Dark Meat Chicken - Family Favorite!

Yes, while so many others favor chicken breasts (which we also enjoy), my family prefers the dark meat that has more flavor - and admittedly a bit more calories. I recently ran across a site that offered "52 Ways to Use Up a Package of Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs" - just click on that link to reach the full page. But, I've gathered off that site what we like - along with a couple we haven't tried yet.

The first is a recipe from John Ginn, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, from Taste of Home, that adds mustard.  Just yesterday my sister and I were talking about adding mustard to catfish before dipping in a mixture of flour and cornmeal, so I was ready for this - although there's much more to his recipe, including dressing and waffles (serves 4-6):

Ingredients:
4 large eggs
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
8 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)
Oil for frying

Instructions:
In a shallow bowl, mix eggs and mustard. Place flour, salt and pepper in another shallow bowls. Dip chicken thighs in flour mixture to coat both sides; shake off excess. Dip in egg mixture, then again in flour mixture, patting to help coating adhere.
In an electric skillet, heat 1/2 in. oil to 375°. Fry chicken thighs, a few at a time, until golden brown and a thermometer reads at least 170°, 2-3 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels and keep warm until served.

There's also a Chicken Stroganoff recipe from Jason Kretzer, Grants Pass, Oregon - also from Taste of Home. Using a slow cooker makes this pretty easy (serves 8):

Ingredient:
3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-in. pieces
2 cans (10-1/2 ounces each) condensed cream of chicken with herbs soup, undiluted
1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
1/2 pound sliced baby portobello mushrooms
2 cups sour cream
3/4 teaspoon salt
Hot egg noodles cooked to package directions
Pepper
Chopped fresh parsley, optional 

Directions:
Place chicken, soup and wine in a 5- or 6-qt. slow cooker. Cook, covered, on high until a thermometer inserted into chicken reads at least 165°, about 3 hours. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces; return to slow cooker.
Add mushrooms. Cook, covered, on high until mushrooms are tender, 1-1/2-2 hours longer. Stir in sour cream and salt. Serve with egg noodles; sprinkle with pepper and if desired, parsley. 

If you've found Papa's Jambalaya, you'll know why Diane Smith, Pine Mountain, Georgia, Taste of Home recipe caught my attention. A bit more ingredients than the above, but another slow cooker time saver - and makes enough (serves 12) to freeze for later:

Ingredients:
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, sliced
1/2 cup white wine or additional reduced-sodium chicken broth
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 package (12 ounces) fully cooked andouille or other spicy chicken sausage links
2 pounds uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
8 cups hot cooked brown rice 

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the first 13 ingredients. Place chicken and sausage in a 6-qt. slow cooker. Pour tomato mixture over top. Cook, covered, on low until chicken is tender, 7-9 hours.
Stir in shrimp. Cook, covered, until shrimp turn pink, 15-20 minutes longer. Serve with rice.

Carmen Vanosch, Vernon, British Columbia, has the last of the 52 Taste of Home recipes - a nice casserole that uses my loved penne pasta (they fit so nicely as a couple on a fork inserted into them. Also makes it easy to scoop up sauce and chicken!) (serves 4):

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups uncooked penne pasta (or your favorite that will hold onto the sauce!)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken, onion, peppers and seasonings; saute until chicken is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.
In a blender, pulse tomatoes and tomato paste, covered, until blended. Add to chicken mixture. Stir in broth; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until slightly thickened, 10-15 minutes.
Drain pasta; toss with chicken mixture. Spoon half of the mixture into a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with half of the cheeses. Repeat layers.
Cover and bake 30 minutes. Uncover; bake until heated through, 15-20 minutes longer.

Four out of 52 should tell you there are dozens of other good recipes. A couple that I really wouldn't try based on family members' taste or diet restrictions, but a good selection to check out. At first, I thought the original MSN linked to a variety of recipes, but I discovered the ones I liked were all Taste of Home. Since I did not follow all of the links, I can only assume all are Taste of Home recipes.

Did you find other links that you'd like to try within these 52? Any of your favorites already there?