Juicy, flavorful grilled chicken thighs are perfect for a quick dinner or as a potluck main dish for a crowd.
Much like the way we enjoy Last Minute Chicken, grilled chicken is a staple on our menu plans. I typically plan to grill on Sunday afternoon and that gives us plenty of leftovers for a couple more days as well.
Serve the chicken as simple or as fancy as you like. With a bag of chips and some ranch dip and fresh vegetables, you can have a meal on the table in less than 20 minutes most of the time.
When I plan ahead, I like to make a potato salad or pasta salad to serve with the grilled chicken, along with some watermelon in the summer time.
How To Season Grilled Chicken
While you can always use a marinade, (and I do have several that I love) my go-to method of seasoning grilled chicken is with a generous sprinkling of spices.
Cajun Seasoning and Taco Seasoning are the two spice blends I reach for most often. However, a combination of Crazy Salt and Italian Seasoning is also delicious.
My friend Deborah’s Jerk Seasoning Mix looks like another great option too!
Don’t have a spice blend ready to use? Just sprinkle each piece of chicken with salt, pepper, garlic, and paprika for an easy and very tasty option.
I’m not including spice amounts here, because it’s subject to a number of factors – size of the chicken pieces, amount of meat you’re cooking, how spicy you like to make things etc.
You just want to sprinkle the spices generously enough to cover each piece without coating it completely and causing it to become salty.
Once you’ve made this a few times, you won’t even need to think about it.
Chicken For A Crowd
This isn’t a recipe where you need to worry about overcrowding. The chicken will cook beautifully whether it’s just a few pieces or when the grill is filled to capacity.
We typically grill at least 10 pounds of chicken each time we grill. Any leftover chicken can be eaten as is for lunches or broken down for other chicken recipes.
I grilled extra chicken last week for a giant pan of Chicken Tetrazzini. Grilled chicken is also great in Green Chile Enchiladas, BBQ Chicken Stuffed Potatoes, and Baked Potato, Chicken and Broccoli Casserole.
How To Know When Chicken Is Done
Chicken should not be dark red or look raw inside when it is done cooking. However, color does not indicate doneness. The USDA has said that even fully cooked poultry can sometimes show a pinkish tinge in the meat and juices.
I highly recommend using a meat thermometer for checking the internal temperature of your chicken.
It’s the easiest and most foolproof way to determine whether or not your chicken is done (and is safe to consume). A meat thermometer can also prevent overcooking your dish resulting in tough, flavorless chicken.
Chicken should be at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit to be safe to eat, so you will know without a doubt when the chicken is done.
Cook’s Note : I like to remove the skin from chicken thighs prior to grilling. It is not a requirement though, the chicken will cook just great with the skin on.
However, the spices absorb so nicely throughout the chicken without the skin and I prefer it that way.
It’s a well-established fact that I love crispy pan fried chicken or oven baked chicken complete with the skin, but when it comes to grilling chicken? Skinless is my favorite.
How To Grill Chicken Thighs
- Preheat the grill for medium-high heat, about 350°F – 375°F.
- Cook the chicken over the heat for 4 minutes per side, until the pieces turn golden and grill marks appear. The lid should be closed throughout the cooking process.
- Flip the pieces once more and turn heat to medium-low, about 300°F, for 3-5 minutes, or until the chicken has cooked through and the internal temp is 165°F.
- Let the chicken rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.
How To Grill Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
Cook the meat 6 minutes on each side. Check for doneness. Cook an additional 2-4 minutes, only as needed.
How To Grill Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 6-8 bone-in chicken thighs about 3 pounds (skin removed if desired)
- kosher salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- additional seasonings of your choice see above
Instructions
- Preheat the grill for medium-high heat, about 350°F – 375°F. Sprinkle the chicken generously with spices on both sides of each piece.
- Cook the chicken over the heat for 4 minutes per side, until the pieces turn golden and grill marks appear. The lid should be closed throughout the cooking process.
- Flip the pieces once more and turn heat to medium-low, about 300°F, for 3-5 minutes, or until the chicken has cooked through and the internal temp is 165°F.
- Let the chicken rest for at least 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
BB says
This chicken is fantastic! The method is so simple, but it turned out perfectly.
dave Laird says
big fan of chicken thighs.
today -chicken breast strips – soaked over night in buttermilk ( it hurts me b/c i so like to drink buttermilk). strips were seasoned with garlic powder and Slap your mama seasoning.
will be put in a gluten free flour then air fried and stove to fried.
