The Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Crispy Ancho Coffee Chicken

I don’t know about you, but occasionally on these blisteringly hot summer days I just don’t feel like cooking through a big production in the kitchen (or on the grill).

That’s one of the reasons we often grill (or sous vide, or sauté) enough protein at a time to eat for several meals upcoming; it doesn’t take a huge amount of creativity to present good proteins in a variety of ways, and what a great summer lunch chilled grilled proteins make too.

A residency mate of mine married a wonderful woman from New Mexico; she was a delightful and skilled cook, and her delicious food was instrumental in growing our appreciation for the unique flavors of the American Southwest.

She would often make a big batch of these Crispy Ancho Coffee Chicken thighs (breasts work too) for parties; she’d set out the crisped chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces, and the makings for tacos, tostadas, and salads to pile on your plate and devour with gusto.

This chicken works amazingly well over a spicy slaw, colorful salad, or wrapped in your favorite wrap (I recently trialed some pretty danged tasty keto nearly-corn tortillas that worked really well too – I’ll share that recipe soon). As in the images above, I even like these over a bed of shredded lettuce, topped with guacamole (try our simple House Guacamole if you’re looking for a great go-to recipe), and maybe a pickled onion or jalapeño or two.

And please note, with the ancho chile powder and the coffee in the rub, the crust darkens significantly as these cook, though they’re not “burned”; actually the sweetness of the ancho really shines through in the end.

These are really good cold for lunch tomorrow too, you may want to throw another pound in to make sure there are leftovers…

4 tbsp fresh ancho chile powder
4 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp (scant) good salt
1-2 tsp finely ground fresh dark roast coffee

2 pounds chicken thighs (boneless, skinless)

Combine the ancho powder, cumin, salt, and finely ground coffee in a small bowl, stir to mix well.

Toss the chicken with at least half (we use more) of the spice mixture in a large bowl making sure every piece is well coated (use more of the rub if needed). Cover tightly and throw in the fridge for 2-4 hours.

Remove from the fridge at least 30 minutes before you intend to quickly sear these in a skillet over medium-high heat and preferably avocado oil (though I’ve used ghee in a pinch, it was delicious).

Remember you’re building a crispy seared crust here, so place the thighs in a single layer in the skillet and let them sit undisturbed for at 4-5 minutes before turning, and don’t turn them until a good crust forms (peeking is fine near the end). They’ll need 3-4 minutes on the second side to cook through and get crispy.

Let rest a few minutes, cut into bite sized pieces, drizzle with any accumulated juices, and go to it.

Enjoy.