RECIPE: Chicken puts weeknight porchetta within reach

Traditional porchetta is the kind of dish you either order from a restaurant or make for a special occasion. It’s made by wrapping a spice-rubbed pork loin with pork belly and then roasting it until the skin crackles and the loin is tender. It’s delicious, but a far cry from a weeknight meal. And while you can find alternative recipes using quick-cooking cuts of pork, I prefer an adaptation using chicken thighs.

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs not only cook quickly but, because they contain a good amount of fat, they’re also quite forgiving and stay juicier than most quick-cooking cuts of pork. They’re also mild in flavor, so they take well to traditional porchetta spices: garlic, rosemary, fennel and lemon. While you can add all four of those seasonings to the chicken before cooking, I reserve the lemon — zest and juice — until serving. It will add a bright freshness to the rich chicken.

To cook, I prefer to broil rather than roast the thighs. The high heat of the broiler helps to brown the poultry and crisp the edges quickly. In addition, broiling the thighs on a rack set over a baking sheet prevents the juices from turning the meat soggy. You can cook these thighs just as effectively on a gas grill. Set it to medium-high and cook covered, flipping once after the first side has browned. Either way, this porchetta-style chicken is best paired with plenty of seasonal vegetables.