What to use instead of bone-in chicken thighs
It depends entirely on what it's doing in the dish. Here's the job, what else does it, and what to skip.
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Meat that survives a 40-minute braise
Thigh is worked muscle, full of collagen and fat that melt over a long cook, and the bone gives up gelatin that thickens the sauce. It stays juicy well past the point breast has gone chalky.
Bone-in leg quarters or drumsticksRan out
1 leg quarter per 2 thighs, plus 10 min in the pot
Drumstick meat is firmer and takes longer to give in. More bone means more gelatin, so the sauce sets sticky on the lip.
Boneless skinless thighsRan out
1 1/4 lb boneless per 1 1/2 lb bone-in, braise cut to 25 min
Cooks faster and the sauce comes out thinner without bone gelatin. Reduce it harder at the end or add a splash of stock.
Bone-in turkey thighsRan out
1 turkey thigh per 3 chicken thighs, 60 to 75 min
Darker, denser and more assertive, with a heavier sauce. Pull the tendons out of the meat before serving.
Pork shoulder, cut in chunksRan out
1:1 by weight, 90 min
Needs twice the time and gives a richer, fattier sauce that wants skimming. Adobo and cacciatore both take it well.
What doesn't work: Boneless skinless breast on the same timing. It is done at 20 minutes and shredded to string by 40, and it adds no fat or gelatin, so the braise ends up dry meat sitting in thin liquid.
Skin-on pieces roasted or grilled for crisp skin
The fat under the skin renders and crisps the surface while the bone slows heat reaching the middle, so the meat is still juicy at the point the outside is done.
Bone-in skin-on drumsticksRan out
2 drumsticks per thigh, plus 5 min
Less skin per bite and chewier meat. They cook unevenly unless you turn them once halfway.
Chicken wingsRan out
4 to 5 wings per thigh, 30 min at 220C
Much more skin to meat, so it eats crisper and richer and finishes sooner. Not enough meat to carry a main on its own.
Bone-in split chicken breast, skin onRan out
1 half breast per 2 thighs, pulled at 68C internal
Leaner and unforgiving: five minutes past done and it is dry. The skin crisps well because the bone holds it flat.
Duck legsRan out
1 duck leg per 2 thighs, 90 min low then 15 min hot
Far more fat to render, so start low or the skin burns before it releases. Pour the rendered fat off and keep it.
What doesn't work: Boneless skinless thighs when the recipe is aiming at crisp skin. They brown, and with no fat layer to render you get a dry leathery surface rather than crackling, and nothing in the pan to baste with.