Chipotle Maple Chicken Thighs

I made the decision recently to give up red meat so instead we eat a lot more plant based, poultry, and seafood meals. When I do cook poultry, I usually prefer thighs as the meat is more tender and moist, and thighs are in fact quite inexpensive. My usual preparation methods for cooking thighs are to marinate them in lemon, olive oil, and seasonings, and then simply grill, roast, or broil them. From time to time, I like to do something different with the thighs and enjoy making different sauces creating entirely new flavor profiles. We like spicy food in my house, and when cooking anything Mexican, I like to find a way to sneak in some chipotle chili peppers.

If you are unfamiliar with chipotle peppers, they are small peppers (often jalapenos), that are usually 2-3 inches long that have been dried using a smoking process that gives them a dark color and a distinct smoky flavor.  The peppers are sold dried, ground as a seasoning, or canned in a red sauce that has a delicious smoky flavor as well. These canned peppers are called “chipotles in adobo” and can be found in the Mexican section of most grocery stores. We love the smoky heat these peppers add, but if you are cooking for children, you may want to decrease the amount of peppers you use in the sauce.

For this recipe, I use boneless, skinless, chicken thighs that I trim of all fat. I then use a meat mallet to pound the thighs so they are of equal thickness so they cook evenly. These thighs are cooked under the broiler instead of the grill, so you can have tasty barbecue thighs year round no matter how cold it is outside.

• Chicken is lower in fat and calories than other types of meat and contains protein, niacin, iron, and zinc. Removing the skin and trimming away and excess fat helps to keeps chicken thighs lower in calories and fat.