Grilled Chicken Thighs Recipes

GRILLED CHICKEN THIGHS ON A GAS GRILL

Steps:

• Start the skin-on bone-in chicken thighs and seasoning of your choice.
• Preheat grill to 450° surface temperature. That is medium to medium-high heat on most grills. Use the entire grill surface. Clean and oil grill grate well.
• While the grill is preheating, trim the thighs of any trim-able fat and extra skin and allow them to rest at room temperature until the grill is ready.
• Before placing on the grill, give all sides a sprinkle of salt and pepper to your taste. I use my Homemade Seasoning, which is salt, pepper, and garlic powder. But season to your liking. If using skinless thighs, give them a light brushing of vegetable oil.
• Using only half the grill surface, place on the grill over direct heat with skin side UP. Grill for 5-6 minutes, then flip onto the other side of the grill and skin down. Grill for about 4 minutes with the skin down. Continue to go back and forth between sides of the grill and skin up and down with the same timing. If using skinless thighs, you can grill both sides for 5 minutes until done but do alternate sides.
• Grill to 180°-185° internal temperature-about 25 minutes, but this will vary some with your exact grill surface temperature, the temperature of the thighs, and thickness. Boneless will be faster and tend to be thinner, so start checking at 15 minutes.
• Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

GRILLED CHICKEN THIGHS

Steps:

• Combine all marinade ingredients in a small bowl or a freezer bag. Mix well.
• Add chicken thighs and allow to marinate at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
• Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. Add chicken thighs and cook 5-7 minutes per side or until chicken reaches 165°F.
• Rest 5 minutes before serving.

LEMON AND HERB MARINATED GRILLED CHICKEN THIGHS

Steps:

• In a small bowl combine the lemon juice and zest, chopped herbs, garlic, crushed red pepper, and 1/2 cup of olive oil. Whisk to combine.
• Place the chicken thighs in a wide flat dish so they are in a single layer. Add the herb mixture. Massage the thighs to coat with the herb mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Note: If doing a quick marinade, leave the chicken out of the fridge for up to 1 hour.
• Preheat grill. Brush and oil the grill to clean.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade and brush off any excess herbs and oil. Season the chicken generously with salt and drizzle with a little bit of fresh olive oil.
• Cut the 2 whole lemons in half and cut the tips off the ends; this will allow the lemons to stand up without rolling around. Place the chicken, skin side down, on the preheated grill. Place the lemons, flesh side down, on the preheated grill. Grill the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes and then rotate the chicken 90 degrees to create the lovely crosshatch pattern. Grill the chicken for another 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the chicken over and grill for another 4 to 5 minutes. Check for doneness (the chicken should be well cooked). Check the lemon halves to see if they are beautifully caramelized. Turn over to grill on the bottom for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Serve the chicken with grilled lemon.
• Call yourself a superstar!
• March - Why We Love: Lemons

GRILLED CHICKEN THIGHS

Steps:

• Rinse chicken thighs and pat dry between paper towels. Transfer to a 1-gallon freezer bag.
• Combine soy sauce, orange juice, olive oil, ketchup, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, oregano, and pepper in a large bowl until well combined. Pour marinade over chicken thighs in the freezer bag. Squeeze out excess air, seal the bag, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, up to 24 hours.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Remove chicken thighs from the marinade and shake off excess. Discard the remaining marinade.
• Grill chicken in a single layer until no longer pink in the center, 5 to 7 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

PERUVIAN GRILLED CHICKEN (POLLO A LA BRASA)

Steps:

• Marinate chicken:
• Blend soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, cumin, paprika, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and oil in a blender.
• Put chicken in a large sealable bag and add marinade. Seal bag and marinate, chilled, 8 to 24 hours.
• Grill chicken:
• If using a charcoal grill, open vents on bottom and lid of grill. Light a large chimney starter full of charcoal (preferably hardwood). When coals are lit, dump them out along opposite sides of bottom rack, leaving a space free of coals (the size of the quartered chicken) in middle. When you can hold your hand 5 inches above the grill rack directly over coals for 3 to 4 seconds, coals will be medium-hot.
• If using a gas grill, preheat all burners on high, then reduce heat to medium-high.
• Discard marinade, then pat chicken dry. Oil grill rack, then grill chicken over area with no coals (or over a turned-off burner), skin side down first, covered, turning over once, until cooked through, 30 to 35 minutes (add charcoal to maintain heat).