Are you still scared of chicken thighs, or do you think the chicken breast reigns supreme? Well, that ends today.

I’ve got four chicken thigh recipes that you need to add into your weekly rotation, especially if you’re into saving money. I think there are a lot of people that just don’t know how to cook chicken in general, and if that is you, then you need to start with the chicken thigh. It is a whole lot harder to mess that up than a chicken breast, and it’s a whole lot cheaper. If you’re looking for other simple and flavorful chicken dinners, check out this quick and easy homemade Bourbon Chicken recipe. I’m also giving you a different preparation for each recipe.

Crispy Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs

I’m gonna start with a recipe that shows you how to get that crispy skin with honey, garlic, chicken thighs. This is going to be your definite crowd pleaser. My kids love it. They will inhale it. You might want to double the recipe.

For this, I am using the bone-in skin on chicken thigh. This one we’re gonna cook in a skillet on the stove. This is honey, garlic, chicken, so you want to go kind of heavy on the garlic. I love this dinner because it’s so easy, like this is one you can do when you get home from work, because the prep is so minimal.

The best thing ever is crispy chicken skin on your chicken thighs.

Ingredients

• bone-in skin on chicken thigh
• half of an onion
• garlic
• salt
• pepper
• avocado oil
• honey
• soy sauce
• rice vinegar
• sriracha

Instructions

1. To get that, you need to pat them dry first.
2. Then to season our chicken thighs, all we need is salt and pepper.
3. You want to get a skillet, like medium-high heat, until it’s hot.
4. I’m going in with a little avocado oil.
5. Once we put this chicken in the skillet, do not touch it. Do not touch it. You’ve got time to go make a salad, a cocktail, whatever. The chicken will tell you when it’s time to flip. It’s sticking under, and that is when it releases easily from the pan. This step takes at least five to seven minutes, so do not rush that.
6. At this point, after we flipped it, we’ve only cooked it for another minute or two, and it’s not cooked through. We’re going to finish it in the sauce.
7. To the drippings, I’m just going to go in with my onion and garlic, and you’re going to cook that down until it’s all nice and soft.
8. We’re going to make our sauce, honey and soy sauce. And then I like to add in just a dash of rice vinegar also to cut some of that fat. And then not in the recipe, but to balance out some of that sweet, I like to add in a little sriracha.
9. Now we’re going to finish cooking our chicken in this. So I’m going to turn the heat down and just let that simmer until the chicken’s cooked through. Once you flip them, it only takes about 10 minutes, if that, because we cooked it for so long on the first side.
10. I’m just going to give it a quick toss in the sauce.
11. That’s it, dinner is served. Beautiful. Smells incredible. Oh yeah, look how juicy, oh my God. This is perfection, I can already tell you. I mean, it’s crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, as promised. Mm, that is a lot of flavor. And that sauce, be sure whatever you serve it with, noodles, rice, to absorb that goodness.

Braised Chicken Thigh Curry

This next one uses boneless, skinless chicken thighs. The recipe actually calls for boneless, skinless chicken breast, but I’m going to show you why you should use this instead. This one is more of like a simmered, braised situation. You run the risk of drying it out and overcooking it when you use the boneless, skinless chicken breast. That’s not going to happen here. And it’s just going to be more flavorful and it’s a cheaper way to make this recipe.

Since we use the skinless chicken thighs, you don’t have all that fat that’s accumulated on the bottom. So that’s why I used a nonstick skillet here.

Ingredients

• boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• salt
• pepper
• cooking oil
• onion
• ginger
• garlic
• curry powder
• cumin
• tumeric
• coriander
• cayenne
• water
• tomato
• whole milk yogurt
• cilantro
• fresh lemon juice
• garam masala
• grilled naan

Instructions

1. I am going to cut these in like half, all right.
2. Then we’re going to season them with salt and pepper.
3. This one starts like the last one, where we’re going to get it browned and flavorful in here and start to build our flavor base.
4. Same rule applies here. Don’t touch it. Let it get a good brown crust on the first side.
5. Then we’ll take it out.
6. I’m going in with some onion, ginger, and garlic.
7. Now is when I’m going to add in the spices, because they’re going to use the fat that’s in there and the heat. So they’re going to toast a little bit. So their flavors are really going to come out a lot more if you do this and cook them in with the onion and garlic for a little while. Going in with curry powder, some cumin, tumeric, coriander, and cayenne. Lots of strong, delicious flavors. So toast them for just about like 20 seconds or so,
8. Then we’ll add in water to lift up the flavor.
9. Then going in with some tomato.
10. What makes this dish so magical is the addition of whole milk yogurt. It adds tang, it adds creaminess. It’s just heavenly. You know that’s a lot of flavor in the pan.
11. I’m also going in with some cilantro.
12. I add the chicken back in, along with any juices.
13. Then I’m going to add in a little more water to thin the sauce out.
14. We’re just going to bring this up to a simmer and let it cook for about 20 minutes or so until that chicken is cooked through and everything comes together.
15. Flavor it up with some salt, and then we can check for seasoning again later.
16. The finishing touch is a little fresh lemon juice. You could also add in some garam masala at this point.
17. All right, let’s dish it up. A little more cilantro. And I like to also serve it with a little bit of grilled naan. See how tender that chicken is now? You can just cut it with a fork. Unbelievable. You taste the punch of flavor, like literally before it even gets into your mouth because you can smell it first. A little bit of tang from that yogurt, but it is so, the chicken is so tender and juicy. I don’t know why you would even make this with chicken breast. 10 out of 10. Maybe 12 out of 10.

