Simple Grilled Chicken Thighs
These simple grilled chicken thighs are marinated in the most delicious lemon, garlic, herb marinade. The marinade combined with grilling leaves you with a balance of juicy and tender thighs full of flavor. This is a summer staple, and so easy to whip together.
Serve with Light Creamy Cucumber Salad and Couscous Salad for a great meal that is light and refreshing.
Grilled chicken thighs are the perfect go-to meal all summer long. Here’s why:
- Easy To Make: Chicken thighs are easy to grill, and difficult to ruin. If you use a meat thermometer especially. They do not get as dried out as breasts, and they are rich and flavorful. Plus, this recipe is just a simple marinade that offers bold flavor.
- Great Protein Source: They are easy to find, nutrient dense, and a high quality protein option. This makes them the perfect summer meal for muscle repair after summer activities, and fueling your summer adventures.
- Versatile: You can add them to a salad like this Peach Berry Summer Salad to make it a complete meal, make it a wrap, toss chunks into pasta, or eat it as a grilled meat with sides. The options are limitless, and the flavors incredible. And they pair with just about everything, I love them with these Steamed Peas in Vinaigrette or served with Freezer Corn.
What You Need to Make Grilled Chicken Thighs
These grilled chicken thighs are simple to make, use common to find ingredients, and are easy and delicious:
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Lemon juice, fresh is best
- Dijon mustard- pick your favorite
- Honey
- Olive Oil
- Dried Basil
- Garlic
- Salt and Pepper
Recommended Equipment
- Traeger Wood Pellet Smoker Grill or Other Grill
- Grilling Tongs
- Large Bowl or Marinating Container
How to Make Grilled Chicken Thighs
These garlic, lemon, herby thighs are the perfect addition to any summer meal, and are so easy to make, here’s how:
Step One: Mix up Your Marinade
Simply combine the marinade ingredients and mix it all together. You can make a double batch and save half for later in a mason jar with a lid if you want!
Step Two: Coat Chicken Thighs
Once your marinade is ready to go, pour it over your chicken thighs in a large bowl, marinating container, or bag. And make sure each thigh is coated. Then let them marinate. Thirty minutes is sufficient, but up to 4-5 hours for even bolder flavor. You do not need to marinate longer, as this can start to break down the quality of the meat, as the acid from the lemon juice eats at the chicken.
Step Three: Grill Chicken Thighs
Grilling marinated chicken thighs yields a delicious, flavorful, and juicy result, so here is what you should know before popping them on the grill:
- Marinating Time: Allow sufficient time for the chicken thighs to soak up the flavors of the marinade. Ideally, marinate them for at least 30 minutes to 2 hours, or even longer in the refrigerator. If you can plan ahead that is best.
- Pat Dry Before Grilling: The flavors are huge, but you are going to get a better sear, and prevent flare ups on the grill if pat the thighs dry with paper towels before placing them on the grill.
- Preheat the Grill: You want your grill hot before you put the chicken on. This is how you get grill marks, and tender, juicy results. So ensure your grill is preheated to medium-high heat before adding the chicken thighs.
- Oil the Grates: While it shouldn’t be a problem, to prevent sticking, lightly oil the grill grates with a high smoke point oil, like vegetable before placing your thighs on.
- Indirect Heat: Because grills do not always heat evenly, and flare-ups happen, using indirect heat can produce great results. This means placing the chicken thighs on a part of the grill where there are no coals or burners directly underneath them. This allows for even cooking.
- Avoid Flare-Ups: If excess marinade or juices drip into the fire, this can cause flare ups, so keep an eye on the grill, and if there is a part that keeps flaring, move the thighs so they do not burn.
- Close Grill Lid: For more even cooking, keep the grill lid closed as much as possible during cooking. This helps retain heat produces better results.
- Use Thermometer: A meat thermometer is your best friend. An instant read thermometer like the Thermoworks Thermapen One will help ensure you never over-cook your chicken. Simply check the thickest part, and remove from grill when it reaches 165 degrees Farenheit.
Step Four: Rest Chicken Thighs
After grilling your thighs and reaching the right internal temp, remove from the grill, and let rest so the juices have a chance to reabsorb. This will result in tender, juicy, chicken.
Step Five: Enjoy!
Now it is time to eat it. Eat the chicken while it is still warm for best results.
Serve With
This recipe is so perfect for summer eating and I love pairing it with:
Tips and Tricks
Making this recipe is Eazy Peazy, but here are a few tips and tricks for the best results…
- Fresh Lemon Juice: Use fresh lemon juice in the marinade for better flavor.
- Marinate The Right Amount of Time: The acid in the marinade will help break down the fibers in the chicken, making it tender, but if you over-marinate it, it will result in mealy chicken. Not ideal. So only marinated 30 minutes to about 4 hours.
- Prep Grill: Clean your grates, oil them, and pre-heat the grill to the right temp for best results. And keep an eye out for flare-ups so you do not end up with burned chicken.
Make Ahead and Storage
How to make this recipe ahead of time:
- Mix up the marinade.
- Coat chicken in marinade
- Place in freezer safe container or bag.
- Freeze. Can freeze for up to 2 months.
- Defrost and cook as directed.
Other Great Recipes:
- Fettuccine Alfredo
- Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken
- Caprese Stuffed Chicken Breast Air Fryer
- Crock Pot Chicken Thighs
- Roasted Chicken Thighs
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Grilled Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken thighs boneless skinless
Marinade
- 4 Tbs lemon juice fresh
- 2 Tbs Dijon Mustard
- 2 Tbs Honey
- 2 Tbs Olive Oil
- 1 Tsp Dried Basil
- 1 Tbs Minced Garlic
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
Marinate Chicken
- Prepare Marinade: In a bag or bowl mix together marinade ingredients.
- Marinate Chicken: Place chicken into the bowl or bag, and coat chicken evenly with marinade.
- Let chicken rest in marinade for a minimum of 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.
Grill Chicken Thighs
- Preheat the Grill: Preheat your grill to medium-high heat (around 375-400°F or 190-200°C). Clean grates and lightly oil them to prevent sticking.
- Grill the Chicken: Remove chicken from the marinade, and place the chicken thighs directly on the preheated grill grates. Close the grill lid to allow the heat to circulate and cook the chicken evenly. Cook for about 4-5 minutes per side. Use tongs to flip the thighs halfway through the cooking time. The exact cooking time may vary depending on the thickness of the chicken thighs and the temperature of your grill.
- Check for Doneness: Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. The thickest part of the meat should reach 165°F (75°C). When it reaches this temp, remove the chicken from the grill.
- Rest the Chicken: Once removed from the grill and let them rest for a couple of minutes to allow the juices to redistribute.
- Serve and Enjoy: Serve the grilled boneless, skinless chicken thighs with your favorite sides, serve hot.
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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