How To Grill Chicken Thighs

Much like the way we enjoy Last Minute Chicken, grilled chicken is a staple on our menu plans. I typically plan to grill on Sunday afternoon and that gives us plenty of leftovers for a couple more days as well. Serve the chicken as simple or as fancy as you like. With a bag of chips and some ranch dip and fresh vegetables, you can have a meal on the table in less than 20 minutes most of the time.

When I plan ahead, I like to make a potato salad or pasta salad to serve with the grilled chicken, along with some watermelon in the summer time.

How To Season Grilled Chicken

While you can always use a marinade, (and I do have several that I love) my go-to method of seasoning grilled chicken is with a generous sprinkling of spices. Cajun Seasoning and Taco Seasoning are the two spice blends I reach for most often. However, a combination of Crazy Salt and Italian Seasoning is also delicious. My friend Deborah’s Jerk Seasoning Mix looks like another great option too! Don’t have a spice blend ready to use? Just sprinkle each piece of chicken with salt, pepper, garlic, and paprika for an easy and very tasty option. I’m not including spice amounts here, because it’s subject to a number of factors – size of the chicken pieces, amount of meat you’re cooking, how spicy you like to make things etc. You just want to sprinkle the spices generously enough to cover each piece without coating it completely and causing it to become salty. Once you’ve made this a few times, you won’t even need to think about it.

Chicken For A Crowd

This isn’t a recipe where you need to worry about overcrowding. The chicken will cook beautifully whether it’s just a few pieces or when the grill is filled to capacity. We typically grill at least 10 pounds of chicken each time we grill. Any leftover chicken can be eaten as is for lunches or broken down for other chicken recipes. I grilled extra chicken last week for a giant pan of Chicken Tetrazzini. Grilled chicken is also great in Green Chile Enchiladas, BBQ Chicken Stuffed Potatoes, and Baked Potato, Chicken and Broccoli Casserole.

How To Know When Chicken Is Done

Chicken should not be dark red or look raw inside when it is done cooking. However, color does not indicate doneness. The USDA has said that even fully cooked poultry can sometimes show a pinkish tinge in the meat and juices. I highly recommend using a meat thermometer for checking the internal temperature of your chicken. It’s the easiest and most foolproof way to determine whether or not your chicken is done (and is safe to consume). A meat thermometer can also prevent overcooking your dish resulting in tough, flavorless chicken. Chicken should be at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit to be safe to eat, so you will know without a doubt when the chicken is done. Cook’s Note : I like to remove the skin from chicken thighs prior to grilling. It is not a requirement though, the chicken will cook just great with the skin on. However, the spices absorb so nicely throughout the chicken without the skin and I prefer it that way. It’s a well-established fact that I love crispy pan fried chicken or oven baked chicken complete with the skin, but when it comes to grilling chicken? Skinless is my favorite.