Spice Rubbed Chicken Thighs

Bernice's Table served fifty people on Tuesday, February fourth, 2020. I wrote it down in the sign-in sheet: February 4, 2020. Fifty people. I stood at the serving station and counted them coming through the line and when the fiftieth person came through—a man I didn't recognize, someone new, someone who found us this week through one of the neighborhood networks—I gave him his plate of fried chicken and mac and cheese and collard greens and cornbread and sweet potato pie and I said, quietly, not making a production of it, "Welcome to Bernice's Table." He said, "Thank you, ma'am." That was the whole ceremony. That was the right ceremony.

Afterwards I told Sister Agnes. She stood in the kitchen with her apron still on and her hands still floury from the cornbread and she said, "Loretta Simms," in the tone that means she is proud and moved and not going to say any more about it because that's not Agnes's way. I said, "I know." She said, "Bernice would be." I said, "I know. She knows too."

I called Mama that evening from the car—the aide held the phone, Mama was having a middle day—and I said, "Mama, we fed fifty people tonight at your table." There was a silence on the line, the kind that might be absence or might be presence, and then Mama said, very quietly, "My table." Just that. My table. Whether she knew what I was talking about, whether the number fifty meant anything to her, whether she understood the context of the naming—I don't know. But she said my table. And that is enough. That will always be enough.

The fried chicken we served that Tuesday was seasoned the way Bernice taught me — heavy on the spice, patient with the heat, made to hold up through a long serving line. When people ask me for a chicken recipe they can carry into a big gathering, something that feels like it means something, I send them to spice-rubbed chicken thighs: the rub does the work, the oven gives you time to be present, and there is enough flavor in every bite that nobody leaves the table still hungry. That is what Bernice’s Table is for. That is what this recipe is for.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 40 min | Total Time: 55 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 1/2 lb total)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Instructions

Preheat. Heat oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set a wire rack on top. Lightly oil the rack.
Make the rub. In a small bowl, stir together the smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, salt, black pepper, cayenne, and cumin until evenly combined.
Season the chicken. Pat the chicken thighs completely dry with paper towels. Brush all sides with olive oil, then press the spice rub generously onto both sides of each thigh, getting under the skin where you can.
Roast. Arrange the chicken skin-side up on the prepared rack. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the skin is deep golden and crackling and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part reads 165°F.
Rest and serve. Let the chicken rest on the rack for 5 minutes before serving. The skin will stay crisp if left uncovered.

Nutrition (per serving)

Spice Rubbed Chicken Thighs — The Chicken We Served When We Reached Fifty