35 Chicken Thigh Recipes to Put in Your Weeknight Dinner Rotation (2024)

Chicken thighs are one of our favorite cuts and we use them in all kinds of recipes. Try them baked, braised, broiled, grilled, roasted, sautéed, or seared—any way you make them, they're flavorful and juicy. Like white meat, they are quick to cook, but don't dry out like chicken breasts (and they're a better buy for your budget!). We're celebrating the versatility of chicken thighs with these recipes. Go ahead and make one for dinner tonight.

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Broiled Yogurt-Marinated Chicken and Chickpeas

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Boneless, skinless chicken thighs get a quick lime-yogurt marinade before they join carrots and chickpeas on a rimmed baking sheet and get the broiler treatment. Serve this sheet-pan dinner with couscous.

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Chicken with Herbed Pea Purée and Spinach

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This winner chicken dinner features spinach two ways—as a purée and a salad. Browning the chicken thighs on the stovetop and finishing them in the oven ensures that they have super juicy meat and crispy golden skin.

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Crispy Chicken Tacos

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Here's a not-to-be-missed dinner that starts with shredded, baked chicken thighs. Use them to fill crispy fried corn tortillas and add the easiest of salsa—chopped tomatoes are tossed with onion, jalapeño, and lime juice, and seasoned with salt. It's a meal you'll add to your regular rotation.

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Chicken-Thigh Piccata with Broccoli Rabe

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Chicken thighs bring depth to a lemony piccata. They make a smart swap for the cutlets you might have used before: They cost less and are tastier and juicier, too.

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Spiced Chicken Kebabs with Pita

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This recipe comes together in 40 minutes, and uses a pound of chicken thighs. Za'atar seasoning takes the flavor profile up a notch.

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Chicken Scarpariello

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An Italian-American favorite for good reason, this dinner recipe calls for braising the chicken thighs in a broth infused with rosemary, shallots, and pickled peppers.

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Creamy Mustard Chicken with Couscous

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Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs are browned to perfection, then simmered in a French-inspired pan sauce featuring mustard, thyme, and wine. It's a delicious dinner that comes together in under an hour.

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Instant Pot Chicken Curry

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Cook chicken thighs with fresh grated ginger, coriander seeds, Spanish paprika, chile powder, and cinnamon sticks in your Instant Pot on those nights when you want a curry and a meal that can be on the table in only 30 minutes.

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Chicken-and-Mushroom Congee

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This comforting meal is comprised of rice porridge flavored with chicken and mushrooms. We use short-grained rice, such as arborio, for the congee. It's not a traditional choice, but we like it for the creamy consistency it produces.

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Thyme-and-Sesame Crusted Chicken Thighs

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Looking for a quick dinner with a bit of crunch? Try these chicken thighs, which are coated in panko breadcrumbs, sesame, and thyme. The crispy coating contrasts perfectly with the tender chicken inside.

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Instant Pot Chicken Adobo and Rice

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It's not a traditional adobo, but this take on the vinegar-braised national dish of the Philippines is a flavorful one-pot and a favorite way to use chicken thighs.

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Spicy Basil Chicken Stir-Fry

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Tight on time? In just 35 minutes your family will be enjoying this tasty stir-fry. It gets its bold flavor from soy sauce and oyster sauce.

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Roasted Chicken with Kale and Tomato Panzanella

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For a hands-off meal, roasted chicken just can't be beat. This colorful and hearty summer dinner is on the table in 50 minutes.

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Instant Pot Chicken Thighs Marbella

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This retro dish features chicken thighs, salty olives, and sweet prunes atop polenta. Using the Instant Pot streamlines cooking time, so this classic will be ready in 50 minutes.

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Skillet Chicken with Sundried Tomatoes and Chickpeas

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You'll need two skillets for this chicken thigh dinner, but only one goes on a burner. The other is used to press the chicken as it cooks to ensure the thighs cook evenly and the skin crisps up.

