Chipotle BBQ Chicken Thighs!

I'd like to preface by saying that Mr. Cheap is obsessed with these. On my handwritten version of the recipe, he wrote: "IF YOU DON'T MAKE THESE AGAIN, I WILL DIE." Hopefully that is convincing enough for you.

Marinade Ingredients

2 Tbs. chipotle seasoning
2 Tbs. honey
3 Tbs. olive oil
a few shakes of red pepper flakes

2 medium-large cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar

pinch of oregano

pinch of basil

two grinds of salt from the salt grinder
two grinds of pepper from the pepper grinder

Other Ingredients

One pack of boneless chicken thighs, around 1 Lb.

quarter stick of butter for cooking in pan

Serves 2 - 3

Mix up the marinade in a semi-large tupperware container with lid. Place thawed chicken thighs in the container, put the lid on, and shake it a bit to make sure all the thighs are covered in marinade. Let set in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, but the optimal time is 2 hours. This is not an overnight marinade because it has the apple cider vinegar in it, and it could alter the composition of the chicken, A.K.A. make it taste gross!

The BBQ Sauce

When the marinade time is near completion, heat up a skillet at medium-high (about a 6/7 on our electric stove) and let the butter melt. Then add the chicken from the tupperware container (carefully! so you are not splattered with hot, melted butter!) and make sure all of the marinade is added to the pan, as well.

Now, if you added too much BBQ sauce, it will caramelize and then burn if you cook the chicken too long, which brings me to an important point: Do not cook the chicken for too long! Once you put the thighs in, DON'T TOUCH THEM for at least 7 minutes. To have really moist chicken, the key is to only "flip" them once.

So, once the thighs are in the pan, flip them over after 7 - 10 minutes. After flipping, let cook 10 more minutes. After that, they should be done. Cut into the center of one if you're concerned, and if it's not pink or bloody, all is well.

Serve with potatoes for a hearty, comforting, cold-weather meal (sweet potatoes! scalloped potatoes! american fries! mashed with roasted garlic!), and a side of any green vegetable of your choosing. Or eat them plain and with pepperoncinis, like the strange Mr. Cheap is doing in the above picture.