First, it uses boneless skinless chicken thighs. If you’ve ever tried to eat healthy, you probably found yourself eating a lot of boneless skinless chicken breasts. You hear all the time that white meat is healthier than dark meat, that the skin is terrible for you, etc. And while that’s technically true, even dark meat poultry can be a healthy choice. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are the embodiment of that. They have a bit more fat than the breast meat, it’s true–but they’ll also bring a lot more flavor to your dish, and tend to be a bit more moist than boneless skinless chicken breasts. And they’re just as convenient! If you prefer thighs and legs when you order your chicken from a fast food place, you’ll probably be much happier with boneless skinless chicken thighs than with breasts.

Second, it takes advantage of the broiler, a feature of my oven that I severely neglect. We live in the city, on the 16th floor, which makes grilling a fairly complicated option. Enter: the broiler. Basically anything you can grill you can cook under your broiler. It doesn’t take the place of the taste of real charcoal grilling, but if you’re using a gas grill, you probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken Thighs
Adapted from Cooking Light, March 2007

• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• Cooking spray
• 6 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Preheat broiler.

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken to bowl; toss to coat. Place chicken on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil chicken 5 minutes on each side.

Combine honey and vinegar in a small bowl, stirring well. Remove chicken from oven; brush 1/4 cup honey mixture on chicken. Broil 1 minute. Remove chicken from oven and turn over. Brush chicken with remaining honey mixture. Broil 1 additional minute or until chicken is done.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 chicken thighs) CALORIES 321 FAT 11g FIBER 0.6g

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Truth be told, David had to have a tooth pulled, and that had me seeking out soft things for him to eat. There’s not much softer than soup!

This chicken & dumpling soup was a tasty, quick meal. Using store-bought chicken stock gave this dish a long-cooked taste, even though it was finished in about half an hour. Fresh herbs really upped the flavor profile from what you’d normally expect in a quick soup. All in all, I was pleased.

Herbed Chicken & Dumpling Soup
Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine

• Cooking spray
• 8  ounces  skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 3/4  cup  (1/4-inch) diagonally cut celery
• 1/2  cup  (1/4-inch) diagonally cut carrot
• 1/2  cup  chopped onion
• 1/8  teaspoon  dried thyme
• 3  parsley sprigs
• 1  bay leaf
• 3  cups chicken stock
• 2.25  ounces  all-purpose flour (about 1/2 cup)
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4  teaspoon  baking powder
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  cup  1% low-fat milk

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