Southwestern Grilled Chicken Thighs
Southwestern grilled chicken thighs are filled with bold, southwestern flavors that deliver tender and juicy chicken in every bite.
One thing we love about this grilled chicken thigh recipe is its versatility. This recipe is a great starting point for grilled chicken sandwiches, rice bowls, tacos, burritos, and more.
Grilling Chicken Thighs
There are a lot of delicious ways to grill chicken. This chicken thigh recipe is all about turning boneless skinless thighs into chicken that is slightly charred on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside, and filled with southwestern flavors.
These days, most grocery stores have packs of boneless skinless chicken thighs that are easy to use in lots of dishes and cut down on the prep work. The dark meat in the chicken thighs makes them little flavor bombs that are simpler to cook and infuse flavors in than chicken breasts, especially when marinated.
A tip for grilling boneless chicken thighs is to open them up to get the seasoning into the nooks and crannies and grill them over direct heat. Their slightly higher fat content, compared to chicken breasts, keeps the meat juicy and helps to crisp up the outside.
The best way to grill boneless chicken thighs is over medium to medium high heat for 7 to 9 minutes per side. The goal is to cook the chicken so the thickest part of the meat reaches 165℉ (74℃) and there is a slight char on the outside. Adding some color and crisping up the outside uses caramelization to add flavor.
Although somewhat counterintuitive, boneless chicken is best grilled over direct heat; bone-in, skin-on thighs should be grilled using indirect heat.
The boneless thighs cook quickly in the direct heat and develop deep flavors and better texture with some char. Cooking bone-in thighs using direct heat can create flair ups that burn the outside long before the interior of the chicken has cooked through.
Here are a few tips for grilling chicken thighs:
- To keep the chicken thighs juicy, marinate them for at least 30 minutes and grill over medium heat.
- The cover to the grill should be closed to keep the heat in and cook the chicken through.
- To develop grill marks on chicken thighs, place them on a hot grill and leave them in place for several minutes before flipping.
- To enhance the flavors of grilled chicken, develop some color on the outside of the chicken thighs using the fire and heat from the grill.
Reheating Grilled Chicken Thighs
Grilled chicken thighs are simple to reheat on the grill without losing flavor or drying out and getting stringy. This is one of the few grilling recipes where we encourage people to make extras for leftovers.
The best way to reheat grilled chicken thighs is on a medium grill for 3 to 5 minutes per side. When using chicken that has already been cooked through, the goal is to warm the center of the thighs without drying them out. They don’t need to be brought all the way back to 165℉ (74℃).
The cooked chicken should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge and will keep for 4 to 5 days.
Boneless vs. Bone-In Chicken Thighs
Using chicken thighs that have been deboned and the skin taken off has some advantages and disadvantages when grilling.
The biggest advantage is the ability to open the thigh up to create a long piece of chicken that can be grilled relatively quickly. The boneless thighs are also easier to use as sandwiches or to cut up for tacos or rice bowls.
The advantage of bone-in thighs is that the bone and skin impart flavor and moisture as the chicken cooks. The chicken skin is also delicious when it’s crisped up.
For bone-in thighs, use this Simple Grilled Barbecued Chicken recipe. It is our favorite way to make BBQ chicken. The thighs are grilled using indirect heat and finished with the Flip, Fire, and Paint Technique to perfectly crisp up the skin.
Marinating Chicken Thighs For More Flavor
To season the chicken, we use our Southwestern Spice Blend, lemon juice, and olive oil to create a simple chicken thigh marinade. We tried using lime juice instead of lemon juice during testing, but the chicken was too sweet.
The ingredients in the spice blend include ground ancho and chipotle chilies, along with garlic powder, cumin, and coriander, to bring out the slightly smokey, chili forward flavors the Southwest is known for. One of the things that makes this blend work so well is its use of Mexican oregano, which has a different flavor profile than Italian or Greek oregano.
This chicken marinade is simple to scale. Use 1 tsp of Southwest Spice Blend, 1 tbsp of lemon juice, and 1 tbsp of olive oil for every pound of chicken.
To season the chicken, mix the thighs and the marinade in a baking dish or bowl that can be covered and stored in the fridge. The chicken should marinate for at least 30 minutes before being grilled. It can be done the night before.
Using a baking dish for marinating is much less messy than using a large plastic bag and doesn’t create a lot of unnecessary waste.
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- Roasted Greek Chicken Breasts – This roasted chicken breast recipe uses a traditional Greek flavor combination to make you feel like you’re eating dinner under the Acropolis.
Ways to serve Grilled Chicken Thighs
One of the reasons we love cooking chicken thighs on the grill is their versatility. The recipe can be used as the base for dozens of meals and is easy to scale up if you’re making dinner for a big group or want leftovers for quick meals.
Here are a few of our favorite ways to serve this grilled chicken thighs recipe.
Grilled Southwestern Chicken Sandwiches
To make these chicken sandwiches, start by toasting a sandwich bun. On top of the bun, place a chicken thigh cut into thick slices and topped with a slice of pepperjack cheese. Finish the sandwich with a healthy spoonful of guacamole or sliced avocado and thin slices of red onion.
Southwestern Chicken Rice Bowls
To turn this chicken into rice bowls, we grill a combination of poblanos, red and yellow bell peppers, and onion cut into bite sized pieces. The grilled chicken is served with the peppers and pinto beans on top of Mexican Rice, with some shredded cheese and sour cream or guacamole.
Grilled Chicken Tacos
To make delicious grilled chicken tacos, cut the grilled chicken into large pieces and serve them inside lightly toasted tortillas with some Pice De Gallo, shredded pepperjack cheese, and guacamole.
Southwestern Grilled Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken thighs, boneless skinless
- 1 tsp Southwest seasoning
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Mix the Southwest seasoning with lemon juice and olive oil to make the chicken marinade.1 tsp Southwest seasoning, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp olive oil
- Coat the thighs with the marinade, making sure to get it into all the nooks and crannies. The chicken should marinate for at least 30 minutes.1 lb chicken thighs
- Grill the chicken on a medium to medium high grill for 7 to 9 minutes per side. The thighs should be opened up so they lay flat on the grill.
- The chicken has finished cooking when the internal temperature of the thickest part of the meat reaches 165℉ (74℃).
- Rest the chicken for a few minutes when it comes off the grill. The thighs can be served as a single piece or sliced and served over rice in sandwiches, tacos, or burritos.
Notes
Mark is an experienced food writer, recipe developer, and photographer who is also Umami’s publisher and CEO. A passionate cook who loves to cook for friends, he can often be found in the kitchen or by the grill testing new recipes.
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