As we've previously discussed, perhaps the tastiest, juiciest, and hardest-to-overcook cut of chicken is a boneless, skin-on chicken thigh. Up until now, that cut was nearly impossible to track down in any grocery store—wise cooks would have to buy bone-in skin-on chicken thighs and do a little in-home butchering—but, thanks to Bell & Evans, there's a good chance your local supermarket will soon be stocked with a version of that elusive perfect cut. The poultry distribution company's latest offering is an assortment of boneless, skin-on whole chicken legs.
The leg and thigh combos are sold either in fours or "family packs" of nine, with the smaller packages also coming in seasoned varieties such as Mediterranean and Sweet Chipotle BBQ. The new products are available in most Whole Foods and Wegmans locations around the country, as well as many high-end butcher shops and natural grocery stores (find your nearest Bell & Evans carrier via the company's store locator here). According to their website, these glorious cuts of chicken come from birds that have been humanely treated and raised without antibiotics, and the meat is 100 percent air-chilled, meaning you won't have to deal with any of those soggy, chlorinated water–soaked pads typically found underneath pre-packaged cuts of chicken.
If, however, Bell & Evans products haven't made their way to your preferred local grocery store, or if you're in a DIY mood, you can still attain this prized piece of poultry with a package of regular bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and a pair of sharp kitchen shears. Simply cut along both sides and ends of the thigh bone—you'll be able to see it in the seam of fat on the underside of each thigh—pluck it out (and save for stock or soup), and proceed to cook up a piece of chicken that'll blow every dry, tasteless chicken breast out of the water.
