These grilled boneless chicken thighs are juicy, tender and full of flavor. Their easy prep makes them perfect for outdoor entertaining. Serve them with anything you like!
If you are looking for an easy marinade for grilled chicken thighs, then you are at the right place. This simple blend of every-day ingredients adds a ton of flavor to the meat and when grilled to perfection, it turns these grilled boneless chicken thighs into a finger-licking dinner.
My recommendations for side dishes would definitely be Greek Salad or Creamy Cucumber Tomato Salad, Rosemary Parmesan Roasted Potatoes or Garlic Smashed Potatoes. But the best side dish is the one you like so if you have a favorite one, go ahead and make/buy it!
How to make grilled boneless chicken thighs
First get a bowl that is large enough to hold all the thighs. You can also use a Ziploc bag, if you like.
Then, add the ingredients for the marinade and mix well.
For these grilled boneless chicken thighs, I made a simple marinade with paprika, garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil and finely chopped parsley.
Then, add the thighs in and coat them in the mixture. Make sure all the thighs are well coated before covering the bowl with cling film or closing the Ziploc bag.
Let the meat rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before grilling. The longer you leave it in the fridge the better. You can also make the prep for these grilled boneless chicken thighs ahead of time and marinade the meat overnight, if you like.
How long to grill boneless chicken thighs?
It takes about 10-12 minutes for these grilled boneless chicken thighs to be ready. Now bear in mind that the time may vary slightly. This will depend on how thick the pieces are and also, on your grill.
If in doubt, please use a food thermometer to check if the thighs are ready. The internal temperature has to reach 165°F (75°C). Always make sure you check the thickest part of the meat.
Tips for making grilled boneless chicken thighs
- Marinade – at first, it may seem to you that there is not enough marinade. However, this amount is plenty for 1.5 up to 1.8 pound (800g) of thighs. This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled, if needed!
- Make sure to use all the ingredients for marinade – there is only a few of them so it’s important to follow the recipe for best flavors.
- Marinating – even though the prep takes literally minutes, you can still make it ahead and keep the meat in the fridge overnight. Also, the longer you marinate, the more intense the flavor.
- To keep the thighs warm until ready for serving wrap them in a tin foil (aluminum foil).
- If the grilling season is over but you still would like to enjoy these grilled thighs, throw them onto an electric indoor grill (also a panini press might do the trick)!
More recipes for grilling
- Grilled Turkey Kabobs
- Yogurt Marinated Grilled Chicken
- Honey Lemon Grilled Chicken
- Grilled Whole Fish
- Mediterranean Grilled Vegetables
Grilled Boneless Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
Recommended Products
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl (or a Ziploc bag), combine paprika, crushed garlic cloves, finely chopped parsley, salt, pepper and olive oil. Give everything a good mix.
- Add the chicken thighs and coat each one of them with the mixture. Make sure they are all well coated before covering the bowl with cling film (or locking the Ziploc bag). Refrigerate them for at least 30 minutes before grilling.
- Grill on both sides until they are nice brown and cooked through (see note 4).
- Best served right away!
Notes
- Paprika – either smoked or sweet can be used.
- I used 4 garlic cloves which was about 1 tablespoon of crushed/pressed garlic. It was the perfect amount but every garlic is different so you might like to adjust this the next time you make the marinade.
- Parsley – I use about 4 tablespoons of finely chopped parsley, but you can use slightly less or more, if you like.
- The time does not include marinating – count with at least 30 minutes.
- Please note that the cooking time may vary depending on the size of the thighs you use and on the heat in your grill. If not sure, always check with food thermometer first. Mine were ready in about 10-12 minutes.
- I used skinless chicken thighs. You can also use thighs with skin. If you do, I recommend grilling them the skin-side down first.
kate says
These photos are so mouthwatering!! This seems like the BEST dinner recipe for the summer, can’t wait to try it!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Yay! :)
Michelle says
I love that marinade! It sounds perfect, I can think of lots of ways I can use this over the summer. And your photos are stunning Julia, you really have captured this so well!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thank you, Michelle! :)
Jennifer says
What a delicious recipe! The marinade was delicious, and I’d like to make it again for a family dinner. However, like you said, the marinade needs all of the ingredients to bring the flavor. I have one family member who is allergic to paprika. Do you think oregano would be an ok substitute? I always have to make a separate dish.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Jennifer! You can use oregano. However, the final result will be different.
Sapana says
This looks perfect for summer!!
Caroline says
Those photos make this chicken look incredible! And the flavors sound delicious too – garlic is always good, of course, but paprika is also a bit favorite. Simple enough but sounds tasty.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thanks, Caroline!
Sue says
Saw this recipe pop up and we just happened to have boneless chicken thighs. So glad we gave it a try. Delicious and juicy. Definitely adding to our “favorite go-to’s”
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thanks so much for your feedback, Sue. Hope you will come back to check some more recipes!
Bonnie says
This recipe is amazing, it is so flavorable! My husband said it was good without hesitation. Thanks for the great recipe!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
You are welcome, Bonnie! :) And thanks for finding time to leave a comment. It means a lot!
Ma says
Can this be done in an Air Fryer?
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Ma. I haven’t tried it so I am afraid I won’t be able to help you here.
