Curry casseroles: six ways with chicken thighs

We may have argued over breast meat on the Sunday roast, but these days we're more likely to run into forks over thighs more juicier and tastier. From a purely pragmatic point of view, thighs lend themselves better to different cooking methods and - at around half the price of breasts - they are the most economical option, costing around $8.50 a kilo in supermarkets. .

To lock in moisture, always brine your chicken, advises Will Tang of Korr Jee Chicken in Melbourne. This is true of a whole bird or a single piece.

Tang's basic recipe is one liter of water for 50 grams of salt, 30 grams of sugar, four bay leaves, four cloves garlic and a teaspoon of black peppercorns. Leave your raw chicken in this brine in the fridge for up to four hours for the ultimate tender, juicy result.

Baked (skin on)

Supermarkets Mystifying Remove usually both skin and bone in, so contact your butcher for anything that requires slower cooking.

"Chicken thighs with bone and skin are perfect for baking while you'll get wonderful crispy skin and juicy dark meat,” says Kemal Barut of Melbourne's Lezzet Anatolian Kitchen.

He uses a blend of smoked paprika, cumin , black pepper and salt with a little oil, then cook the thighs on a baking sheet in the oven at 180°C for about 20 to 25 minutes.

"If in doubt, use a cooking thermometer to make sure the internal temperature reaches between 73 to 75C. Once cooked, rest for 10 minutes before serving. .pageElements.ImageBlockElement" class=" dcr-10khgmf">Tamal Ray prepares a platter of ready-made chicken thighs with chickpeas in a tomato harissa sauce, while thighs and thighs go into Thomasina Miers' baked chicken: a "richly spicy full of crispy, fatty chicken skin, silky onions and golden roasted potatoes".

Nigel Slater, meanwhile, uses his cooked chicken thighs in the oven (with the skin) as low ...