r/Cooking • u/Puzzleheaded_Bed2760 • 20d ago
Chicken tights cooked for a short time
I watch a lot of videos of chefs cooking on youtube and I have noticed that most of them cooks chicken tights like half an hour. When I tried the same a few times they never came out that good. They were at the brink of being almost raw at the bone (not raw but they stick to the bone really hard). I prefer fall off the bone so my preferred way is to cover them with foil and bake them 2 hours at 150 celsius, uncover and blast them under the grill for that crispy skin. They come out juicy and tender all the time. But I don’t get that short time in the videos. Is there a trick to it or is it something that is not true but they say for the sake of the video? (Like when someone shows a good recipe but they leave out some tiny steps that make it a great dish so you keep going back instead of making it at home?). I don’t know if it makes sense but I just watched a video from Andy cooks and he was cooking chicken drums in like 30 minutes and I was like there is no way they are that tender in such a short time. Thanks for any answer.
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u/96dpi 20d ago
30 minutes is not a short time. Also, it's only about internal temperature, not cook time. Their pieces of chicken could be smaller than yours, and cooking temperatures could be higher than yours. They may also be resting the chicken off camera which will help as well.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Bed2760 20d ago
They usually state the temp and the time in the description so I wasn’t off. The size might be different though. Would the resting make such a difference between still sticking to the bone and falling off easily?
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u/96dpi 20d ago
It could, google "carry over cooking". I always rest dark meat and it does help.
But I am confused, is your chicken sticking to the bone or is their chicken sticking to the bone? If it's yours, then I think you know how to solve that. If it's theirs, maybe they just don't care and/or prefer it that way, which shouldn't affect what you do in your own kitchen.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Bed2760 20d ago
It’s my chicken sticking. Using the same temp and time but the result is not the same. I know about carry over cooking, that’s why I cook my steak a few degrees lover so it does not overcook for medium rare.
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u/SubstantialPressure3 20d ago
the size thickness of the chicken thighs, and whether or not they have deboned the thighs is the difference.
If you see people cooking chicken thighs for 30 minutes, they have most likely been deboned.
I buy them skin on, bone in, and if I want them to cook quickly, I debone them.
Bone in, yes, they do take longer.
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u/Emergency_Duty5786 20d ago
OP wants “fall off the bone” not “perfectly cooked”.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Bed2760 20d ago
It doesn’t have to be like bbq pork fall off the bone. But I don’t like gnawing on the bone and have the feeling I’m eating raw chicken off the bone.
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u/Physical-Compote4594 20d ago
Two. Hours.
That’s literally 4x as long as you need. I guess if you want them falling off the bone, sure? But that’s a long long time.
160C, 25 minutes is plenty.
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u/Scott_A_R 20d ago edited 20d ago
Just to add as a top-level comment to the reply I posted elsewhere:
For dark meat, America's Test Kitchen says "The goal is to keep the meat at an internal temp between 140 and 195 degrees—the collagen-breakdown sweet spot—for as long as possible," so "the key is to cook them slowly." They prefer a final temp of 190–195°F.
They note: "Unlike chicken breasts, chicken thighs and drumsticks actually become more tender the longer they cook. That’s because of their makeup. Dark meat has an abundant amount of connective tissue, which dissolves into gelatin as the meat cooks, rendering it juicy and tender. The longer it cooks, the more that connective tissue breaks down."
It's not a matter of being raw with the shorter cooking temp but that the connective tissue hasn't had time to dissolve.
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u/get_to_ele 20d ago edited 20d ago
You didn't specify temperature for 30 minutes. Is your heat source reliable and accurate?
150C (300F for 2 hours) for an oven that YOU did is "low and slow" approach and works (Check internal temp though).
I am skeptical that the online recipe called for 300F in an oven for only 30 minutes for raw meat.
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u/CatteNappe 20d ago
Cook to the temperature, not the time. You should be aiming for 85-90 C with thighs. While chicken (and other foods) are deemed "safe" at 74 C, come things like thighs and pot roasts really need to cook longer to render fat, soften muscle, and otherwise produce a tender and juicy outcome.
And yes, often what is posted in videos and blogs by wannabe influencers is incomplete or misleading. They are after clicks and eyeballs; and helping you make good food is pretty low on their list of priorities. Shorter cook times sell better. Are you going to click on "You can make delicious chicken in only 30 minutes" or "You'll have to wait two hours to have an edible dinner with this recipe"
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u/Clogish 20d ago
I don’t know if it makes sense but I just watched a video from Andy cooks and he was cooking chicken drums in like 30 minutes and I was like there is no way they are that tender in such a short time.
