The chicken thigh crock pot recipe is perfect if you want a quick and delicious dinner that tastes like spending hours in the kitchen. This tasty thigh can be seared or seasoned in oil and baked in the crockpot until tender and juicy. Serve these thighs with rice, noodles, or steamed veggies for a complete meal. If you don’t want to cook the thigh the whole way through, you can always broil the skin to give it a crispy coating.
There are many delicious chicken thigh crockpot recipes to choose from. This dish is versatile, and it can be served over white rice, noodles, or even zucchini. Some of the more unusual crockpot chicken thigh recipes use vegetables and mushrooms. Other popular options for crockpot chicken thighs are lemon-flavored, garlicky, and peppery. You can also serve this delicious dish with mashed potatoes, rice, spiralized zucchini noodles, and pasta.
Chicken Thigh Nutrition Facts
What are Exactly Chicken Thighs?
Because of their flavor and tenderness, chicken thighs are the favorite dark meat poultry cut among chefs and home cooks alike. Chicken thighs are a tough cut because dark meat contains more tendons, but they contain more fat than white meat; they become tender and juicy when cooked properly. They have more flavor than white meat as well.
Bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs, bone-in and skinless chicken thighs, and boneless and skinless chicken thighs are all available. All three dishes are ready to eat right out of the package. Bone-in chicken thighs are about a third of the price of boneless, skinless chicken breasts per pound. Thighs without bones cost a little more, but they’re still less expensive than breasts.
How to Make Chicken Thigh Crock-Pot?
Chicken thighs cooked in the crockpot make a delectable dish ideal for busy weeknights or lazy weekends! A slow cooker hit is a juicy chicken coated in a thick, rich sauce flavored with garlic, honey, and soy sauce.
Ingredients
- Eight bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- One tablespoon of olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup honey
- Three tablespoons of minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- One teaspoon of dried parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon dried mustard
- Two tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley – optional
Instructions
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Heat olive oil in a cast-iron skillet or heavy bottom pan. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and sear, skin side down, until golden. Remove the chicken from the pan and place skin side up in the crockpot.
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Add ketchup, soy sauce, honey, garlic, onion powder, dried thyme, parsley, and dried mustard to a medium-size bowl. Whisk together and pour over the chicken. Place lid on the crockpot and cook on high for 3 hours or LOW for 5 hours until the chicken is done and the sauce has thickened.
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Remove chicken and place on a serving dish. Spoon over the sauce from the bottom of the crockpot, sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve.
Taste
Chicken thighs are more flavorful than white meat and are tender and moist without overly fatty or oily. The meat has a mild flavor when compared to duck and game meat. The skin can be crisped in the oven or on the stovetop in addition to the succulent meat.
More Flavorful
Fat is flavor, as any good cook knows, and this 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 intense, rich flavor. Chicken thighs will always produce a richer, more flavorful product, regardless of cooking.
Skin-on chicken thighs are more common than skin-on chicken breasts, which are hard to come by unless you buy your bird whole and break it down. If you’re worried about calories, remember that chicken is chicken. I’m not a nutritionist, but chicken is chicken. Although more fat equals more calories, life is meant to be lived, and chicken thighs are eaten.
Can you Overcook Chicken Thighs?
It’s nearly impossible to overcook chicken thighs, which is one of their most underappreciated qualities. Dark meat is a thing of beauty! Unlike the other most popular chicken cut (breasts), thighs are very forgiving when cooking times.
Don’t worry if you let them cool for a few minutes after they’ve reached 165°F; you’ll still have juicy, succulent chicken, and no one will know they were slightly overcooked. Breasts, on the other hand, will make sure that all of your guests know that you overcooked them by a minute.
After a few minutes of cooking, they can go from tender and flavorful to bone-dry and plain sad. Start with thighs if you’re hesitant to cook chicken because you’re worried about cooking times.
How to Buy Chicken Thighs?
Depending on the cut of chicken thighs you buy, they can be a great value. Choose the cut that is most appropriate for your dish or your budget. Keep in mind that the price of chicken thighs goes up a few cents per pound for every cut or trim the butcher has to make.
Although bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs are frequently the cheapest, chicken skin can add a lot of fat and calories to your diet. Cook the chicken thighs with the skin on for flavor without the fat, then remove it before serving. Bone-in thighs will also take longer to cook, and the bone slows the rate at which the meat heats up.
The most expensive chicken thigh option is usually boneless, skinless chicken thighs. This is because the butcher must put in extra effort to prepare it. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs, on the other hand, are a weeknight dinner dream: they cook quickly (about 15 minutes total) and add tons of flavor to any dish.
In terms of price, bone-in, skinless chicken thighs are in the middle of the two options, but they’re a great choice for the health-conscious eater. These take longer than the boneless option because of the bone, but the thigh helps retain moisture.
Are Chicken Thighs Healthy?
Many people find it difficult to consume nutrient-dense and cost-effective foods. While chicken thighs contain more fat and cholesterol than chicken breast meat (3 grams total fat and 0.7 grams saturated fat per 3-ounce serving), both can easily fit into the Dietary Guidelines for Americans’ fat intake recommendations. This ranges from 20% to 35% of total calories from fat, with saturated fat accounting for 10% or less of total calories.
Furthermore, chicken thighs are often a more cost-effective alternative to other meat or fish products, making them an excellent source of protein for those on a tight budget. Protein-rich foods can help you achieve your weight-loss goals and maintain your bone health, among other things.
Finally, chicken thighs can be a healthy addition to your diet if prepared properly. Try grilling, baking, or stir-frying chicken thighs instead of frying them if you’re trying to cut down on your fat intake. Also, pay attention to the amount of sodium you use when cooking. Herbs and spices are a great way to add flavor to a dish without adding salt. To balance out the nutrition and give your meal more staying power, serve chicken thighs with whole grains and vegetables.
Storing Chicken Thighs
Chicken thighs can be kept in the fridge for up to three days in their original packaging, depending on the use-by date. Use fresh thighs as soon as possible for the best results. Cooked chicken thighs can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for two days.
Chicken thighs can also be frozen for later use. Wrap each breast in plastic wrap or foil and place in a freezer bag, removing all the air. You can keep it frozen for up to six months. Before using, thaw frozen thighs in the refrigerator overnight.
Conclusion
To make your crockpot chicken thigh recipes extra special, you can buy bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. If skin-on chicken thighs are unavailable, skinless thighs can be substituted. Just make sure they’re seared before putting them in the crockpot. Aside from skin-on chicken thighs, you can spice up your crockpot chicken thigh recipes with smoked paprika, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes.
You can make this dish with boneless chicken thighs, which are becoming more difficult to come by these days. Bone-in thighs can be substituted, but be sure to skin them first. Furthermore, bone-in chicken thighs take longer to cook; it’s best to start with them in a skillet and then finish them in the slow cooker. You can also add a splash of vinegar to the sauce for a tangy flavor. To make the sauce even spicier, you can add sriracha or brown sugar.
