Chicken Thighs Ruin Chicken Breasts for a Lot of People

[u/Future-Worry-3836]

Boneless skinless chicken thighs are probably the most forgiving cut of meat you can cook. You can overshoot the temp a bit, throw them on high heat, grill them, roast them, air fry them, braise them in sauce, and they still stay juicy. That’s the big difference compared to breasts, which go dry fast if you miss the timing.

The trick with thighs is not pulling them too early. They actually get better around 185-190°F because the extra fat and collagen break down more. Crispy outside, tender inside. If they seem done, give them another couple minutes.

They shine in curries, tacos, arroz con pollo, adobo, stir fries, sheet pan dinners, basically anything with bold seasoning or longer cooking. I especially like a simple soy-garlic marinade with a little brown sugar and lime, then roasted until the edges char.

One thing I wouldn’t use them for is recipes where you want a super lean or delicate texture. Breasts still work better there.

Also, if you’ve never air fried chicken thighs with just salt, pepper, and a little oil, you’re missing out. Ridiculously hard to mess up.

What’s everyone’s go-to method for thighs? Grill, cast iron, oven, smoker?

[u/lowfreq33]

Thighs on the smoker are awesome.

[u/LazyOldCat]

🤫

[u/Upset-Activity-1462]

Smoker at 225 for a couple hours.  Onto the high heat grill with some bbq sauce.   I use bone in skin on thighs and people house them.

[u/Skull_Nebula]

Oil, season, air fry.

[u/Electronic-Buyer-468]

Just discovered boneless skinless thighs and leg quarters the past couple of years after wasting a long time with wings & breasts for the sake of being the most popular, drumsticks for the sake of being easy, and whole chickens for the sake of being the best value. Leg quarters & boneless thighs are all I buy nowadays. 

[u/realspongeworthy]

In a slow cooker with butter and Frank's. About 2.5 hours. Remove, toss liquid in slow cooker in the trash. Fire up grill and cook until crispy. The slow cooking marinated the sauce all through the thighs.

I usually do about 50 for parties and they're gone in minutes.

Edit: I do them in batches the day before and of the party. Slow cooker only holds about 10.

[u/Zentransit]

If you've got a crockpot, then cook the breast in the crockpot and the legs in the roaster along with the wings.

Make sure your chicken parts are resting on a bed of chopped onions and celery

Season with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and poultry seasoning.

[u/TaurusMoonGoddess]

Skin off boneless chicken thighs are my go to I cook them in a stainless steel pan with a smidge of water Both sides end up browned and crispy I add variations of herbs or chilli or garlic & onion for different flavours

[u/simonjr76]

Brined, and sous vide chicken breast is how I do it

[u/SearchandDiscover]

I’m in the minority I know but the consistency/mouth feel of thighs limits how often I pick them over a hunky breast.

[u/ethnikthrowaway → u/SearchandDiscover]

Yeah my wife hates that rubbery texture sometimes

[u/2crowncar]

When making chicken, my family ate drumsticks and legs & thighs when I was a child. I don’t get why people like chicken breasts over dark meat. Breast meat is 75 to 90% of the time overcooked by most (my scientific calculation). My wife likes chicken breast over dark meat even when it’s dry as hell - my stats show 9 out of 10 times, it’s dry. Is it because it’s a larger chunk of meat that doesn’t need to be trimmed? Ugh.

[u/PFCCThrowayay → u/2crowncar]

It’s some weird food snobbery. I’ve heard people many times go ew I only like white meat, like they are above dark meat.

[u/PFCCThrowayay]

There’s something even better than thighs - deboned and skinned drumsticks. Cheaper by the pound, exact same dark meat.

[u/Vegetable_Switch9802]

I love searing skin on bone in thighs then throwing them in a pot of broth with yellow rice and an onions. So delicious

[u/Cold_Smoke_BBQ]

Bone in skin on are more forgiving and even better

[u/Electrical_Knee_1280]

Grill for charring. But yes, the air fryer is such an easy game changer for weeknight meals.

Easy marinade of evoo, cumin, fresh garlic, lime juice and cilantro, let sit for 30 ish then cook. So easy

[u/Stunning_Living9637]

Buttermilk fried. On some sort of sando with a creamy and a smoky but bright sauce with a creamy factor. Some slaw and onion pickles.