I needed to do something, well Different, with basic chicken bone in, skin on thighs. I wanted crispy but tender thighs packed with flavor. As I started going through the pantry thinking, what can I use to create a new dish, my eyes landed on Sriracha sauce, onion soup mix, umami powder and a small bottle of Turkish seasoning I got as a gift. And how to bind all these things together…hhuuummm…cream of chicken soup!

First I salted the chicken and rolled it in some flour, planning to saute it just long enough to brown it, not cook it. I choose to use some bacon grease – more flavor! – but oil (vegetable. olive or canola) would work just as well. I did this is a cast iron baking dish (or a skillet) to make it a one pot cooking vessel. If you don’t have an oven proof skillet, just transfer the chicken to a casserole dish.

Stick that in the oven to bake. We like our chicken really well done, falling off the bone tender. So about 40 minutes for fairly large thighs. Meanwhile I mixed up the sauce.

One can of cream of chicken soup, one can of milk, one envelope of onion soup mix, some spices and a little maple syrup to heighten the spice hit of Sriracha sauce. We don’t eat spice food, but just a little of the Sriracha made for more umami and a little heat in the back of the mouth. Use more or less, but I wouldn’t leave it out, because it really did add flavor. The Umami seasoning I have I bought locally at Walmart, but Traders Joe’s has a similar product on Amazon.

Once the chicken is done, spoon the sauce around it, leaving the chicken uncovered so the skin stays crispy, and put back in the oven for 10 minutes to heat through.

I served it with herb orzo (cooked orzo mixed with butter, and chopped fresh rosemary, dill and chives). Rice would work equally well. Or maybe noodles…something that will soak up some of that delicious sauce you just created.