Buffalo Chicken Thighs with Buttermilk-Blue Cheese Smashed Potatoes

Wow, I haven't posted in this here nookery in ages! But I've been cooking up a storm, so I decided to get off my lazy bum and contribute to our wonderful blog. I've been cooking about two recipes a week for the past month or so, and this one stands out in my mind. These chicken thighs are juicy and taste like super delicious chicken wings, but they're not bad for you! And I love me some blue cheese, so these mashed potatoes were right up my alley.

CHICKEN
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
8 bone-in chicken thighs, skinned [make sure you get bone-in thighs to keep them nice and juicy!]
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
3 tablespoons hot sauce
1 tablespoon butter

Recipe:
1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; seal. [I used a paper grocery bag; an idea I got from seeing "The Help." I figured southern maids would know a thing or two about coating chicken.] Shake to blend. Add half of chicken to bag; seal. Shake to coat. Remove chicken from bag, shaking to remove excess flour mixture. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add flour-coated chicken to pan; sauté 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Transfer browned chicken to a jelly-roll pan. Repeat procedure with the remaining uncooked chicken, flour mixture, and oil. Discard remaining flour mixture. Bake chicken at 375° for 8 minutes or until done. [The recipe says 8 minutes, but I had to bake it for about 20 minutes to get it to the proper internal temperature. I don't know if it's just my oven or what, but I always find that I have to bake chicken twice as long as recipes recommend.]

3. Combine hot sauce and butter in a microwave-safe dish; microwave at HIGH for 30 seconds or until butter melts, stirring to blend. Place chicken in a shallow dish; drizzle with butter sauce. Toss to coat.

BUTTERMILK BLUE CHEESE SMASHED POTATOES
Ingredients:
1 pound small red potatoes
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Recipe:
Place potatoes in a saucepan; cover with cold water to 2 inches above potatoes. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer 15 minutes or until tender; drain. Return potatoes to pan. Add buttermilk, blue cheese, salt, and pepper to pan; mash with potato masher to desired consistency.

*From Cooking Light, September 2011