Grilled Chicken Thighs

These are the best Grilled Chicken Thighs – they are quick, easy, and loaded with flavor! These bone-in chicken thighs are juicy and perfect for a quick dinner recipe. They’re seasoned with a simple sweet and smoky dry rub and they only take 30 minutes!

While these grilled chicken thighs make a stellar meal all on their own, don’t forget to pair them with a nice side of grilled vegetables or grilled sweet potatoes. These are so great to make for a nice weekend meal or even a fun snack to enjoy while watching the big game!

Get ready to devour these grilled chicken thighs because they’re just so good! The dark meat of the thighs is so tender and juicy plus perfectly seasoned with a few pantry staples that come together to give them an amazing flavor!

We use bone-in thighs for the best flavor – the bone helps distribute the heat while they’re grilling so the meat cooks evenly and is juicy and tender. Chicken thighs grilled to perfection are not out of reach!

We love that you can have this chicken thighs recipe done on the grill in 30 minutes! It’s a great weeknight meal. Another one of our favorite easy chicken dinners on the grill is Pineapple Chicken!

Why You’ll Love Grilling Chicken Thighs

• Cooked on the grill, so juicy and tender!
• Using an easy dry rub gives them so much extra flavor!
• Did we say, dinner in 30 minutes? High five for an easy dinner your family will love.

Ingredients for Grilled Chicken Thighs

• Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs – you can also use boneless chicken thighs, but be sure to reduce the grilling time. They don’t take as long.
• Rub – A mix of brown sugar, smoked paprika, salt and garlic powder. Or grab a bottle of our famous BBQ Chicken rub made similarly to the rub in this grilled chicken thighs recipe with the addition of cumin and ginger.

How To Grill Chicken Thighs

• Make Seasoning – Using a small bowl, combine all the spices together to make the seasoning.
• Seasoning Chicken Thighs – Trim any excess skin and fat from the thighs and blot dry with paper towel. This will give you that crispy skin so don’t skip this step! Then rub the entire thigh with the seasoning mixture.
• Grill – Once the gas grill is preheated to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, place thighs skin side up on the grill grates and grill for 10 minutes before flipping and grilling for another 10 minutes.
• Rest – Once the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees Fahrenheit, you can remove the chicken pieces from the grill and let the chicken rest for 5 minutes. This lets the juices redistribute in the chicken and gives you that juicy chicken thigh you want! Don’t skip this step.

How Long to grill bone in chicken thighs?

Starting with a hot grill, we grill each side of the chicken thigh for ten minutes. This can be different for different sizes of thighs, so be sure to use your meat thermometer. Chicken must reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit to be eaten safely.

Boneless will cook more quickly, so keep a close eye on the temperature to avoid drying them out or burning them.

Boneless or Bone-In Chicken Thighs?

Either will work for this recipe! We prefer the bone-in chicken thigh because we think that it gives it more taste and the end result is juicier, but boneless chicken thighs are great too.

Remember bone-in chicken thighs will take a few minutes longer per side to cook than boneless chicken thighs so if you use boneless, check the temperature before the 10 minutes is up on each side.

Do you grill chicken thighs skin side up or down?

For this grilled bone in chicken thigh recipe, we start with the skin side up. This will allow the fat to drip down the chicken as it cooks, making it so flavorful!

Add BBQ Sauce!

Sometimes to mix it up, we give our chicken thighs a coating of barbecue sauce at the end. The result is perfect sticky sweet chicken thighs with so much flavor.

At the end of grilling, the chicken thighs make sure the skin is up and baste them with barbecue sauce. Then close the grill lid and let them grill over indirect heat for a few more minutes until the sauce is caramelized.

What Temperature Should Chicken Thighs Be Grilled To?

The internal temperature of the chicken thigh needs to be at 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Insert the thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh to check the temperature. Make sure to use an instant read thermometer to check this.

I’ll be honest, I usually cook them until they are close to the 180-190 degrees Fahrenheit. That gets rid of any of that bloody tissue around the bones and they are still juicy and delicious!

Serving Suggestions

There are so many side dishes that you can serve alongside this dish.

• Think Grilled Cauliflower, Grilled Zucchini, or even Grilled Sweet Potatoes.
• And if you’re craving something sweet, whip up a batch of Grilled Pineapple as well!
• A side of potato salad is always a great idea!

How to Store Leftover Chicken Thighs

Let the chicken cool completely then place in an airtight container. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

You can also freeze the cooked chicken if you have a lot of leftovers. I recommend shredding it off of the bones and then freezing in an airtight container or zip top bag. Thaw in the fridge overnight.

What to Do with Leftover Chicken Thighs?

Don’t worry if you have leftovers because there are so many ways to repurpose them. In fact, sometimes we double this recipe so we have leftovers. It’s a great way to meal prep for lunches during the week.

• Make a Chicken Salad: Just shred the leftover meat and discard the bones. Then use it in your favorite salad.
• Make Pulled Chicken Sandwiches: Shred the meat again and warm with BBQ Sauce. Pile on top of a bun and you have an easy BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich which is perfect for busy nights.

These grilled chicken thighs smell amazing while they’re grilling and every bite is so juicy and full of flavor! We make them all year, but they are a must for summer grilling. Don’t miss out – give them a try this week!

More Easy Grilled Chicken Recipes!

Here are a few more easy chicken recipes we love!

• Pulled Chicken Sandwiches are made with grilled boneless skinless chicken thighs and a root beer BBQ sauce!
• Teriyaki Chicken is so easy to make with my quick teriyaki marinade made with soy sauce, spices, and brown sugar for a sweet, tangy, savory flavor.
• Bruschetta Chicken is a quick and healthy recipe using chicken breasts topped with homemade bruschetta!
• BBQ Chicken is slow cooked on your grill and covered in BBQ Sauce!