How To Keep Boneless Chicken From Drying Out On The Grill
One of the best reasons that you should know how long to grill boneless skinless chicken thighs is because you dont want them to dry out.
Perfectly well-cooked chicken should be juicy and tender, but thats not going to happen if it is dried out. How you cook it is very important to ensuring that it doesnt become too dry.
The marinade you use is up to you, and you can make your own or buy one from the store. The most important thing, though, is that you let your chicken marinate for at least a few hours.
It would be ideal if you would let the chicken marinate overnight in the fridge. The chicken can be simply marinated by placing the boneless chicken breast into a bag with the liquid marinade and sealing that tightly.
Place that into the fridge, and it would be best if you can shake up the bag of marinade every few hours to ensure the chicken stays well coated. A proper marinating process helps your chicken to stay tender and well flavoured.
Spice Rub For Chicken Thighs
While the barbecue is getting ready, it is time to season the chicken thighs. You can do this up to an hour before you put them on the grill. First, mix the brown sugar and the spices in a small bowl. Once combined, sprinkle it on both sides of the chicken. Using your hands, pat the seasoning blend so it sticks to the chicken.
Add brown sugar to the 4 spices. Stir to combine into a sweet & spicy dry rub.
Press the sprinkled-on seasoning blend so it coats and sticks to both sides of the chicken thighs.
Barbecue Boneless Chicken Thigh Recipe
Chicken thighs are just so much more juicy and tender than chicken breasts, am I right??? These BBQ Boneless Chicken Thighs are one of our favorite ways to meal prep or just for an easy, delicious dinner.
You can make this chicken thigh recipe in the oven or on the grill, whichever you prefer. Both ways are going to make the most tender, juicy chicken thighs youve ever tasted!
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What Marinade Should I Use For Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
The marinade ingredients are super versatile and can be used to pair with tons of flavors. Its made up of olive oil, lemon juice, honey, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
To make the marinade, youll want to add everything to a sealable gallon bag or marinade Tupperware that has a lid, then mix together until its combined.
Once thats combined, add in the chicken thighs and seal then put in your refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or up to 12 hours. Leaving it overnight can work as well, but the lemon juice may start to break down the chicken.
Be sure to flip the bag or Tupperware at least once to make sure both sides get a chance to be covered in the marinade.
How To Grill Chicken Thighs On Gas Grill
- When youre ready to grill the chicken, brush the BBQ with oil, and then preheat the grill to medium . Pick up the chicken thighs with tongs or a fork, allowing any excess marinade to drip off. Place chicken thighs on BBQ and cook for 4 minutes until nicely caramelized.
- Flip chicken thighs, and then brush generously with reserved glaze. Cook for 4 additional minutes. Flip, brush with more glaze, flip again and brush with remaining glaze.
- Chicken is cooked when an instant read thermometer registers 170-175° F when inserted into the thickest part of the meat.
Keep scrolling for the full printable BBQ chicken recipe!
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How To Grill Chicken Thighs On A Gas Grill
What To Serve With Chicken Thighs
Here are some great side dish recipes that go well with grilled chicken thighs. Whether you want a salad, potato, vegetable, gluten-free, keto, or more all of these sides go well with barbecued boneless skinless chicken thighs. The simplest is some Instant Pot Steamed Broccoli but all of these are easy to make and yummy.
- Deep-Fried Sweet Potato Fries
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Juicy Barbecued Chicken Thighs Recipe
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My mom made these BBQ chicken thighs for Easter dinner and they were so tender and flavorful. Everyone was raving about the chicken. I literally overheard my mom get props for the chicken at least 5 times.
I jotted down the recipe before heading home and was craving this grilled chicken for the next few days. I re-created it just as soon as I could. I was really craving that chicken! I love that you can prep them ahead of time and just toss em on the grill when youre ready making them perfect for parties.
Youll want to marinate the chicken at least 6 hours and its best to let them marinate overnight. Im sharing the detailed grilling and baking methods for this chicken so read on. This is an easy, excellent recipe!