Tom Hornikel says
I grilled these the other night, and there were NO leftovers. Shame. I was curious how they would taste the next day. Perhaps I will just have to make more! I did do some substitutions. First, I used a mixture of Spanish Paprika and Cayenne Pepper (We like it spicy!). Silly me…I used up my fresh parsley, so I substituted Chervil, adding a dash of Oregano. The family LOVED this! I will be making this again.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thanks so much for finding time to write the feedback and letting us know about your substitutions, Tom! Hope you enjoy more recipes from our blog!
Karen says
Made these tonight. Usually not a fan of chicken (always too dry for me) but these were delicious! Perfect! My husband loooooved them, Can’t wait to make again. I served them with a salad and cauliflower mac and cheese. Thank you :)
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thank you, Karen for finding time to leave the feedback! Hope you find here more recipes you would like to try! :)
Hunter Burton says
Really good but just a tad too salty for me… I may have been too generous with it but will try 1/2 the salt next time. I also added 4 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar which was delicious but also could have heightened the salty flavor. Definitely going to try it again, thanks!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thanks for your feedback, Hunter. Using extra ingredients that contain sodium will definitely bring the level of saltiness up so you need to be careful when tweaking original recipes.
Alex Douglass says
I just made this and for like $12 i made 4 pounds of the most delicious chicken my family has ever tasted and was super quick and easy. Thank you i will be using this the rest of my life haha
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Yay! :) That’s excellent, Alex. Your feedback means a lot! Happy grilling :)
Marc F says
Very easy and tasty! Didn’t follow exactly because I was short on time. Used smoked paprika, garlic flavored olive oil and a little cayenne and splash of Chardonnay. Only marinated at room temperature for 15 minutes. The paprika does make an appealing appearance as shown in your photo. Looking forward to making again and marinating longer. Nice change from bbq sauce or Italian dressing style marinade. Thanks for sharing Julia!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
You are welcome and thank you for your feedback and rating, Marc! Hope you try some more recipes from our blog :)
Maria says
Made this tonight…it was amazing!!! Best chicken thighs ever!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Yay! :) Hope you find some more recipes on our blog that you would like to try!
Lindsey says
Tried this recipe this evening and it was delish! And I only marinated for about an hour- tons of flavor! Will definitely be making it again. Thanks for sharing
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thanks so much for your feedback, Lindsey. Hope you try some other recipes from our blog :)
Patrick Lacaire says
Best chicken thighs I’ve ever eaten, hands down major league yummage!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Yay! :) So happy to hear that, Patrick!
Kelly Clemmons says
Made these on sliders for our work crew, everyone raved, marinating more now!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
What a great idea, Kelly! Thanks for your feedback!
Leslie says
The thighs tasted like smokey ham! Excellent. I did change the recipe a bit….I used one Tablespoon of regular sweet paprika and one teaspoon of smoked paprika. I only used 1 teaspoon of the smoked paprika because it can be overpowering. I reduced the salt to a little more than a teaspoon (just because I could salt the chicken at the table if necessary which I did not need to…it was salty) and as I did not have any fresh parsley I used 2 Tablespoons of dried. I did let everything marinade overnight. Wow. Great flavor!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Leslie. Thanks so much for your feedback!
Tra says
Tried this recipe today and its awesome! Great flavor. Thank you!
T says
Delicious!!!
CDoyle says
This came out so amazing! My husband grilled it not knowing what was even on it. He tasted it once it came of the grill and was amazed at how good. I only marinated for 30 mins also so would just get better the longer you have to marinade!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thanks so much for your feedback! We love this simple marinade so it’s always good to hear when our readers love it too :)
A E Grim says
I was wondering what temp you used to grill the chicken thighs that have paprika. Thank you.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
I am not sure what the temperature would be as I only use a charcoal grill. However, I would go with about 400 Fahrenheit (200 Celsius). It’s best to check them – if they don’t start burning about 2 minutes into cooking, it’s should be a good indicator that the temp is not too high. Hope this helps.
Crystal Blankenship says
so do you close the grill or leave it open?
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Crystal. Either way is fine! It depends what you like. If you close the grill, it will cook a bit faster, but might not have the char. These grilled chicken thighs were cooked without a lid, as mine does not have one. Hope this helps!
carie murphy says
I am so glad I came across this receipe! We have made it several times. We even took it camping and it was amazing cooked over a camp fire! Thank you so much for sharing this one!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
You are welcome, Carie :) Thanks so much for your feedback!
Paula says
I made this marinade for my boneless chicken thighs last night and it was a win! Everyone ate it up and my son requested it for dinner again tonight! This is a nice, simple and super yummy marinade to have! Thanks!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thanks a lot for your feedback, Paula. Hope you try some other grilling recipes I have on the blog.
Donna says
Made this for dinner tomight. So easy and tasty! Will definitely make again. Served with grilled veggies.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Yay! :) Thanks for your feedback, Donna!
Beth says
Making this again tonight. Made it for a Dad’s day bbq and I didn’t get any but everyone Loved it. Can’t wait to try tonight. I used smoke paprika and dried chives ( instead of parsley) Thank you for the recipe
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
You are welcome, Beth! Happy grilling! :)