving glass shards all over the inside of my car (destroying every little last beauty...)

I'm still unpacking our apartment. Our books seemed to have performed a happy-bunnies-gone-wild act in the boxes, and now I feel like we have more books than we could have ever packed in the first place. 

My goal this past week was that I couldn't open my laptop in the morning until I went for a run. Very, very effective for laptop-addicts like me. I got in my runs last week and this morning without fail. However, it pushes my blogging back to the Manchild's naptime, instead of in the morning before he wakes up. Totally worth it, I say. 

We had to buy a full set of new tires for the car, which means our grocery budget took a hit right in the kisser, which means I had less money to buy exciting things to make for dinner to show here on blog land. Yes, food bloggers sometimes have canned soup and boxed mac&cheese. The secret is out! 

We drove through Sacramento this weekend to a little town known as Turlock, California for my husband's little brother's wedding. (My little brother via text message kept calling it Turdlock... yes, we're very mature). If any of you are from around there, kudos. It was a darling little town, and I found myself with a beautiful pile of mexican food to throw my face into while we were there. Did I mention my favorite thing to eat on the planet is a plate of rice, beans, guac, and stuffed tacos? The best. 

On the way home, we stayed in Reno, Nevada. It was dark, and we learned very quickly that the hotels are either super expensive or SUPER SCARY. Can you guess which one we chose? Yes. And it seriously was the scariest place I've ever slept in my entire life (well, except for that one time in South Korea when we slept in a hotel 20 miles from the North Korean border...) No joke. It was still pretty sketchy, though. 

I chopped off 7 inches of my long blonde hair. Anything shorter and I'd go nuts. 

Tomorrow I'll be recording another TV segment, and later this week I have a huge dessert catering order - kind of excited about that one :) Did I mention I make cakes for people? If you're in the northern half of Utah, hit me up. 

- - - 

Oh, right. I'm supposed to be posting about food. 

So, chicken thighs and I are usually not friends at all. I hate dealing with things that have bones in them - especially raw things. But with my goal to branch out of the traditional blondie-food we have around here, I skipped the chicken breasts and tenders, and went straight for the thighs. Yes, skin-on thighs at that. 

The marinade is citrus heaven. It's more of a puree, and you pour half on for the marinade, and half for serving. That way you get plenty of the citrus zest before, during, and after broiling the babies in the oven for a while. The inside was completely moist and practically dripped with flavor. I think sneaking in a little soy sauce helps out with the depth as well. The outside skin after broiling was crispy, and tasted like what I can only describe as crispy chicken bacon. Didn't think it was possible, but hey, it happened. 

xo, 

blondie

Citrus-Marinated Chicken Thighs
makes 4 servings

ingredients:
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems only
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 t lime zest
1 t orange zest
1/4 C fresh lime juice
1/4 C fresh orange juice
1/4 C soy-sauce
2 T vegetable oil
1 T kosher salt
2 lbs skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (thawed, not frozen)

method: 
1. Set aside about 1/2 C of sliced scallions for later. In a mini food processor, pulse cilantro, garlic, citrus zests, citrus juices, soy sauce, oil, salt and remaining scallions in a food processor until a puree forms. Set aside 1/4 C marinade.
2. Place remaining marinade in a large resealable plastic bag. Add chicken, seal bag (make sure all air is out of the bag) and turn to coat. Chill about an hour or two before serving.
3. Preheat broiler. Remove chicken from marinade and place, skin side down, on a foil-lined broiler proof baking sheet. Discard used marinade. Broil chicken until lightly browned, about 5-10 minutes. Turn chicken so it's skin-side up. Broil until cooked through and thermometer reads 165 after being inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, about 15 minutes longer. Serve chicken with a drizzle of the reserved unused marinade and scallions.

recipe adapted from bon appetit