Grilled Boneless Chicken Thighs
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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 cucumber tomato salad, 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 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 chicken thighs ahead of time and marinate the meat overnight, if you like.
How long to grill boneless chicken thighs?
It takes about 10-12 minutes for these 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 pounds (800 grams) of thighs. This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled, if needed!
Make sure to use all the ingredients for the marinade – there are only a few of them so it’s important to follow the recipe for the 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
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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 the 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.
Delicious!!!
Tried this recipe today and its awesome! Great flavor. Thank you!
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!
Hi Leslie. Thanks so much for your feedback!
Made these on sliders for our work crew, everyone raved, marinating more now!
What a great idea, Kelly! Thanks for your feedback!
Best chicken thighs I’ve ever eaten, hands down major league yummage!
Yay! :) So happy to hear that, Patrick!
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
Thanks so much for your feedback, Lindsey. Hope you try some other recipes from our blog :)
Made this tonight…it was amazing!!! Best chicken thighs ever!
Yay! :) Hope you find some more recipes on our blog that you would like to try!
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!
You are welcome and thank you for your feedback and rating, Marc! Hope you try some more recipes from our blog :)
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
Yay! :) That’s excellent, Alex. Your feedback means a lot! Happy grilling :)
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!
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.
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 :)
Thank you, Karen for finding time to leave the feedback! Hope you find here more recipes you would like to try! :)
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.
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!
Can this be done in an Air Fryer?
Hi Ma. I haven’t tried it so I am afraid I won’t be able to help you here.
This recipe is amazing, it is so flavorable! My husband said it was good without hesitation. Thanks for the great recipe!
You are welcome, Bonnie! :) And thanks for finding time to leave a comment. It means a lot!
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”
Thanks so much for your feedback, Sue. Hope you will come back to check some more recipes!
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.
Thanks, Caroline!
This looks perfect for summer!!
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.
Hi Jennifer! You can use oregano. However, the final result will be different.
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!
Thank you, Michelle! :)
These photos are so mouthwatering!! This seems like the BEST dinner recipe for the summer, can’t wait to try it!
Yay! :)