15 Chicken Thigh Recipes You'll Want to Make All Summer Long (2024)

Chicken thighs are the budget-friendly, flavorful cut of meat we can't stop cooking with. Whether you cook them on the grill or make them the star of a sheet-pan meal, chicken thighs are versatile and can easily be paired with summer flavors. Recipes like our Key West-Inspired Chicken and Skillet Honey-Lemon Chicken Thighs with Potatoes are healthy main dishes you'll want to make again and again.

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Key West-Inspired Chicken

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Chicken breast is marinated in soy sauce, citrus and honey and then grilled as a nod to the tropical Key West chicken. A garnish of chopped cilantro and orange slices keeps it sweet and refreshing.

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Braised Chicken Thighs with Olive, Orange & Fennel

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This technique sears chicken thighs before braising. Serve this vibrant skillet chicken dish with rice or cauliflower rice.

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Air-Fryer "Fried" Chicken Thighs

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Air fryers need a lot less oil to create a deep-fried crispy crust. Here, chicken thighs are marinated in buttermilk and dredged in a simple breadcrumb coating. With the help of a little cooking spray, they cook up nice and crispy with a lot less fat. Serve them with your favorite dipping sauce or slice them up to top a salad.

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Herb-Grilled Chicken Frites

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Pressure-Cooker Chicken & Rice (Arroz con Pollo)

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Satisfy your Mexican-food craving with this healthy recipe. Just dump all your ingredients into an electric multicooker, such as the Instant Pot, in this easy recipe for flavorful arroz con pollo.

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Skillet Honey-Lemon Chicken Thighs with Potatoes

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Moist chicken thighs, tender potatoes and a bright honey-lemon sauce cook together in this flavorful one-pan dinner. It's tasty enough for company, yet easy enough for a weeknight.

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Lemon-Garlic Dump Chicken Thighs with Broccoli

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This fuss-free dinner is as easy as dumping chicken thighs, veggies and sauce in a baking dish! As the chicken cooks it adds flavor to the sauce that thickens while it cooks and softens the vegetables.

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Mediterranean Chicken Skillet

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In this one-skillet Mediterranean chicken recipe, chicken thighs are infused with lemon, garlic and herbs and paired with orzo that's perfectly al dente. Charred tomatoes and onions add full flavor to complete this easy Mediterranean dinner.

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All-American BBQ Chicken Thighs

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In this healthy chicken thigh recipe, bottled barbecue sauce--often loaded with sodium and high-fructose corn syrup--is replaced with a homemade barbecue sauce recipe. Use the barbecue sauce to baste the chicken thighs while cooking--but if you want to also serve the barbecue sauce at the table, separate some before grilling to avoid cross-contamination.

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Grilled Chicken Thighs with Summer Corn Salad

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Chicken thighs are easy on the budget and great for grilling because they stay moist in the heat. Here, they are paired with a fresh corn and tomato salad for a simple summer dinner. When grilling skin-on chicken thighs, watch for flare-ups. Move the chicken away from the flames and reduce heat, if necessary, to keep it from charring.

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Skillet Lemon Chicken with Spinach

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This simple, ultra-quick chicken dinner--packed with spinach and peppers--is delicious on its own or served over brown rice or your favorite pasta.

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Chicken & Veggie Fajitas

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Time to clean out the fridge? These versatile skillet chicken fajitas are designed to work with whatever vegetables you happen to have on hand. The key is to slice all the veggies to approximately the same size so they cook evenly.

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Sheet-Pan Creole Chicken & Shrimp

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This variation of a shrimp boil can be made in the oven on just one baking sheet. A medley of spices gives this healthy dish of chicken, sausage and veggies a rich, complex flavor. Bonus: This easy sheet-pan dinner requires just 20 minutes of active prep time.

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Honey-Garlic Chicken Thighs with Carrots & Broccoli

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In this easy and healthy dinner recipe, sweet and savory baked honey-garlic chicken thighs come with a side of veggies that cook on the same sheet pan as the chicken. The honey-soy-garlic marinade for the chicken does double duty as an irresistible sauce to drizzle over everything. Lining your baking sheet with foil will protect your pan from the sticky honey-soy-garlic sauce, so cleanup will be a breeze too. If you can't find small carrots, cut medium carrots in half lengthwise.

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Pineapple-Teriyaki Chicken

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Grilled teriyaki chicken with pineapple can be made with just a few pantry staples. Although it's delicious when made with canned pineapple, fresh pineapple and its juice can easily be used in its place. Serve with brown rice and snow peas.