Kevin's Herb-Seared Chicken Thigh Salad with Warm Pan Juice Dressing

Kevin's flipping the script on chicken salad this week — no mayo in sight. It's a wok-seared, herb-crusted chicken thigh laid over a crisp garden salad, finished with a hot dressing made from its own pan juices.

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Ingredients

• •2 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• •1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• •1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
• •Mesquite fajita seasoning, a generous coating
• •A little over 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• •2–3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• •1 small knob butter (about 1/8 stick)
• •Fresh salad vegetables of your choice, cut for varied texture
• •1/2 lemon, juiced (enough for two salads)
• •Olive oil, a drizzle
• •Finishing salt, to taste
• •Black pepper, to taste

Steps

1. Season the chicken: Pat the chicken thighs dry and season generously all over with mesquite fajita seasoning.
2. Sear skin-side down: Heat the avocado oil in a wok over high heat. Lay the thighs skin side down and let them brown undisturbed to build flavor in the bottom of the pan.
3. Build the aromatics: Scatter the fresh thyme and rosemary over the chicken, tuck the chopped garlic around the edges into the oil and rendering juices, and nestle the knob of butter in the center.
4. Cover and brown: Put the lid on and let it go on high heat until the skin is browned up beautifully.
5. Flip and infuse: Remove the lid, flip the chicken, and nestle everything underneath the thighs so the aromatics permeate the meat and give it a wonderful herbaceous note. Put the lid back on and turn the heat down to low.
6. Cook to temp: Let it go low and slow until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
7. Rest in the juices: Pull the meat off the bone into the pan juices below and let it sit to soak up all that flavor.
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8. Mix everybody up: Build your salad with whatever fresh vegetables you like, cutting them for a mix of crunchy and soft textures so your palate doesn't get bored — mix everybody up and let everyone get to know each other.
9. Dress the salad: Squeeze about half a lemon over the salad (that's enough for two salads with a little left over), then drizzle with olive oil, finishing salt, and pepper.
10. Finish: Top the salad with the herb chicken, then spoon the warm pan juices over the top and use them like a hot dressing.