Make completely grilled hen thighs with this fast marinade that creates juicy, flavorful outcomes each time! This family-tested recipe works for each bone-in and boneless thighs and can change into your go-to summer season grilling staple.
Welcome to your new favourite dinner: juicy grilled hen thighs! Alex and I set about to create one of the best ways to grill thighs, and that is it. I’m speaking concerning the form of dish that makes your total household textual content you asking for the recipe! The key lies in my signature fast marinade that creates an unimaginable steadiness of tangy, savory, and smoky flavors.
You can also make both grilled boneless hen thighs or bone-in with this recipe, or a mixture of each. I just lately had the concept to serve this with creamy tzatziki sauce and pickled crimson onions and wow it was a really unimaginable summer season dinner. Listed here are all my ideas and methods for really the perfect ever grilled hen thighs!
Grilled hen thighs: boneless vs bone-in
To make grilled hen thighs, you’ll want 8 giant or 12 small for 4 servings. Many cooks and specialists say that hen thighs are the perfect reduce of hen, so that you’re in for a deal with! They’re fattier than hen breasts, which supplies them a extra intense, wealthy taste than the chicken. This recipe works for each grilled boneless hen thighs and bone-in, skin-on thighs:
- Bone-in, skin-on thighs have the perfect taste. While you cook dinner hen with the bone in, the flavors contained in the bone unfold out onto the meat, leaving you with a meatier, richer taste. The pores and skin additionally turns into crispy and seasoned.
- Boneless, skinless hen thighs additionally work, and are simpler to eat. In addition they style nice grilled, and take barely much less time to grill.
My sport altering marinade
My hen thigh marinade is what units these thighs other than something you’ve tried earlier than. As a substitute of a conventional liquid marinade that may slide proper off the hen, I created a thicker, paste-like combination that adheres to it. Right here’s what makes it so particular:
- Dijon mustard acts as each a taste enhancer and pure tenderizer, whereas additionally serving to the opposite seasonings follow the hen.
- Worcestershire sauce provides that important umami depth that makes folks say “what IS that incredible taste?”
- Recent lemon juice brightens every little thing up and helps break down the proteins for max tenderness.
- The spice mix of smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and dried thyme creates layers of taste that complement the hen’s pure richness with out overpowering it. I’ve discovered that this mixture works fantastically whether or not you’re serving the hen with Mediterranean sides like my Greek salad or going for a extra American barbecue vibe with coleslaw and potato salad.
Professional tip
When making use of the marinade to skin-on thighs, use your fingers to work a few of the combination below the pores and skin. This ensures the flavors penetrate the meat instantly, creating extremely well-seasoned hen all through.
How lengthy to grill hen thighs
How lengthy to grill hen thighs is dependent upon the scale of the thighs and whether or not they’re bone-in or boneless. At medium-high warmth, small hen thighs take 9 to 11 minutes to grill and enormous take 10 to 13 minutes to grill, with boneless on the shorter finish of every vary. Right here’s tips on how to grill hen thighs:
- Preheat a grill to medium-high warmth (375°F to 450°F).
- Grill the thighs clean facet down till grill marks seem and it releases from the grates, 5 to six minutes for small thighs and 6 to eight for giant thighs. Flip and cook dinner till the inner temperature is 165°F, 4 to five minutes.
- Take away to a platter and canopy with foil. Relaxation for five minutes for max juiciness.
A notice on natural hen
For this recipe, you’ll want 8 giant or 12 small hen thighs to serve 4 folks generously. I all the time purchase natural hen when doable—not solely does it style higher, however based on USDA requirements, natural hen is raised in additional pure situations and fed 100% natural feed with out antibiotics or hormones.
Serving strategies that wow
The fantastic thing about these grilled hen thighs is their versatility. Since that household dinner the place I served them with tzatziki sauce, I’ve experimented with mixtures. Listed here are my favourite methods to serve them:
For sauce choices, I like serving these with buffalo ranch for many who like a little bit warmth, or my home made honey mustard for a sweeter possibility. The cilantro lime dressing from my Mexican recipes additionally pairs fantastically with the smoky flavors.
Dietary notes
This grilled hen thighs recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free.
Regularly requested questions
Brining or marinating hen thighs beforehand helps lock in moisture.
Pat the pores and skin dry earlier than grilling and ensure the grill grates are clear. Begin by grilling skin-side down over direct warmth to render the fats and crisp the pores and skin, then flip and end cooking over oblique warmth.
In style marinade choices embody lemon-herb, honey-garlic, barbecue, and Asian-inspired flavors. You can even create your individual distinctive blends together with your favourite herbs, spices, and sauces.
Grilled Hen Thighs (Quick & Straightforward!)
Make completely grilled hen thighs with this fast marinade that creates juicy, flavorful outcomes each time! This family-tested recipe works for each bone-in and boneless thighs and can change into your go-to summer season grilling staple.
- Prep Time: half-hour
- Cook dinner Time: quarter-hour
- Complete Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Class: Predominant
- Technique: Grilled
- Delicacies: Grilled
- Weight-reduction plan: Gluten Free
- 8 giant or 12 small hen thighs, boneless skinless or bone-in, skin-on (about 3 kilos)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce or a1 sauce
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme (or dried dill)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme and kosher salt.
- Pat the hen thighs dry with a paper towel. Add the hen to a container and pour on the marinade. Use your fingers to evenly cowl the hen with the marinade. If utilizing skin-on hen thighs, ensure that to make use of your fingers to get the marinade below the pores and skin. Cowl and marinate within the fridge for at the very least half-hour whilst you preheat the grill, or as much as 8 hours.
- Preheat a grill to medium-high warmth (375°F to 450°F).
- Grill the hen thighs clean facet down till grill marks seem and it releases from the grates, 5 to six minutes for small thighs and 6 to eight for giant thighs. Flip and cook dinner till the inner temperature is 165°F, 4 to five minutes.
- Take away to a platter and canopy with foil. Relaxation for five minutes for max juiciness. Style and if desired, add a number of extra pinches of salt to style.