Summertime and grillin’ are super easy (and delicious) with this recipe for juicy grilled chicken thighs!
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are tossed in a simple yet delicious marinade making them extra juicy and yummy.
Best of all, most of the ingredients are probably already on hand. Simply mix, marinate, and grill!
Perfectly Grilled Chicken Thighs
- Chicken thighs are extra juicy cooked on the grill.
- Adding a chicken marinade makes them extra tender and adds tons of flavor.
- It takes just minutes to prep the marinade and then only about 10-15 minutes to grill (of course time for marinating in between too). Easy peasy!
- Grill chicken thighs on a gas or charcoal grill.
Ingredients
Chicken – This recipe uses boneless skinless thighs, but bone-in/skin-on thighs will work great too! (If using bone-in chicken, the cook time and method will change, I would suggest following the method in my bbq chicken recipe).
Marinade – Simple ingredients like vinegar, mustard, and soy sauce make up the base for the marinade.
As long as you have oil, sweetness, acid, and a bit of bold flavor, ingredients can easily be substituted. Switch it up by using ketchup, lemon or lime juice, paprika, garlic cloves, or even Italian dressing! Make a signature marinade and sauce!
How to Grill Chicken Thighs
This marinade comes together in a snap:
- Whisk marinade ingredients in a bowl or shake them up in a zippered bag.
- Add chicken and marinate in the refrigerator up to 4 hours, but at least 30 minutes.
- Grill the thighs over direct heat for about 5 to 7 minutes on each side (per the recipe below).
Serve with grilled veggies, grilled corn, and potato salad. Even garlic bread can be cooked on the grill!
How to Store Leftovers
- This chicken thighs recipe makes great leftovers. Tuck them into a wrap or even on a bun or over a salad.
- Keep grilled chicken thighs in a zippered bag or airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- To reheat, just microwave for a minute or two or reheat in the air fryer with a bit of bbq sauce.
More Grilled Chicken Recipes
Did your family love these Grilled Chicken Thighs? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Grilled Chicken Thighs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
Marinade
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary slightly crushed
- 1 clove garlic minced
Instructions
- 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.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken, Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
I didn’t expect to be able to taste the marinade after grilling but the taste was there. Subtle but it added a lot to this dish. It’s a keeper for sure.
Great, flavorful marinade. I added 1/3 C Greek yogurt. It made the chicken tender and juicy.
My whole family loved it! I used black pepper and 1 Tbsp. lemon juice instead of the lemon pepper (since I didn’t have any on hand). It worked well. We’ll be using this recipe often!
Good marinade, although I changed out lemon pepper for a different seasoning blend. It’s important to remember that if you are cooking on a gas grill that you must start on INDIRECT heat or at least wipe off some of the marinade. Otherwise, you are guaranteed large flareups, sooty chicken, and a big mess to clean out of your grease pans
Great recipe! Wife and the family loved it.
I brined the thighs in kosher salt and brown sugar for 5 hrs and rinsed well. Then marinated for 4 hours. I grilled indirect for 40 min then put directly over the hot coals, skin side down for 3-4 min. So, so juicy with just a nice look of charred outer skin. I did 3 lbs of bone-in thighs, wish I had done more. You could go one step further and boil the reserved marinade and simmer for about 3 min and brush on while grilling and at the table.
That sounds delicious, Pat. I am glad you enjoyed it.
These thighs turned out very moist and so tasty! it’s such an easy marinade but it gives a nice flavor to the chicken, great for summertime grilling.
I made these grilled chicken thighs as an alternative to this months’s cooking challenge, and they were the easiest grilled chicken thighs I have ever made! My family loved the recipe! This marinade is the best! Thank you Holly!
So happy you enjoyed it, Jeanne! Thanks for cooking along with us this month.
Another hit with the family! Thank you for sharing your amazing recipes with us! I made this for June’s contest!!!
Sooo good. This is my new go to marinade for grilled chicken. I followed the recipe exactly as written. Let the chicken marinade for four hours & it is absolutely delicious.
Delicious! My entire family loved this recipe and wants me to keep it as a favorite.
Love this recipe:)
delicious and so easy. picky 15yr old and 13yr old loved it too. perfect for last minute weekday dinners
What about air fryer? How long and temp do you recomend?
Hi Teresa, I haven’t tried but other readers have with great results. I would follow the cooking instructions for this Air Fryer Chicken Thigh recipe.
Tender, flavorful, delicious and easy.
Wowser! I am subscribed to this website but randomly found this while looking for a savory chicken thigh recipe vs BBQ. Fabulous with about 2 hours marinating time.
So glad you found it, Pam. This is a yummy one!
Delicious, my whole family LOVED them! A quick easy weeknight meal.
We weren’t a fan. With all of the ingredients in this marinade you’d think this would have an amazing flavor. The only change I made was fresh rosemary which I added 3 tablespoons. We found the chicken to still be very bland. I would not make this again.
Sorry to hear that, Debbie. You can marinade the chicken for up to 24 hours to help really infuse it with the flavor. I hope that helps!
Can the chicken marinade over night?
It can be marinaded for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. Enjoy Aisha!