How To Grill Chicken Thighs

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Folks, if you’ve been looking for the perfect summer weeknight meal to cook up on the grill, you’re in the right place. This Honey Bourbon Grilled Chicken Thighs recipe is budget friendly and easy simple and tasty to make.

Yeap, just use your pantry staple ingredients to make a tasty recipe for a chicken marinade that you marinate the chicken in and toss them right on the grill. 

These Grilled Bone In Chicken Thighs are great for BBQ’s, backyard get togethers, picnics and potlucks. They’re the perfect dinner on your portable grill when you’re going camping too. Everyone will loooooove these marinated chicken thighs. 

Kids love these chicken thighs on the grill, it’s the perfect summer food. You can easily omit the bourbon or use one of the substitutes listed below to make it a family friendly meal when you’re grilling chicken thighs. 

If you like grilling then you might like these Grilled Chicken Tenders, and really delicious Grilled Chicken Kabobs. Alternatively check out these crispy Air Fryer Chicken Thighs or juicy Instant Pot Chicken Thighs.

Why Make This Grilled Chicken

• These juicy grilled Chicken thighs are packed full of sweet and salty flavors
• Affordable weeknight meal 
• Great for meal prep because they go with everything
• Perfect for summer meal on the grill 

What Are Grilled Chicken Thighs?

Chicken thighs are made of dark meat from the upper portion of the chicken leg. They’re more tender and have a higher fat count than chicken breasts.

Since they’re dark meat and have more fat, they stay juicier on the grill than chicken breasts do, even if you slightly overcook them. And they cook better on higher heat, so you can cook them faster on high heat than other pieces of chicken. #summergrillingwinner 

Ingredient Notes

• bbq sauce – just use your favorite bbq sauce.
• honey – or use maple syrup if you prefer.
• bourbon – use your every day bourbon for this.
• lemon juice – use fresh juice for the best result.
• Frank’s red hot sauce – or wing sauce.
• Salt – just add to taste.
• Chicken thighs  – this recipe calls for skin on bone in chicken thighs, but you can also use skinless chicken thighs or boneless skinless chicken thighs. The cook time will be different for the boneless version.

Soooo, let’s gather up these ingredients and I will show you……

How To Grill Chicken Thighs

Get the complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.

1. Mix bbq sauce, honey, bourbon, lemon juice, Frank’s Hot Sauce and salt together in a mixing bowl. 
2. Trim excess fat from the chicken pieces if needed. Add the chicken thighs to the bowl and mix to coat the meat. 
3. Allow chicken to marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. 
4. Use this time to preheat the grill or grill pan up to medium-high heat. You may also use a charcoal grill for indirect grilling.
5. If using a grill or gridle pan, sear the chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side on the hot grill or until the skin is light brown. If using a charcoal grill, use direct heat to grill for 3-4 minutes each side or until the skin is light brown. 
6. Reduce the heat to medium-low on the grill or gridle pan and cover the grill or gridle pan and cook chicken until it reaches 165F/75C with a meat thermometer. Alternatively, you may want to transfer to a charcoal grill over indirect heat and cook until chicken reaches 165 degrees F/75 degrees C. 
7. Transfer to a plate once finished cooking and golden brown with grill marks and let chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving. 

Grilling Tips

• To make this grilled bone in thighs recipe healthier and lower the calorie count, remove the skin from the chicken before marinating. 
• For maximum flavor, marinate the chicken thighs for up to 24 hours ahead of time in the refrigerator. Make sure to let it sit at room temperature for at least 20-25 minutes before grilling.
• If you prefer “fall off the bone” kind of chicken thighs, cook for a few extra minutes to get your chicken to 180-190F/ 82-88C internal temperature. Use an instant read thermometer to check.
• Try and select thighs of the same size so they cook at an even rate.
• If your grill sticks make sure to oil the grill grate first.
• You can all make grilled veggies to go with this (since you already have the grill on anyway).

General Recipe Tips

• If your barbeque sauce is too sweet, you can add between half of tablespoon and a full tablespoon of lemon juice. 
• Sauce not sweet enough? Add a little extra honey. 
• If you have extra chicken, marinate it and refrigerate for a few days.
• To make this chicken recipe safer for kids or alcohol-free, simply omit the bourbon and use one of the substitutes instead. 

Recipe Variations

This best grilled Chicken Thighs is such an easy dish to make and you’ll love the versatility. You can use any of these variations to make the ultimate chicken dinner.  

• Change up the bourbon: use whiskey, apple juice or orange juice instead.
• Change up the sweetness: maple, date syrup or agave.
• Change up the sharpness:  lime juice, apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar.
• Change up the Frank’s Red Hot Sauce heat: sriracha sauce, red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper. 
• Add more spices and flavors: like onion powder, garlic powder or your favorite seasoning mix, dijon mustard and soy sauce. So many ways to add so much flavor.

FAQ

Storage

Prep Ahead – This recipe is so easy to make on the grill. Keep in mind the longer you marinate it, the more flavor the thighs get!

Store – Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

Freeze – Follow the handy tips below on how to freeze this.

• Let cool down then transfer into Ziploc freezer bags.
• Squeeze out all the extra air and seal the bags.
• Label the bags and then lay them flat in the freezer.
• Store in the freezer for three months.

More Recipes You May Like

• Grilled Chicken Tenders.
• Grilled Chicken Kabobs.
• The best Grilled Chicken Salad.
• Smoked Chicken Wings.
• Air Fryer Fried Chicken.
• Easy Smothered Chicken.
• Or try this Sheet pan Chicken Thighs Dinner.

Serving Suggestions

• Smothered Potatoes.
• Southern Squash Casserole.
• Air Fryer Green Beans.
• Air Fryer Baked Potatoes.
• Grilled Broccoli Salad.

Weight Watchers Points 

There are 7 Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving.

Thank you for reading my How to Grill Chicken Thighs recipe post. And please come visit again as I continue to slice, dice and dream up affordable Air Fryer recipes, Instant Pot Recipes, Southern Recipes and more. Thanks for supporting Recipes from a Pantry, food blog.

Tools You Need 

• A grill.
• Grill pan if preferred.
• Handy grilling tongs.
• Multipurpose mixing bowls.
• Measuring cups and teaspoons.
• Glass containers for storing leftovers.
• Best ever sea salt flakes.

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