How To Bake Chicken Thighs In The Oven
The hot oven ensures chicken thighs are cooked evenly throughout, and sport a crispy skin to boot. Keep in mind that bone-in chicken thighs will take longer to cook than boneless chicken thighs, however, this method works well for all three types of chicken thighs you can purchase.
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How Long Does It Take To Grill Chicken Thighs At 400 F
Since boneless chicken thighs take less time and temperature to grill, 400 degrees Fahrenheit is a great grill temperature to start with. To cook them perfectly, you need to grill boneless chicken thighs for about eight minutes at 400 F.
The best way to grill boneless chicken thighs at 400 F is to put them skin-side down for about two minutes and then flip over. Itâs best to keep the skin side up for the rest of the grilling time, i.e., six minutes. If you keep the skin-side down for longer than two minutes, youâll get an over-cooked and crispier skin.
Itâs always best if you preheat the grill with its lid closed so that you can have the right temperature, that is, 400 F, before you put your boneless chicken thighs on the grill grates.
After eight minutes, remove your chicken thighs from the grill grates and allow them a rest time of around ten minutes before eating or serving.
Why Are Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs The Best Option For Grilling
Its that dark meat! Chicken thighs consist of dark meat which is richer in flavor and naturally stays moister than light meat when subjected to the aggressively dry heat of a grill. Plus thighs are more forgiving you can get away with slightly overcooking them and still get juicy results.
Having the skin and bones removed prior to cooking eliminates a few tricky variables like worrying about cooking the skin to crisp perfection and getting the ideal internal temperature with bones to contend with.
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How To Make Honey Grilled Chicken:
Lets divide the whole process into 4 simple steps:
Step 1 Make homemade grill seasoning
Like Ive said it is pretty simple and only takes a few minutes to make. You will need 4 spices + salt: Combine these in a small bowl and you are done. You can move onto the next step.
Step 2 Prepare honey lemon marinade
Now this grilled chicken also needs a good marinade like this one! In a bowl/zip-lock bag or a casserole dish mix together honey, olive oil, garlic and lemon juice. Thats it.
Step 3 Season + Marinate
Season each chicken thigh well and place them in the bag or bowl/casserole dish where you have the marinade. Close or cover with cling film and refrigerate for 3+ hours, for best results overnight.
Step 4 Grill
The grilling will take about 12-15 minutes per side when using bone-in chicken thighs. Check with thermometer or cut one thigh in half to see if it is cooked well .
Ingredient substitutions:
- Chicken thighs, bone in use boneless thighs. You could also use breasts or drumsticks but thighs are the best for grilling.
- Homemade grill seasoning if you have your favorite grill seasoning on hand, then go ahead and use that.
- Extra virgin olive oil vegetable or sunflower will work as well.
More grilling & chicken recipes:
How Long Should You Grill Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
When the boneless chicken thighs have no skin, the above-mentioned higher temperature is more likely to cause a burn. As a rule of thumb, whether you cook them at 400 degrees by setting an indirect heat zone on your charcoal or gas grill or directly at 325-350 degrees F, aim at taking your meats internal temperature to 160 degrees.
You can check the chicken thighs internal temperature through an instant probe thermometer. Itll take 10 minutes which will include flipping after every 2-3 minutes. This way, your chicken will also not lose moisture.
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Faqs And Tips For Making The Best Grilled Chicken Thighs
How long can I marinate chicken?
The ideal time for marinating chicken is anywhere from 12 24 hours. The longer you marinate the more flavor you will add to your chicken, but even 1 hour of marinating will make a huge difference in the flavor of the chicken.
What happens if you marinate chicken too long?
If you marinate chicken for more than 24 hours, it will eventually become tough and rubbery. For optimal texture, you want to marinate your chicken between 12-24 hours.
Do you rinse marinade off chicken before cooking?
You should discard marinade before cooking chicken, but you dont need to rinse it. Simply remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry with a paper towel before cooking.
How long should I grill boneless chicken thighs?
Boneless skinless chicken thighs generally take about 12 15 minutes to grill over medium-high heat, but that time can vary depending on the size of the chicken pieces.
What temperature should my grill be to cook chicken?