Mary Younkin says
That sounds tasty, Dave!
Trish says
This is PERFECT chicken. Oh my gosh, we love it!
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad you’re enjoying the chicken, Trish!
Debbie says
This is how we grill our chicken every time now. Your Cajun spice mix rocks, BTW.
Mary Younkin says
I’m so happy to hear that, Debbie! We LOVE that seasoning mix so much.
Robert Delco says
Unbelievably bad recipe. The thighs were barely cooked and you could tell they were undone just from touching them, despite following all the instructions. Not only is this dangerous, but offensive as it’s a complete waste of time and resources. I actually cooked them a little longer than called for and they were still completely raw in the center. I’m finishing them off in the oven. Shame on you.
Mary Younkin says
Hi Robert, it sounds like your grill may not have been hot enough. (Or perhaps your chicken pieces were significantly larger? 6-8 bone-in chicken thighs is typically about 3 lbs for us.) We’ve been using this same method for grilling chicken for years now with great success. The chicken is cooked through every time.
Joey Krup says
Just because you don’t know how to pre-heat a grill doesn’t mean that this recipe is incorrect.
It specifically states to heat chicken to 165… do you not have a meat thermometer?
Shame on you.
Kim says
The recipe actually recommends cooking Boneless thighs longer than bon-in. In what universe does that work?
Mary Younkin says
The biggest factor to remember is the internal temp should be 165. Follow that as your guide and adjust as needed depending on your grill.
Cody says
Gas or charcoal? U live roughly at the same altitude as the author of recipe (because that does matter)? Or did u read all the instructions begore commenting? I.e. cook to 165 as directed. Also, the side note says boneLESS thighs grill for 6 min each side + 2-4 min if needed. Im just going to Assume you gave 1* BEFORE reading all the instructions.
chris says
Chicken thighs are a favourite of mine.
Today: chicken breast strips steeped in buttermilk overnight (which pains me since I love buttermilk). Garlic powder and Slap Your Mama spice were used to season the strips.
will be dredged in gluten-free flour, then air fried and fried on the stove.
Mary Younkin says
That sounds tasty, Chris!
chris says
I’m a huge admirer of chicken thighs.
Today: chicken breast strips steeped overnight in buttermilk (this kills me because I love buttermilk). Garlic powder and Slap your mom spice were used to season the strips, ,
will be coated with gluten-free flour before being air-fried and stove-fried.
Hallie says
I made it at home according to your instruction. An easy, simple, and tasty recipe, many thanks.
James Thompson says
This is a very good recipe.
Mary Younkin says
Thank you so much, James. I am glad you enjoyed it.
George Dobrescu says
Hi there,
If you the chicken tights 4 minutes one side and 3-5 minutes on the other side ant rest for 5 minutes, you’ll eat chicken sushi.
Is not enough time to grill chicken in 10 minutes, no no no.
Mary Younkin says
The recipe is 4 minutes per side on Med-High, then a final flip and grill for an additional 3-5 minutes. I also say to use a meat thermometer as no two grills are alike and say to adjust as needed to get to a final temp of 165.
Wes says
As some others have suggested, this is not nearly enough time. Make sure you use a thermometer, because if you follow the instructions, your chicken will be undercooked.
Mary Younkin says
Yes, Always use a thermometer and check doneness.
Cody says
Perfect thighs even with differnt marinade/seasoning 🤙. Gotta love being able to set a timer so you can hangout and drink with everyone without burning anything. Lol
Mary Younkin says
I’m happy you loved the chicken thighs, Cody. Enjoy, and happy cooking!
Jeremiah J Reidy says
recommendation for cook time is off by about 25 minutes,
Mary Younkin says
Hi, Jeremiah! Did you make any substitutions/changes to the recipe? And what grilling method are you using? That’ll have a huge impact on the end result.
maggie says
what seasoning did you put on this ? looks v yum and want to try!
Mary Younkin says
Hi, Maggie! I typically use either Cajun Seasoning or Taco Seasoning when we grill, but I’ve been known to use just salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic in a pinch. However you season the recipe, I’m sure it will be delicious.