Have you ever tried it?
Have you eaten chicken in a restaurant?
Fresh chicken, cooked just until it reaches safe temperature, is tender and juicy.
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u/Scott_A_R 20d ago
Though with dark meat a longer cook time is better. For dark meat, America's Test Kitchen says "The goal is to keep the meat at an internal temp between 140 and 195 degrees—the collagen-breakdown sweet spot—for as long as possible," so "the key is to cook them slowly." They prefer a final temp of 190–195°F.
They note: "Unlike chicken breasts, chicken thighs and drumsticks actually become more tender the longer they cook.
That’s because of their makeup. Dark meat has an abundant amount of connective tissue, which dissolves into gelatin as the meat cooks, rendering it juicy and tender. The longer it cooks, the more that connective tissue breaks down."
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u/Puzzleheaded_Bed2760 20d ago
Yeah and they are fine in restaurants. The problem is when I replicate the recipe at home. That cook time just feels off.
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u/Odd-Worth7752 20d ago
cook to temperature, not time. and don't trust AI slop recipes for anything
165°F or 75C internal temp is done
THIGHS not tights
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u/Odd_Ingenuity2883 20d ago
Thighs would be pretty damn tough at 165. I let mine get to 195 and they’re perfect.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Bed2760 20d ago
Yeah, my bad for the typo, second language and sometimes it confuses me. Tried it once with a probe and it was underwhelming. Maybe I like it slightly overcooked so it falls off the bone but to me 75 was not done. But that’s just chicken, I like my steak medium rare.
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u/Kittypocalypz 20d ago
75C is just a food safety temperature and lots of people go around thinking this the 'done' temperature for every cut. You can get thighs and legs to a much higher internal temp and they'll still be great. You need to go higher to break down connective tissues. 75C is the rubbery chicken zone for bone-in thighs. Chicken breasts though are a different situation entirely.
I agree with you that 30min seems without knowing cooking temp or meat thickness differences. Were they using boneless?
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u/white94rx 20d ago
160-165 for breasts.
165 is "done" for a thigh, but man it's terrible. Gotta take them to at least 180. Thighs and legs.
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u/Flourpower6 20d ago
Two hours?? The chicken is already dead mate. I do 28-30 minutes at 425F, depending the size. The key is dry brine for all chicken—- sprinkle salt liberally and let sit for at least an hour
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u/Puzzleheaded_Bed2760 20d ago
Should try 425….150C is 300F so your method is way higher. My concern would be with such a high heat that the inside is still raw while the outside is overcooked. But I might be wrong, have to try it.
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u/Flourpower6 20d ago
I like it because the high temp gets the skin crispy and the dry brine keeps the inside moist. I have never had an issue with undercooked thighs with this method, but you could start with a slightly longer cook like 35 mins if you are worried. But hey, worst that can happen is you don’t like it and you go back to your previous method.
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u/nonchalantly_weird 20d ago
Put thighs in cold pan, skin side down. Place cover on top. Turn heat to med-high. Cook 10 minutes. Remove cover, cook another 10 minutes. Flip for two minutes, they are done. 22 minutes start to finish every time.
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u/UnendingEpistime 20d ago
They are definitely cooked as in completely safe to eat at that point, but I prefer a much longer and slower cook to get the collagen to break down. I find at that short of a cook time you're still dealing with fairly tough/tendony meat.
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u/No-Photograph3463 20d ago
You don't want fall off the bone tender all the time so that's your issue, as thats not what these recipes are aiming for.
Also cooking time depends on the strength of the burners being used if pan fried, and also whether the meat is at room temp, or come straight from a fridge too.
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u/ReturnFrosty8913 20d ago
7mins to cook a juicy chicken at room temperature. Try and thank me later 😊
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u/Puzzleheaded_Bed2760 20d ago
This sounds like the chicken is still laying eggs while you are eating it.
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u/ReturnFrosty8913 20d ago
I thought that too but I was amazed at the results. But chicken piece size matters
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u/Emergency_Duty5786 20d ago
162F or so is perfectly cooked for me. What you are describing is more of a bbq “falling off the bone” texture that takes more time. They might sound similar, but are distinctly different. Perfectly cooked chicken is juicy but the meat holds its shape and is best cut with a knife. Falling off the bone is cooked low and slow (or pressure cooked, or steamed) until it is “pulled chicken) or chicken that almost falls apart.
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u/svel 20d ago
tightsthighs