To prevent food borne illness always cook your chicken to an internal temperature of 165F.
How can you tell if chicken thighs are cooked?
I always recommend using a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of chicken thighs, but the chicken will no longer be pink in the center and juices should run clear.
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Tips And Tricks For Juicy Flavorful Poultry
Now that you know how to grill the best chicken thighs, here are a few tips and tricks for making them even more juicy and flavorful.
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How To Season Grilled Chicken
While you can always use a , 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 Deborahs Jerk Seasoning Mix looks like another great option too!
Dont 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.
Im not including spice amounts here, because its subject to a number of factors size of the chicken pieces, amount of meat youre 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 youve made this a few times, you wont even need to think about it.
How Do I Grill Chicken Thighs Without Burning Them
Heres a few tricks that may help you grill the chicken thighs without burning them:
- Youll want to keep an eye on the chicken thighs too since the marinade has honey in it. The sugars from the honey can burn, so moving it around away from the hottest point of the grill may help with that.
- Dont force the chicken to flip until its ready. If you try pulling the chicken off the grill, the outside can stick and burn.
- Use indirect heat rather than placing the thighs right over the flame source to ensure it cooks at a more even speed.
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How To Grill Chicken Thighs: Style And Seasoning
Part of what makes chicken such a popular grilling choice is its versatility. Used in almost every nation, chicken can be marinated, rubbed, basted, brined, or lightly seasoned in various combinations and traditions. A comparatively lean protein to beef and pork, chicken thighs have the perfect fat content for a moist texture that takes on all the seasonings characteristics.
One tip is to pat the chicken with paper towels once removed from the marinade. Marinades often have a lot of sugar content like brown sugar that can easily char and burn too quickly. A favorite option is to use a rub of spices before grilling, and then add your favorite barbecue sauce at the end for a little gorgeous color and caramelization.
What Temperature Should My Gas Grill Be For Chicken Thighs
If you are grilling boneless chicken thighs then your gas grill needs to be set to medium high heat, which is about 400 degrees. Place chicken thighs skin side down on oiled grates over lit side of the grill.
Close grill lid and grill until skin is crispy and chicken internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
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Questions About Grilled Chicken Thighs
How do you grill chicken thighs without drying them out?
Properly marinating chicken will help tremendously in keeping it from drying out on the grill. The marinade penetrates the chicken flesh and results in a tender, flavorful finished piece of chicken.
Do you close the grill when cooking chicken thighs?
Yes. Keep the grill closed except for when youre checking or turning the chicken. This helps prevent fluctuations in grill temperature.
At what temperature is chicken done?
Chicken is done at 165 F. Check with a meat thermometer to be sure. You might consider removing the chicken from the grill when the internal temperature has reached about 160 degrees. The temperature will continue to rise as it rests.
More Marinades Greek Recipes And Chicken Recipes To Try
- This Maple Teriyaki Marinade is a great easy marinade recipe to add to your list this grilling season.
- Our Greek Pizza is ready in less time than ordering take-out!
- This Favorite Garlic Marinade works with pretty much any protein.
- These Yogurt-Marinated Curry Chicken Thighs is another one of our delicious chicken recipes that is easy enough to serve for company. The lactic acid in the yogurt helps make them ultra-tender and they bake right in their marinade!
- Our Crispy Skin Chicken is an all-time favorite way to prepare chicken thighs.
- This Grilled Halloumi Salad is another healthy Greek recipe to try this summer.
- My Spanikopita Greek Spinach Feta Filo Pie is a great vegetarian option if you are planning a meal for a crowd.
- We used bone-in chicken thighs to make this Slow Cooker Cacciatore Recipe. They become meltingly tender in the slowly simmered pepper and mushroom sauce.
- Our lemon caper Chicken Piccata is a fan favorite and always a popular choice.
Thanks so much for reading. If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my free weekly email newsletter where I share weeknight meal plans delivered right to your inbox. Or follow me on . If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It is very appreciated. Happy Cooking! ~Katie
Keywords: Greek chicken, grilled boneless chicken thighs, grilled Greek chicken,greek chicken thighs,grilled chicken thighs
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