Dinner for a Friend: Crumb-Coated Chicken Thighs

Earlier this week, I had the privilege of having an old friend over for dinner. We went to high school together, then went to college in neighboring states, and then separated pretty completely. She moved to England for a few years and I moved first to Pennsylvania, then to Maryland. Now, she’s back in the States and working for Congress. It’s funny to meet up with someone you used to have sleepovers and bonfires with when you’re in your late 20s. I guess our conversation was a little different than it was back then, but hanging out was pretty much exactly the same as it used to be, except that we drank wine.  She’s a scientist and I’m in mental health, and we talked about the profound difference between those. I honestly remember having conversations like that in high school. Love it.

I made a dish that I’ve made several times before but never blogged bout because it’s so simple. Simple and delicious, yes, but simple. I guess I felt like a fraud taking pictures and saying “Look what I accomplished!” when an 8-year-old could have done the same thing, but ah well. I’m doing that now.

Start off with a mixture of bread crumbs (I used Italian seasoned), salt, cumin, paprika, chili powder, curry powder, and black pepper in a large zip-lock bag.

Drop in chicken thighs and shake it, shake it, shake it like a polaroid polaroid picture. Drop on a pan and bake at a high temperature. The end.

For sides, I did roasted potatoes that are also too easy to blog about.

And remember that lime-cilantro rice that I screwed up last time? I made that again, though this time with only white rice, not a mixture of brown and white, and I did it in my rice cooker.

Apparently I didn’t get a picture of everything together. Forgive me, maybe it was the wine. Or maybe it was just too fun talking like a bunch of school girls. But it all turned out pretty well. A good hearty meal that left me with yummy leftovers for lunch the next day.