Grill Chicken Thigh Steaks with Garlic, Thyme and Lemon

I haven't done much cooking since I've been down with the flu for the last couple of days. But still, there comes to a point when there is only so much instant warm oats, porridge and plain Congee that I can continuously eat. Having not done grocery shopping for the past week, the only thing I found in my fridge was 3 pieces of frozen chicken thigh.

All I could think of was something that would be quick, easy and full of flavour.

So after quickly defrosting the chicken in my microwave (yes.. I know.. not the best method..but I was hungry!!)... I teamed up the chicken with some garlic, lemon and some fresh thyme from my herb garden and grilled it on my cast iron griddle pan. Result ? Well.. It's a classic combination, so I couldn't really go wrong there. Still its something I'll definitely make again. I mean, it could have something to do with the fact I had been eating plain congee the whole day, but the smell was just amazing :)

Grill Chicken Thigh Steaks with Garlic, Thyme and Lemon

Ingredients:

• 3 pieces Chicken Thigh pieces (boneless)
• 2 cloves garlic (peeled, smashed)
• zest of 1 lemon
• juice from 1 lemon (use the zested lemon)
• 3 twigs fresh thyme
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Method:

1. Slice open the chicken thigh pieces and butterfly them so that it lays out evenly flat.
2. Marinate the chicken with the olive oil, garlic, thyme, lemon zest, salt & pepper and juice of 1/2 of the lemon.
3. Let the chicken sit in the marinade for at least 15 mins.
4. Place the griddle pan over high heat and wait for it to get really hot
5. Place the chicken steaks onto the griddle pan and cook each side for 2 mins. Then turn them once more every minute or so on each side, until you can see all the meat has turned white and opaque.
6. Remove them from the pan, squeeze the juice of the remaining 1/2 lemon over the steaks, season with a little bit more of salt and pepper, and then let rest on a plate for about a minute before serving.
7. Serve with some baked potatoes or green vegetables. Chicken also tastes great the next day sliced into finger-sized pieces tossed through some green salad.

Notes:

• There was quite a bit of smoke being generated from my grill pan. I would suggest you have all windows open and the exhaust fan on full whack when making this.
• If the grill pan is hot enough the chicken meat should not stick to the pan. So you shouldn't need to add any oil to the pan.