Oven Baked Chicken Thighs with Veggies

This next one is a complete meal in one pan. It requires minimal effort and zero time at the stove. This is crispy and tender, easy oven baked chicken thighs. I’m taking this recipe and showing you a little hack on how you can create a whole meal in one pan. This is the meal you make when you come home from work and you really don’t feel like cooking.

Ingredients

• red bell pepper
• potatoes
• onion
• oil
• salt
• pepper
• garlic powder
• bone in skin on chicken thighs
• oregano
• onion powder
• smoked paprika

Instructions

1. Just put your veggies in the bottom of whatever dish you’re gonna cook in.
2. Add a little oil.
3. I always do a little salt, pepper, maybe a little garlic powder.
4. Get that a toss.
5. Then place the chicken right on top. This is bone in skin on because we want the flavor from the skin.
6. We’re going to pat these dry so that they do get extra crispy as crispy as possible.
7. I’m just going to mix up my spices before I spread them on just so they spread and incorporate more evenly. So I’m just going in with salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, a little onion powder and smoked paprika. (Apply spices to chicken)

8. You’re just going to pop this in the oven. I’m going 375°F. It’ll take about 45 minutes to an hour.
9. Look at the masterpiece we created. See this? They’re crispy. First thing I’m going to do is put some veggies on the plate. Chicken on there. And a little liquid gold. And how good does that look? Does it look as good as it smells? Cause I always shock it smell it in here. So tender. It’s like cutting through like butter. Do you see the juiciness right here? The chicken breast could never do that. The way those potatoes have absorbed that juice, it’s amazing. Winter, winter chicken dinner.

Turkish Chicken Kebabs

This recipe is the one you take out to the grill. Today we’re just going to grill inside. These are Turkish chicken kebabs. The key to this recipe is a long marinade in some whole milk Greek yogurt. This is really going to tenderize the chicken even though we know it already stays juicy.

Ingredients

• boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• Greek yogurt, about a cup
• garlic, a lot
• olive oil
• freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Aleppo pepper
• coarse salt
• cumin
• black pepper
• paprika
• cinnamon, a pinch
• skewers
• cucumber, tomato, salad

Instructions

1. Start with about a cup of Greek yogurt.
2. To that I’m adding in a lot of garlic. Shocker. And then you’re going to mellow out that tanginess with a little bit of olive oil. Going with some freshly squeezed lemon juice. Never put this ingredient in here, but I’m trusting the process. Aleppo pepper just offers nice flavor. It’s not a lot of heat. So if you don’t have this or don’t want to get it, I would just say leave it out. Coarse your salt. Cumin, black pepper, and paprika. Cinnamon is just a pinch. It’s just going to offer like a slight undertone of sweetness. That’s it, stir it up.
3. For this one I am using boneless, skinless chicken thighs. I’m going to cut these in half so that they thread onto the skewer a little easier.
4. Then we’re just going to toss our chicken into this marinade. We’re going to add this chicken into the marinade. You want to coat it really well and then let it marinate for at least a couple hours. The longer you go, the more flavorful it’s going to be. It’s going to be a good night. Our chicken’s been marinating for a couple hours. It even feels tender.
5. All right, now I’m going to thread it onto some skewers. I like to fold the chicken thigh over so that it is a little more substantial.
6. Okay, here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to put these kebabs down (on a grill or stovetop grill pan, preheated to medium-high heat) and you’re not going to touch them. After I flip them, I’m just going to turn it down just a little bit and then just turn them occasionally until they’re brown on all sides. Juicy, flavorful, charred, that’s what we like.
7. Now that is a feast. Fit for a queen. The smell, the look, everything about this is amazing before I even take a bite. So I’m like to serve this up with something fresh, like a cucumber, tomato, salad. Okay, here it goes. Mmm, that marinade is so good. You taste everything. Someone like the smoky flavor hits it. This is a winner, winner.

Shirley, I’ve convinced you to try one of these recipes and pick up a packet of chicken thighs next time you’re in the grocery store. You’ll save some money and thank me later. Because thick thighs saves lives. Thick thighs saves lives.

How I Choose Between These Four

I use the honey-garlic version when I want a sticky skillet dinner, the curry when I have time for a deeper sauce, the oven-baked version for the easiest cleanup, and the kebabs when I want charred edges. Whichever method I use, I check the thickest piece rather than judging doneness by color alone.

More Chicken-Thigh Ideas

For another rich skillet dinner, try my creamy bacon and mushroom chicken thighs. For a simpler oven method, see these crispy baked chicken thighs, or browse all chicken recipes.