45 Chicken Thigh Recipes for Any Night of the Week (2024)

Home Recipes Ingredients Chicken Chicken Thighs

Updated: Feb. 16, 2024

Chicken thighs are the perfect cut for grilling, shredding or simmering in a slow cooker. These top-rated chicken thigh recipes will teach you how to load 'em into a stew or smother them in a satisfying sauce.

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Grilled Huli Huli Chicken

Hawaiian-inspired grilled chicken thighs are addictively sweet and savory. After a simple marinade, the chicken is seared on the grill. “Huli” means “to turn,” and as the thighs cook, you’ll turn them often, brushing with more delicious sauce. Serve with your favorite barbecue side dish.

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Thai Chicken Thighs

This mouth-watering chicken tastes as good as Thai takeout but is easy to make in the slow cooker. Spicy peanut sauce (made with items you’ve already got in your pantry) sets the dish apart.

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Greek Chicken Bake

Want to make this sheet pan dinner extra quick? Assemble the chicken in the morning and pop the tray into the fridge. When you’re ready to eat, simply turn on the oven and slide it in—easy!

Can’t enough of the Greek flavors? Check out these Greek Easter recipes perfect for all of your celebrations.

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Fiery Sweet Chicken Thighs

A sweet barbecue-style sauce balances the spicy heat of the chiles in this Thai-inspired recipe. Cooking for a crowd? Dial down the heat by reducing the red chili paste in the slow cooker; spice lovers can add a bit directly into their bowls.

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Slow-Cooker Chicken Stroganoff

This cozy, creamy chicken dish is a classic for a reason. It’s especially satisfying on a wintry night. Since it’s made in the slow cooker, the cooking time is mostly hands-off, but you do need to add the mushrooms toward the end of cooking, so plan your schedule accordingly.

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Cilantro-Lime Chicken

Seasoned with southwestern-inspired spices, this slow-cooker chicken dish is versatile. Serve the full thighs with rice and a fresh salad for a dressier meal, or shred the meat and serve alongside tortillas and taco fillings.

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Black Pepper Chicken Stir-Fry

A kick of pepper adds an exclamation point to this saucy stir-fry. Using boneless skinless thighs results in super-juicy chicken. Feel free to add veggies to the pan; mushrooms, water chestnuts, chopped broccoli or sliced scallions would be delicious.

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Sheet-Pan Chicken Curry Dinner

This easy one-pan dinner features deliciously seasoned chicken and vegetables. While cauliflower is a natural match with the curry spice, you may swap in other veggies, such as broccoli, sweet potatoes, winter squash or red potatoes.

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Air-Fryer Chicken Thighs

This simple, tasty chicken thigh recipe is a great template. You can easily adjust the spices to suit a variety of cuisines: Swap in curry powder for an Indian-inspired dish, garlic and Italian seasoning for a great pasta topper or smoky Ancho chiles for a southwestern-inspired plate.

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Mango Chicken Thighs with Basil-Coconut Sauce

Coconut lovers, rejoice! Here’s a savory dinner recipe that showcases the sweet, creamy richness of coconut milk. This tasty curry—not too spicy and studded with sweet mangos and fresh basil—will appeal to even the less adventurous eaters in the family.

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Sweet and Spicy Peanut Chicken

One of our favorite slow-cooker chicken thigh recipes, this calls for a quick homemade peanut sauce made with pepper jelly and savory soy sauce. Chopped peanuts and red peppers add a welcome crunch to the creamy sauce and tender chicken. Serve with rice and steamed broccoli.

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Savory Mustard Chicken and Stuffing Waffles

A twist on the southern favorite of chicken and waffles, this meal makes a delightful breakfast for dinner. The crispy chicken thighs may be deep-fried in a skillet or cooked in an air fryer.

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Moroccan Apricot Chicken

This top-rated chicken dinner won our Recipe of the Year in 2021! It’s a great way to try aromatic Moroccan flavors, which playfully balance sweet, savory and tart. While you may need to pick up ras el hanout seasoning, the other ingredients are likely in your pantry already.

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Sheet-Pan Lemon Garlic Chicken

Make this simple baked chicken recipe once, and you’ll discover a new back-pocket recipe for weeknight dinners all year round. The easy, lemony marinade requires only 30 minutes to season the chicken, and it doubles as a sauce.

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Chicken Spareribs

Love spareribs but want to lighten things up? Try this sweet, smoky sparerib-inspired sauce on chicken. All the cooking, from browning to braising, happens in one pot—it’s one of our favorite Dutch oven chicken thigh recipes.

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Deviled Chicken Thighs

The zippy flavors of deviled eggs—mustard, paprika and vinegar—taste just as good on chicken! To balance the bright flavors of the sauce, the chicken breading includes both bread crumbs and rich, slightly sweet cashews.

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Chicken Mole

This mole sauce contains a surprising ingredient: chocolate. The deep, earthy flavor of the chocolate grounds the bright tomato sauce, which is fragrant with cinnamon, cumin and ancho and chipotle chiles. The classic Mexican dish is tasty on its own or served with rice, beans and tortillas.

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Za’atar Chicken

Sweet, spicy and fragrant, this is the chicken recipe to make when you want to experiment with za’atar. The stew pot will smell delicious thanks to the addition of dried fruits, olives, cumin and oregano. Don’t like olives? Swap in capers or skip.

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Pressure-Cooker Chicken Thighs in Wine Sauce

This cozy, homey dish is one you’ll want to make for Sunday suppers. In cool months, serve with mashed potatoes and peas; when it’s warm, pair with boiled red potatoes and a favorite spring vegetable.

