You know how you pack a salad for lunch, then 11:53 comes around and you regret every decision you’ve ever made in your life up until this point? Yeah, same. Because you’re at work, which is probably not exactly where you want to be every day, all the time, and then that salad comes along and it’s cold, sorta wilty, and definitely not substantial enough to keep you full until 6:03.
Enter, the Fatty Bowl. Goofy name, but that’s what we were referring to it as in the office because we wanted the opposite of your typical Healthyish (luv u guys) grain bowl with seeds and flowers and stuff. We wanted literal FATS, the good kind, maybe some not-so-good kind (mayo), to keep you full all damn day. (Though not every day, because everything in moderation, etc.)
Rick Martinez developed this crispy, juicy baked chicken thighs and gochujang ranch duo that is worth a little meal prep on Sunday afternoon. First you make the ranch—mayonnaise, buttermilk, gochujang (Korean chile paste), vinegar, ginger, onion powder, oil, garlic, and ½ tsp salt—some of which you use when you dip the chicken thighs in egg and panko breadcrumbs for their crispy coating. Chicken thighs are fatty, yes, but we needed more, MORE. To pile on, serve it with everyone's favorite goody two-shoes fat, avocado, and these insane sambal-toasted cashews. To cool down any heat, you can also make a slaw, which I consider a salad in its own right, with the same dressing and shredded cabbage.
OBVIOUSLY, you can mix and match here depending on if you’re a spicy person, how much avocados cost this week, if “there might be birthday cake in the office,” or whether you want the chicken on, why the hell not, greens instead of rice. That’s cool, that’s cool. But please don’t skip this ranch dressing, it’s bonkers. Your coworkers will be like, “What’s that?” (Send the link in company Slack room) and “Can I have some?” (No) and “Why are you biting my hand and making that noise?” (Defense wins championships). It’s safe to say that no one will forget this lunch, especially you—and the HR manager.