sesame crusted chicken thighs with springy farro salad and yogurt sauce

go visit your favorite radish vendor at the farmers market and get to it!!

Okay team, how are we doing?! It’s really springing out there right now (the weather I mean), and I feel like the vibes are finally picking up. I’m going to admit something here - I think I may have an addiction to sesame? I was looking through my instagram feed and was like okay why does every other post have either sesame or tahini? I need to chill. With that being said these thighs are little sesame goddesses that you’ll enjoy hot ‘n fresh or leftover cold. The farro salad is peppery and crunchy and a true companion to the thighs. I’ll be honest, this one is a little ~steppy~. I’m usually saying things like “this is so easy, it takes no time at all!” Not the case here. This one is a bit of an undertaking, but then again, anytime we’re in cutlet territory that’s the case so I can’t feel too bad. And also this is a full meal! We’ve got a dressing, a salad, a protein, and a sauce!

Any combination of radishes will do great in this salad, so have fun with it especially considering it’s radish season. If watercress isn’t available to you choose another peppery green like arugula. If you don’t want to go through the hassle of a snow pea regular peas would be fun in here too. Less crunch, not a bad substitution.

toasted sesame-lemon vinaigrette

zest of 1 lemon

Juice of 1 large lemon, about 3-4 tablespoons

1 large garlic clove, grated

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons honey

1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

7-8 tablespoons neutral oil such as avocado or grapeseed

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

springy farro salad

6 ounces snow peas, trimmed and blanched, cut into 1/4-inch strips, about 1 cup

1 cup dry farro, or about 2 cups cooked

1/4 cup toasted sesame-lemon vinaigrette, plus more to taste

1 small purple daikon or watermelon radish, thinly sliced and quartered, about 1/2 cup

1 bunch red radishes, cleaned and quartered or thinly sliced, about 1/2 cup

1 bunch watercress, roughly chopped, 3-4 cups

1/3 cup fresh mint leaves, torn

pinch of kosher salt

black pepper, to taste

sesame-crusted chicken thighs

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste

Black pepper to taste

1/4 cup Greek-style yogurt

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed or 1 teaspoon ground fennel

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

juice of 1/2 a lemon, about 2 tablespoons

1 large egg

1 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons white sesame seeds

3 tablespoons black sesame seeds

grapeseed oil, for frying

chili-crisp yogurt sauce

1/2 cup Greek-style yogurt

1 heaping tablespoon chili crisp

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 large scallion thinly sliced

pinch of kosher salt

sesame-crusted chicken thighs with springy farro salad and chili-crisp yogurt sauce

Let’s begin

1. First up, the vinaigrette. Here’s how I make a simple vinaigrette like this but feel free to get fancier if you’d like: Add all the ingredients to a mason jar or any vessel with a tight-fitting lid, shake the hell out of it, and voila, a vinaigrette is born!

2. Now onto the salad: Bring a medium pot of well-salted water to a low boil over medium-high heat. Drop your snow peas into the water and blanch for about 30 seconds. Use a strainer spoon to remove the snow peas from the water and transfer to an ice bath (or just a bowl of cold water works here too, no stress).

3. Bring the water back up to a boil and add the farro into the water, yes the same water. Cook according to package instructions. Strain the farro and add to a large bowl.

4. Add a 1/4 cup of the sesame-lemon vinaigrette to the hot farro and stir to distribute. The warm farro will absorb the vinaigrette and flavor the salad. Set aside to let the farro cool for about 15 minutes. After the farro has cooled add in the radishes, watercress, and mint leaves. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. Set aside while you make the chicken thighs.

5. Thigh time: First up we need to pound our chicken thighs. Cover your cutting board with a piece of parchment paper, arrange one or two thighs on the cutting board and cover with a second piece of parchment. Using a meat mallet or another heavy object with a handle (think rolling pin, an empty wine bottle), smack the thighs until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Set aside and repeat with the remaining thighs.

6. In a large bowl whisk together the yogurt, coriander, fennel, garlic, sesame oil, lemon juice, egg, salt, and black pepper. Add in the chicken thighs, cover, and marinate for about 30 minutes.

7. In a wide shallow dish or sheet tray combine the panko, all-purpose flour, and sesame seeds, and stir to combine.

8. Remove the chicken thighs from the marinade and let some of the marinade drip off before adding to the panko-sesame mixture, pressing down to ensure the breading is evenly coating the thigh.

9. Heat about a 1/2-inch of oil in a large stainless steel skillet or, your favorite frying vessel, over medium-high heat until shimmering, about 375F. Carefully lower 2 thighs into the oil at a time and reduce the heat to medium. Fry for 2-3 minutes on one side, flip and fry for another 2 minutes, until the breading is golden brown and the internal temperature of the thigh reaches 165F. (The thinner thighs should cook quickly enough that the breading doesn’t burn, if that’s not the case your oil is a bit too hot so adjust accordingly). Transfer the cooked thighs to a wire rack-lined sheet tray or paper towel-lined dish and season immediately with salt. Repeat with remaining thighs.

10. Last up, the yogurt sauce: Mix everyone together in a bowl until the chili oil is fully emulsified with the yogurt. For presentation purposes you might sprinkle a few extra scallions and chili oil on top. Dip the chicken into this and be very happy.