Crispy Chicken Thighs With Cucumber Yogurt

Recipe from Devin Finigan

Adapted by Melissa Clark

Updated September 21, 2026

  • David Malosh for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Ready In
1 hr
Rating
5(23)
Comments
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Adapted from “A Kitchen on Goose Cove” (Artisan, 2026) by Devin Finigan with Peter Kaminsky, these tender chicken thighs have supremely crisp and burnished skins. The trick is to start them in a cold skillet, then weigh them down as they cook. This ensures the chicken skin makes maximum contact with the pan, allowing it to sear slowly and evenly. Although Ms. Finigan is the chef and owner of Aragosta restaurant on Deer Isle, Maine, this is the kind of simple recipe she makes at home with her two daughters, who love to help grate the cucumber and dice the shallot for the herby yogurt served alongside.

Featured in: The Chicken Dinner a Chef Makes on Her Nights Off

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 1 ½ pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

  • 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea or table salt, plus more as needed

  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed

  • ½ cup thinly sliced shallot or red onion

  • Juice of 1 lime

  • Pinch of sugar (optional)

  • ½ cup chicken stock or water

  • 2 Persian cucumber (or 1 regular cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise and seeded)

  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, preferably full fat

  • 1 tablespoon minced mint, dill or basil, plus more for garnish

  • Crushed red pepper or chile crisp, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

10 grams carbs; 177 milligrams cholesterol; 472 calories; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 33 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 828 milligrams sodium; 35 grams protein; 5 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Position a rack in the bottom third of the oven and heat to 350 degrees.

  2. Step 2

    Pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel and season both sides with 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper.

  3. Step 3

    Place the thighs skin side down in a large, cold, preferably cast-iron skillet. Place the skillet over medium heat and cook the thighs for 5 minutes without moving them. After 5 minutes, weigh the chicken down with another skillet or a plate (for extra weight, you can top the second skillet or plate with canned goods like tomatoes). Cook until the skin is golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. If you nudge the chicken, you should be able to feel the skin start to release from the pan. If it won’t budge at all, cook it for another minute or two.

  4. Step 4

    Meanwhile, make a quick pickle: In a small bowl, combine shallot, lime juice and a pinch each salt and sugar if you like. Let rest while the chicken cooks.

  5. Step 5

    Warm the chicken stock in a pot on the stove or in the microwave.

  6. Step 6

    When the thighs are golden brown and starting to release from the pan, use a metal spatula to flip them: Work confidently and aim to keep the skin intact.

  7. Step 7

    Pour enough warm stock into the skillet to reach about a third of the way up the sides of the thighs. Transfer skillet to the oven and roast until cooked through and tender, 20 to 30 minutes.

  8. Step 8

    In the meantime, use the coarse holes of a box grater to grate 1 Persian cucumber or ½ regular cucumber onto a clean kitchen towel. Dice the remaining cucumber and add it to the bowl with the shallots. Use the towel to wring out the excess moisture from the grated cucumber. Transfer cucumber to a small bowl, and stir in yogurt, herbs and salt to taste.

  9. Step 9

    To serve, smear a couple tablespoons of the yogurt mixture onto the plate and place a chicken thigh on top. Garnish with extra herbs, pickled shallot and cucumber mixture and some crushed red pepper or chile crisp if desired.

Tip

  • Save the leftover braising liquid in the pan to use for future recipes. It freezes well for up to 6 months.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
23 user ratings
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Comments

Bill in Ct

I prefer Jacques Pepin’s chicken thigh recipe. Place thigh skin side down and cut along both sides of bone. Salt and pepper both sides.Place skin side down in cold skillet and cook over medium high heat till skin is browned then turn over and cook covered till done. (190) easy and reliable.

Lucie

Another Melissa Clark winner winner chicken dinner with very little effort and minimal clean-up! As usual, I the first time through I follow her recipes as written, changing in the future if I wish. There’s nothing I’d change about the chicken cooking method: the skin stayed exceptionally crispy; the meat was marvelously moist, and I saved the remaining pan juices as recommended for use in a risotto, or soup, or…the chicken fat will be lovely to sauté the aromatics. Clean-up was also a breeze. While the cucumber and yogurt was wonderful, these chicken thighs could be served with a wide array of sides prepared in advance for a quick meal.

Michael Albaum

made this out of the 'Kitchen on Goose Cove cookbook' (which is great). another use for the leftover braising liquid is to remove the thighs when done, concentrate the liquid over moderate to high heat until it thickens, remove from heat, whisk in a pat of butter, and serve the pan sauce over the chicken and some fettucini or other pasta instead of the yogurt sauce.

Marie

I’m curious whether the chef suggested a side to serve as part of the weekday meal with her kids - for the people who have made this, did you feel you needed a side?

Jonas Kaye

For whatever reason I smoked the chicken and then fried/roasted it to get the skin crispy and hooo boy, really nice with the cucumber situation

gb

This was very good. Will make again.

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