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.
This is my favorite recipe. My 2 preschoolers love it too. Chicken thighs seem to be much more forgiving than breasts. Thanks so much!
Thanks so much for your feedback, Julie!
This is real keeper recipe! It is easy and tastes sooo good. I rarely leave comments for recipes but had to for this one.
these are delicious!
Made this for my meal prep for this coming week of work.
I am happy as can be with how it came out. Nice and smoky and savory. The only thing I changed was adding maybe half a teaspoon of onion powder, and about a tablespoon of fish sauce to the marinade.
I will definitely be making this again.
Thanks for your feedback, Charles! Happy Grilling! :)
Well this was my first time trying one of your recipes. This was delicious and so simple to make. I grilled it with corn on the cob and broccoli for a nice tasty meal.
Thank you for your feedback and rating, Jennifer! Grilled corn on the cob is our favorite side as well to these grilled chicken thighs :)
This recipe is amazing. Has anyone tried it with B/S breasts? I’m trying it tonight.
Tried these the other night and they were amazing! I only had a half hour to marinate and they still tasted as if they had marinated for much longer. The spice of the chicken paired perfectly with my homemade coleslaw for the perfect summer meal. Awesome recipe!
Thanks so much for finding time to leave the feedback and rating, Shelley! Hope you try some more recipes from our blog :).
Really enjoyed this meal! The potatoes with the tomato cucumber salad were the perfect accompaniment!
My husband is European so enjoyed the spices as did I!!
Thanks for your feedback Cherie!
Can this marinade be used on shrimp and pork?
I haven’t tried but I don’t see a reason why not. However, with shrimp I would perhaps be careful with the amount of salt used. Perhaps try using slightly less at first.
This is truly the best grilled chicken thigh marinade EVER! Quick, easy, and oh am delicious!!
Thank you so much for your feedback, Fran! Hope you try some more grilling recipes from our blog :).
I don’t generally leave comments. But this was fantastic. So easy, and the chicken came out great after marinating overnight.
Thanks so much for your feedback, Cheryl!
Would bone-in skinless chicken thighs work with this recipe. If so, how much cooking time would be required.
Hi Lee. I have to say that we have tried grilling bone-in skinless thighs and were not happy with results. It took forever to cook them and because there was no skin on, they also started burning. So I would suggest either using skin-on or boneless (as these will cook quickly and won’t dry out). Hope this helps!
I’m eager to try this for a family gathering at the end of the month. Can I grill them the day before and reheat in the oven or will they be too dry?
Suzie, these taste best right off the grill. We often eat them the following day but only as leftovers. Now that being said I would suggest to give it a test in advance to see if you like them reheated. Hope this helps a bit.
Easy and amazing! My husband, preschool kids, and I all loved it.
Thanks so much for your feedback, Julie!
I just made these thighs for dinner tonight. Oh my goodness they are so flavorful and I loved the beautiful tasty char on these. So easy too. Maybe next time I might try adding a little sweetness perhaps honey.
Thanks for your feedback, Terry! Hope you try some more recipes from our blog. Happy Grilling!
Is it possible to use dried parsley flakes instead of fresh?
Yes it is. I am not sure how much you would need to use but I would say be generous with it :)
I was looking for a quick dinner to put together and stumbled across this one. It is very rare that I make a dinner that all three of my kids like, and they all have already asked me to make it again. It was easy and delicious, definitely a win win! Thank you so much for an easy dinner!!
This has become a family favorite. We have made this several times using paprika and all I can say is if you plan on making it make extra as it will disappear fast! An ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL RECIPE!! Thanks for sharing!
Excellent. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
You are welcome, Betsy!
These were amazing! My picky teen actually gave me (you) a compliment and ate her entire plate! I used regular paprika this time but using smoked paprika sounds good too so I’ll try that next time – thank you :)
You are welcome, Michelle. Thanks so much for finding time to leave the feedback!