14 Best Chicken Thighs Recipes
on Jul 11, 2022, Updated Nov 20, 2023
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Chicken thighs are juicy and tender as dark meat contains more fat than chicken breasts. They’re also more forgiving and less likely to overcook than chicken breasts. We’ve rounded up 14 of our favorite chicken thigh recipes for you to try. Whether you got bone-in or boneless, skin-on or skinless chicken thighs, you’ll find something you like in the list below.
Chicken Thigh Soup
A warm bowl of chicken thigh soup is the ultimate comfort food. It’s satisfying, healthy, and easy to make from scratch! With some easy ingredients, you can enjoy this delicious chicken thigh noodle soup for dinner tonight.
Sweet Hawaiian Crock Pot Chicken
If you’re craving sweet and sour chicken but don’t want to eat out, this sweet hawaiian crockpot chicken is the perfect recipe for you. It’s easily made in the crockpot, freeing up the amount of time you need to spend in the kitchen. It’s also easy to prepare, thanks to the boneless, skinless chicken thighs. We think your family will love the tropical pineapple flavor!
Oven Baked Chicken Thighs
Oven baked chicken thighs are crispy on the outside with tender dark meat on the inside. With a few tips and some simple ingredients, you can easily make delicious chicken thighs for a simple one pan dinner!
Crock Pot Chicken Thighs
These crockpot chicken thighs are the best you’ll ever taste – super tender and succulent slow cooker chicken thighs with amazing flavor. Serve with veggies and potatoes or rice, then drizzle the thick and delicious gravy on top!
Sweet and Sour Chicken
This sweet and sour chicken combines crispy chicken with chunks of onion, bell pepper and pineapple in a sticky homemade sauce. Serve it in rice bowls for a quick weeknight dinner. So much better than takeout!
Orange Chicken
This chinese orange chicken is made with crispy fried chicken coated in a sticky orange chicken sauce. Just like Panda Express but even better!
Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore
This easy and healthy crock pot chicken cacciatore is a tender and flavorful Italian chicken dinner recipe made in a slow cooker. Chicken thighs or chicken breasts are simmered in a rich and mouth-watering cacciatore sauce, absorbing all the delicious flavors!
Szechuan Chicken
Szechuan chicken is a delicious Chinese dish with the perfect combination of spicy, salty and sweet flavors. This easy Szechuan style chicken recipe tastes like your favorite Chinese takeout and is ready in less time. The best part, you can control the spiciness to make it mild or EXTRA HOT!
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
This slow cooker honey garlic chicken features succulent chicken thighs and vegetables in a sticky honey garlic sauce. It’s an easy crockpot chicken recipe that only needs 15 minutes of prep before the slow cooker goes to work.
Crispy Chinese Lemon Chicken
This lemon chicken is an easy and crispy Chinese chicken dish that’s sweet and savory, balanced with tangy flavor. It’s a perfect weeknight meal as Chinese lemon chicken can be ready in under 30 minutes, so much better than takeout.
Easy Lemon Chicken
A perfect lemony, garlicky and savoury sauce is insanely delicious and totally irresistible. I make this with shrimp, salmon, pork chops, salad, chicken thighs and chicken breasts! It’s so good and you will want to use it on everything.
Bourbon Chicken
This Bourbon Chicken has tender chunks of chicken coated in a sweet and sticky sauce. Common in Cajun-themed Chinese restaurants, you can easily make this dish at home in 20 minutes. Faster than takeout!
Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
This instant pot honey garlic chicken is quick and easy comfort food that will make your mouth water! Everyone will love its sweet and savory honey garlic sauce and juicy chicken thighs where the meat falls off the bone. A perfect weeknight dinner idea made in Instapot.
Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken
This crock pot teriyaki chicken takes less than 10 minutes to prepare and is incredibly delicious – tender and juicy chicken thighs are cooked in a mouthwatering sweet and savory teriyaki sauce.
Best Chicken Thighs Recipe Collection
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on (6-8 pieces)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce, low-sodium recommended
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons vinegar, white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 4 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- fresh parsley, minced – optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper until combined.
- Add the chicken thighs to the bowl and toss to coat thoroughly with the marinade.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes up to 8 hours.
- Place the oven rack in the upper-middle position. Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C).
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Then add a wire rack.
- Remove chicken thighs from the marinade and place on the rack with the skin side up, shaking off excess marinade. (Discard leftover marinade.)
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Broil for 2-3 minutes to make the chicken extra crispy and add a nice caramelized brown color.
- Garnish with optional parsley and serve.
Notes
- Recipe yield: 2 pounds or 6 bone-in chicken thighs are enough to serve 4 people.
- If you’d like vegetables with your meal, you can add broccoli, potatoes, carrots etc. to the pan for the final 20 minutes.
- You can double the marinade and reserve half for serving. Boil it in a saucepan and drizzle on the chicken when serving.
- Make-Ahead: you can leave the seasoned or marinated chicken thighs for as long as 12 hours or overnight before cooking.
- Storage: You can store cooked chicken thighs in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container. Otherwise, you can freeze them for up to 3 months. Reheat thawed chicken thighs for several minutes in a skillet or microwave.
- Leftovers can be used for chicken sandwiches and other lunch ideas.
Nutrition information provided is an estimate only and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods used.
