Best Chicken Thighs Recipes

Chicken thigh recipes make it easier than ever to start cooking this delicious and underappreciated part of the meat. There’s a chicken thigh recipe to fit every taste, season, and dietary concern, from basic one-pot braised chicken thighs to Instant Pot chicken thigh recipes to classics like French coq au vin!

Chicken Thighs Recipes

Chicken thigh meals are the best. Unlike (overrated!) chicken breasts, chicken thighs are juicy and rich enough not to dry out. The thighs are always the most delicious parts of the bird, whether bone-in or boneless and skinless. Whether you grill them, crisp them in a skillet, braise them with greens, or put them onto a bun, you’re in for a beautiful meal. Recipes featuring dark meat can be found farther down the page.

Here Are Some Best Chicken Thighs Recipes

Crispy Chicken Thighs With Spring Vegetables

This simple, seasonal meal is elevated with a rich and tangy pan sauce that you’ll want to eat again and again. This is the ideal recipe for combining delicious chicken thighs with spring vegetables such as asparagus, baby potatoes, and radishes in one main meal.

 

Spice-Rubbed Chicken Thighs

Cover the pan with foil and bake for about 1 hour, or until the chicken is cooked through. Place the chicken on a serving plate. Pour the sauce into a saucepan after straining it. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the sauce has been reduced to 1 cup. Keep warm by adding vinegar and honey. Preheat the oven to broil. Return the chicken to the roasting pan, skin side up, and broil for 2 minutes, or until the skin is crisp, 8 inches from the flame. Garnish with chives and parsley. Toss the chicken with the sauce and serve.

Zesty Braised Chicken With Lemon And Capers

Cook, occasionally stirring, until the garlic is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook, constantly stirring, until it has been reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Bring the stock, lemon zest, thyme, capers, and bay leaf to a boil. Return the skin-side up chicken to the pan. Place the skillet in the oven and cook for 45 minutes or until the meat is cooked. Return the skillet to the burner and cook for 5 minutes, or until the sauce has slightly reduced. Remove the thyme, bay leaf, and lemon zest before serving.

Chicken Katsu

Season the chicken thighs with salt and lightly pound them to a thickness of 1/2 inch. Season each pie plate liberally with salt before adding the flour, eggs, and panko. One piece of chicken should be dredged in flour and then tapped off the excess. Dip the chicken in the egg, allow excess to drip off, and coat with panko, pressing to help it cling. Place the chicken on a baking pan coated with wax paper. Carry on with the rest of the chicken.

One-Skillet Chicken With Buttery Orzo

In a comfortable and spectacular one-skillet dish, orzo is cooked in the drippings from roasted chicken thighs to start the week well.

Chicken Spiedies

It’s skewered, char-grilled cubes of marinated meat—chicken, hog, beef, or lamb—between a hoagie roll or a slice of fresh Italian bread. The zesty marinade has an Italian dressing flavor, and when grilled, it caramelizes quickly on the outside while remaining tender on the inside.

Chicken And Rice With Leeks And Salsa Verde

Lots of leeks cooked down till they’re delicious and jammy give this one-skillet supper a deep oniony taste. Freshen things up with a tart salsa verde packed with anchovies, garlic, capers, and a whole cup of tender herbs.

Chicken Thighs With  Burst Tomatoes, Harissa And Feta

Add the tomatoes, harissa, sugar, one sprig of oregano leaves, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the same pan. Don’t wipe it down; leave the brown pieces. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring and carefully breaking up the whole peeled tomatoes with a spatula or wood spoon, for 8–10 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened somewhat. Return the chicken thighs to the skillet, skin-side up, over the sauce. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 6–8 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of the thighs near the bone registers 165°F,) and the tomato sauce has thickened slightly.

Lemon Butter Chicken Thighs

White vinegar serves a dual purpose here, tenderizing chicken thighs while imparting a tangy flavor enhanced by a quick charred lemon–garlic sauce. The flavor of these baked chicken thighs is incredible.

Moroccan Chicken Brochettes

The best chicken on the barbecue is dark meat—ahem, thighs. Thighs have a lot of fat so that they won’t dry out like lean chicken breasts. Boneless thighs are marinated with garlic, cumin, and paprika, then grilled and served with warm pita bread, labneh, chopped tomatoes, a garlicky yogurt sauce, and aromatic fresh mint—this recipe by Anissa Helou.

Is It Better To Bake Chicken Thighs At 350 Or 400?

When baking chicken thighs at a higher temperature, the golden brown outer shell prevents the dark flesh from overcooking while also tenderizing the inside, making it even more tasty and tender. I like to roast chicken thighs for 35 to 40 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The best way to seal in the fluids and give it the golden exterior is to cook it at high heat. Temperatures between 400 and 450 degrees Fahrenheit are ideal! I frequently bake chicken thighs at 425°F (220°C), resulting in some of the most succulent thighs ever.

Why Do People Love Chicken Thighs?

Tenderness and flavor are lauded in chicken thighs, whereas lean flesh and minimal fat content are lauded in chicken breasts (white meat cut from the front of the bird). Thighs are less expensive and easier to cook than breasts because they don’t dry out as quickly. Because they are ‘black flesh,’ chicken thighs have a more robust flavor than chicken breasts. The excess fat, as well as the bone, provides flavor to the dish. Braise the bone-in thighs to bring out the taste of the bone marrow Fat is flavor, as any good cook knows, and there is yet another reason why thighs are superior to breasts. Chicken thighs are a fattier cut of meat than their white meat counterparts, so they’ll have a more robust, rich flavor.

Are Chicken Thighs Healthier Than Beef?

Chicken has fewer calories, less cholesterol, and less saturated fat per serving than beef. Due to its higher fat content, beef packs a powerful punch despite its lower calorie content! The most adaptive and versatile meat is chicken. While it is true that chicken has less saturated fat than beef, this does not necessarily imply that it is healthier. Fat is stored differently in chickens and cows and different areas of their bodies. A 3-ounce skinless chicken breast contains 140 calories, 3 grams of fat, and 1 gram of saturated fat. On the other hand, the same amount of chicken thighs has three times the fat and has 170 calories. Chicken thighs are a definite winner when it comes to flavor!

Can You Overcook Chicken Thigh?

It’s practically hard to overcook chicken thighs, which is one of their most underappreciated and underappreciated attributes. Dark meat is a thing of beauty! Unlike the second most popular chicken cut (breasts), thighs are very forgiving when cooking times. The golden rule of chicken cooking is not to overcook it. As a result, the meat becomes dry and leathery. Many of us overcompensate and suffer the price because undercooking is far worse. Carve a slash into a portion of the chicken thigh with a small, sharp knife. The meat is done when the juices run clear. If you see pink or crimson, they need to cook a little longer.

Conclusion

We tell you, if you’ve ever wondered what to do with chicken thighs! Chicken thighs are versatile and deserving of their time in the spotlight. Or, more accurately, their time on your stovetop, grill, or Instant Pot! Chicken thighs are substantial in protein and, while being “black meat,” are healthier than you might expect. The best part? They’re usually less expensive than chicken breasts, and they’re tastier.