What to use instead of 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 stays juicy through a long or hot cook
Thighs carry more fat and far more connective tissue than breast, and that collagen melts into gelatin over time, so the meat still eats moist well past well done.
Bone-in drumsticks or whole legsRan out
1:1 by weight, plus 10 minutes
Even more collagen, so the meat pulls off in strands. The bone slows the cook and adds body to the sauce.
Turkey thighRan out
1:1 by weight, plus 15 minutes
Firmer, coarser and slightly gamey, and it takes seasoning harder. Cut it smaller than you would chicken.
Pork shoulder in 4 cm chunksRan out
1:1 by weight
Needs 60 to 90 minutes for the collagen to give, so it cannot go into a 25 minute curry. Richer and sweeter.
Duck legsRan out
1:1 by weight, plus 30 minutes
Far more fat renders into the pot, so skim before serving. Deep, dark flavour that takes over the dish.
What doesn't work: Boneless skinless breast in a braise or a curry. It has almost no collagen, and above 65C the muscle fibres squeeze out their water, so 20 minutes in the pot leaves it stringy and dry however good the sauce is.
Skin and fat that render and crisp
The fat under the skin renders out and the collagen sheet left behind dries and crisps into a shell.
Bone-in skin-on breastRan out
1:1 by weight, pulled 10 minutes earlier
Skin crisps the same way, but the meat is done well before the skin is ready, so start it skin-down in a cold pan.
Duck breast, skin scoredRan out
1:1 by weight
Two or three times the fat, so start it cold and give it 10 minutes to render before the heat goes up. Crisps harder than chicken.
Pork belly slicesRan out
1:1 by weight
Much longer to render and it crisps to crackling rather than a thin sheet. It leaves a pan of fat worth keeping.
What doesn't work: Skinless thighs brushed with oil. Oil browns the surface but there is no collagen sheet to dry out, so you get colour with a soft, damp bite and no crunch anywhere.
Chunky protein that soaks up a marinade
Cut into pieces, thigh has enough surface area and fat to hold a marinade and enough structure to survive a skewer or a hot pan.
Extra-firm tofu, pressed 30 minutesPlant-based
1:1 by weight
Takes up a marinade in 20 minutes instead of hours. No fat renders, so it needs oil and a properly hot dry pan or it will steam.
King oyster or maitake mushrooms, tornPlant-based
1:1 by weight
They shrink by half and release water first, so drive that off before the marinade goes near them. Chewy and savoury.
Cauliflower floretsPlant-based
1:1 by weight
Roasts well and takes spice, and it falls apart in a wet braise past 20 minutes. Sweeter than anything it is standing in for.
What doesn't work: Silken tofu. It is water held in a fragile gel, and it disintegrates the first time you stir the pan, leaving white sludge through the sauce.