Anything Eggs Can Do, Just Egg Can Do Better. And These 5 Recipes Are Proof.

Roasted Chicken Thighs With Hot Honey And Lime: Dinner In No Time

My favorite recipes to cook at home aren't the showiest or the most elaborate. They're the simple ones that have something I think of as a "lightbulb moment" — an idea, technique or ingredient that makes a dish distinctive, maybe even brilliant. You know a recipe has a lightbulb moment when you make it and you can't get over how good it is, how excellent its ratio of effort to flavor.

Take our roasted chicken thighs with hot honey and lime. You brush the chicken with a mixture of butter and hot sauce while it's still in the oven, for glossy heat. And this pepper steak with celery stir-fry is perked up with sunny strips of lemon peel and a big squeeze of lemon juice to serve. Those extra touches help these dishes shine.

Those recipes and more are below for your cooking pleasure. Ideas? Requests? Email me at dearemily@nytimes.Com. I love to hear from you.

1. Roasted Chicken Thighs With Hot Honey and Lime

Vallery Lomas's five-star recipe is all the more amazing because it's made with pantry ingredients. Serve it with simple sides (rice, sautéed kale or other greens) to let those spicy-sweet flavors shine.

View this recipe.

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I Made 'Marry Me Chicken' And The Easy Comfort-food Recipe Is Perfect For Valentine's Day

"Marry Me Chicken" is a viral recipe that would be perfect for Valentine's Day.

The recipe varies, but I followed one that uses chicken thighs, cream, and sun-dried tomatoes.

The recipe blew me away and I can see why this easy meal would be worthy of a proposal.

If you're hoping to get engaged this Valentine's Day, you might want to try making "Marry Me Chicken."

Made with sun-dried tomatoes, chicken broth, and cream, "Marry Me Chicken" is said to be so delicious that it might even elicit a proposal if you make it for your significant other.

The dish went viral on TikTok and Instagram in 2023, and various iterations of the chicken dish, from pasta to soup, have since come around. Despite its recent popularity, the recipe has apparently been around for a while; All Recipes credited Delish for originally creating the Sicilian-inspired chicken dish, which the food magazine first published on its website in 2016.

"When Delish editors started devouring this dish, people started blurting out marriage proposal-adjacent praises for this creamy, savory chicken dinner," Lindsay Funston of Delish wrote. "Hence, the name and this dish were born: A chicken dinner so good, you just might get a proposal by the last bite."

Recipes online vary slightly, but the recipe I followed from the food blog Craving Home Cooked uses chicken thighs, my preferred cut of chicken for a super tender, juicy dish, sun-dried tomatoes, chicken broth, and cream.

Here's how to make the viral "marry me chicken."

I Asked 5 Experts How To Make The Best Chicken Breasts—They All Said The Same Thing

Chicken breasts are notoriously difficult to nail; its low fat, high-protein structure often caters to a dry or rubbery bite. Personally, I usually buy chicken thighs for that exact reason—with a higher fat content, the dark meat is more forgiving when cooked and tends to be juicier and more tender.

Sometimes, though, it's nice to be able to cut a slice of chicken and not worry about wrestling small morsels off the bone. And because I clearly lack confidence when it comes to cooking chicken breasts, I consulted some experts to see exactly what I've been getting wrong.

The Experts:

Simply Recipes / Getty Images

The Key to Juicy, Tender, and Flavorful Chicken Breasts

"Without question," says Stephen Chavez, "the single most common mistake with chicken breasts is overcooking them." All the others agreed. Chavez continues, explaining: "This applies to all cooking methods, from grilling and baking to cooking with liquid (such as in a crock pot)." Christopher Hensel adds, "you can brine chicken breasts to 'perfection' but it won't matter if you can't cook them right." In other words, no matter how the chicken is prepped and no matter what method you use for cooking, avoid overcooking!

"Many people worry about undercooked poultry," says Jessica Randhawa, "leading them to cook chicken breasts until they're dry and tough." Although undercooked chicken can be dangerous, it's easy to avoid and often over-feared.

All of the chefs advise that the best way to avoid both over and under-cooking chicken is a thermometer. "USDA says to cook poultry to 165°F for safety. That means you can remove it from the heat at about 160°F and it will continue to 'carryover' cook at least 5°F," says Meathead, warning, "cook it past 160°F and it will be cardboard."

It's always best to air on the side of undercooking, says Hensel, "you can always continue to cook the breasts if they're under—put slices back together, and pop it in the oven for a couple minutes." And Chavez reminds: "Outside color is not an indication of doneness; internal temperature is."

Using pre-cooking preparation methods also helps flavor and tenderize chicken breasts. Erin Clarke says it helps a whole lot if you "let the chicken stand at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before cooking it, or better yet—use those 15 minutes to brine it." Just make sure you pat the chicken dry before popping it on a pan or in a baking dish.

Randhawa has a tip for the post-cook: "Let the chicken rest for a few minutes after cooking—it will help the juices redistribute, resulting in a juicier, more flavorful breast."

5 Great Chicken Breast Recipes to Try

Read the original article on SIMPLYRECIPES

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