Step 1

Pat 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Season all over with 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.

Step 2

Place the chicken skin-side down in a single layer in an unheated, large cast iron or regular steel skillet. Place the pan(s) on the stove on the lowest heat setting possible and cook undisturbed for 40 to 50 minutes. The fat from the skin will slowly render, and you’ll start to notice crispy edges developing around the skin. You should also hear a steady, noisy sizzle and the chicken should be golden brown with some crispy, dark spots on the bottom.

Step 3

Meanwhile, leaving the pickling liquid in the jar, remove 2 hot cherry peppers from the jar. Twist and remove the stem from each pepper (or chop the stem off with a knife). Coarsely chop or tear the peppers into bite-sized pieces. Measure out 2 tablespoons of the pickling liquid.

Step 4

Flip the chicken over. Add the cherry peppers and pickling liquid, and stir to combine with the chicken fat.

Step 5

Cook until the chicken is cooked through and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers at least 165ºF, 10 to 15 minutes more.