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Sheet-Pan Chicken and Vegetables

One of our most popular chicken recipes ever, this simple sheet pan recipe is one to add to your repertoire. It’s a true one-pan meal that’s both comforting and fresh. Start with a base of seasoned potatoes and onions, top with paprika-dashed chicken thighs (whose juices flavor the veggies as they cook), and add fresh spinach toward the end of cooking.

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The easiest possible way to get dinner on the table? A slow-cooker dump dinner recipe. Simply pop the ingredients into the slow cooker in the morning, turn it on and go about your day. At night, a tender, tasty meal awaits.

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This top-rated chicken dinner is one of our quickest, from prep to table in about 30 minutes. A creamy green side dish even cooks in the same pan. Serve over a bed of rice as a base.

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The Ultimate Chicken Noodle Soup

Homemade chicken soup is a recipe everyone should know. It’s the best food when you’ve got a cold, or when you just are very, very cold. This recipe is classic and simple, but you can use it as a springboard for making other soups, like egg and lemon soup.

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Using boneless, skinless chicken thighs makes this roast supper bake quickly. Think of the recipe as a starting point. You can swap the red potatoes and peppers with almost any veggies in the kitchen, and switch the herbs with any fresh favorites you have on hand.

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Sheet-Pan Tandoori Chicken

Marinating chicken in yogurt tenderizes the chicken (thanks to the acid) and imparts a bright flavor. It’s a perfect match for the Indian-inspired seasonings in this simple recipe. Serve with rice or flatbreads.

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This casserole puts a New England spin on the French dish, adding cranberries, baked beans and rosemary to the pot. The result is every bit as delicious as the original, but it also happens to be a healthy casserole.

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This sweet and savory chicken dinner celebrates the flavors of fall. Layer chicken thighs over sliced acorn squash and carrots in a 13×9-inch pan, allowing the juices to season the veggies. Serve with cornbread or crescent rolls.

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Chili Sauce Chicken

There’s no rule that prohibits grilling all year round! This spicy, garlicky chicken is an obvious match with summer foods like corn on the cob, but it’s also the perfect tangy main dish to enliven winter foods like mashed potatoes and stewed greens.

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Cassoulet for Today

An easy version of cassoulet—is it possible? This recipe makes good use of the slow cooker to draw out complex flavors in less time. It also lightens up the classic, swapping duck confit for chicken thighs. The added bacon and sausage lend plenty of richness and flavor. Don’t skip the bread crumb topping, which nicely offsets the tender dish.

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Greek-Style Lemon-Garlic Chicken

Inspired by classic Greek ingredients like olives, oregano and lemon, this one-pan chicken dinner will bring fresh Mediterranean flavor to your dinner table. Since potatoes cook right in the pan, you don’t even need a side, though a crusty bread or fresh Greek salad would be lovely.

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Saucy Chicken Thighs

The secret to this sweet, saucy chicken? Jazzing up store-bought barbecue sauce with mustard, Worcestershire and honey. The result is an ideal party potluck dish or an alternative to grilling any time of year.

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Slow-Cooker Chicken Thighs

It’s easy to make teriyaki chicken, a restaurant-inspired favorite, at home. A low-and-slow cook in the slow cooker ensures a rich, complex sauce. Serve with rice to complete the meal.

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Garden Chicken Cacciatore

Like many of our favorite Italian recipes, this rich chicken in tomato sauce proves that simple flavors can be the best. While the final dish is fancy enough to serve at a dinner party, it’s also easy enough to prepare before a busy workday—simply let the slow cooker do the work all day long.

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This rich, vegetable-forward southwestern stew is sure to delight diners of all ages. Serve with crispy tortilla strips and a dollop of sour cream or guacamole.

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Apple-Glazed Chicken Thighs

This elegant chicken dinner is very kid-friendly thanks to a sweet applesauce glaze. Serve with green beans, mashed potatoes or any vegetable that is acceptable to the fussiest eater.

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Chicken Sliders with Sesame Slaw

While sliders are a winning choice for a potluck appetizer, they also make a five-star dinner. Serve the sandwiches with slaw and watch your family dinner finish in record time.

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Grilled Brown Sugar-Mustard Chicken

This popular chicken recipe only calls for five ingredients—four of which are seasonings. The sweet-and-spicy mustard sauce is a crowd-pleaser. While you can grill the chicken, as suggested, it’s also delicious baked.

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Cornflake Chicken

Mimic the savory, crispy taste of fried chicken, no deep-frying required! This simple recipe calls for breading chicken thighs in a seasoned cornflake mixture and baking in a hot oven. Serve with cornbread for a homey meal.

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Pressure-Cooker Coq au Vin

It’s easy to make this classic French dish in your own kitchen thanks to the pressure cooker. Serve the succulent chicken and red wine-mushroom sauce at a dinner party or for a family supper—why not? Serve with crusty bread to soak up every drop of sauce.

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Caesar Sheet-Pan Chicken

A salad dressing can also serve as a sauce, and it does just that for this tasty chicken dish. Baking the chicken on a sheet pan makes it easy to cook veggies at the same time—think potatoes, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers or onions—you can also cook it on the grill. Serve with a green salad.

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This cozy Crockpot chicken soup doesn’t rely on heavy dairy or rich ingredients for its flavor. Instead, butternut squash thickens and sweetens the stew as it cooks, while green peppers, tomatoes and parsley make for a colorful, light dish. Serve with couscous or rice.

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Greek Orzo Chicken

Orzo is a tiny pasta shape popular in Greek recipes. While it’s delicious—like a cross between a grain and a noodle—you can swap in couscous, rice or another grain if you prefer.

Originally Published: June 10, 2021