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Baked Chicken Veracruz

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Why let seafood have all the fun? The spiced tomato sauce known as Veracruz sauce is traditionally combined with seafood, such as red snapper or shrimp. As this recipe shows, it also works wonderfully when baked with chicken thighs.

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Chipotle Chicken and White-Bean Soup

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Not only is this take on chicken tortilla soup brimming with flavor, but it also uses one pot—and only takes 35 minutes to make.

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Saffron-Yogurt Chicken Kebabs

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Marinating your meat overnight means quick and easy cooking the next day—and delicious, tender chicken thighs for dinner.

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Chow Mein

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Fast and packed with flavor, our take on a Chinese-American favorite takes just 25 minutes to make. Shiitake mushrooms, carrots, and Chinese broccoli star alongside crispy noodles and bite-sized pieces of chicken thigh meat.

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Chopped Barbecue-Chicken Sandwich

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Hit the grill with some boneless, skinless chicken thighs, and in the last minutes of cooking, brush on a five-ingredient BBQ sauce. Then cut up the meat, pile it on buns with a simple cabbage slaw, and enjoy sandwich bliss.

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Green Chicken-Enchilada Pies

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Mild green tomatillo sauce gives this enchilada recipe its green hue. Chicken thighs are shredded and added to the cheesy tortillas for a hearty meal.

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Quick Chicken Curry with Spinach and Peas

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Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are cooked in a spiced coconut milk sauce for this delicious curry. Spinach and peas raise the nutrition factor.

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General Tso's Chicken

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The chile-spiked sweet-and-sour sauce paired with fried chicken makes this Chinese-American favorite a crowd-pleasing dish.

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Cashew-Chicken Kebabs

For these irresistible skewers, red curry paste and cashews are blended to make a paste you brush on pieces of chicken thigh meat. The result is a grilled dinner that's sure to delight.

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Easy Chicken and Shrimp Paella

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A few shortcuts mean this easy paella takes less than an hour to make. It might not be an authentic preparation, but it's a wining dish. Chorizo adds a spicy Spanish kick, while chicken and shrimp add more protein and flavor to each bite.

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Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

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Few thing are more satisfying than chicken soup on a cold winter day. This one is made with boneless, skinless chicken thighs and gets added heartiness from wild rice.

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Cornflake-Fried Chicken

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Whether you enjoy these fried chicken thighs with waffles or on mashed potatoes, this is an easy recipe you'll want to make time and time again.

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Chicken Chili with Hominy

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Chicken thighs maintain their moisture better than white meat, which means this chicken chili tastes just as good when eaten as leftovers as it does on the first night.

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Quick Coq au Vin Blanc

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An update on the classic French dish, this dinner uses dry white wine along with low-sodium chicken broth as its base.

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Chicken and Dumplings

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The epitome of comfort food, this recipe combines chicken thighs, cornmeal dumplings, and plenty of vegetables. It's a memorable meal that's on the table in an hour.

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Grilled Marinated Chicken Thigh

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A tasty main that's on the table in under 30 minutes? Yes, please! Serve these grilled chicken thighs alongside your favorite roasted vegetables for a satisfying meal.

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Chicken and Mushroom Tagliatelle

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Heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, and mushrooms combine with chicken thighs in this rich pasta dinner.

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Crispy-Chicken and Egg Sandwich

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Serve this crispy chicken thigh and egg open-faced sandwich for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It's delicious at any time of day.

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Green-Curry Chicken Pot Pie

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Chicken thighs cook with homemade green curry-coconut sauce in this update on pot pie. Using frozen phyllo dough speeds up prep so this dinner comes together in 50 minutes.

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Hearty Chicken Chili

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Here's another 50-minute chicken thigh dinner. This satisfying chili combines jalapeño, canned chipotles in abode, plum tomatoes, and kidney beans for a deeply flavored dish.

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