How Long To Boil Chicken Thighs
Once you learn How Long To Boil Chicken Thighs, it’s easy to get a satisfying meal on the table fast! Boiled chicken thighs are simple to make, and you get juicy, tender chicken with tons of flavor every time.
Suitable for gluten free, low carb, keto, paleo, and Whole30 diets. Post includes Weight Watchers points.
Boiled Chicken Thighs are easy to make, and you get juicy, tender chicken with tons of flavor every time. No need to turn on the oven or get out the BBQ grill. Just toss the chicken into a pot of water and boil with whatever seasonings you like.
Just like How Long To Boil Chicken Legs, once you learn how long to boil chicken thighs, it’s easy to get a healthy and satisfying meal on the table.
You can change up this easy chicken recipe using boneless or bone-in thighs with or without the skin. You can even make it with frozen chicken thighs. However, to boil bone-in chicken thighs, it takes a little longer.
Boiling chicken thighs is fast and easy. And if you want more chicken recipes like this one, check out How Long To Boil Chicken Tenders.
Plus, you can easily adapt this recipe to use the cut of chicken you have on hand, like chicken breasts or drumsticks. I prefer dark meat because it is juicier and has a meatier flavor. No matter how you cook them, chicken thighs are delicious, and they go with everything from pasta to rice or whatever else you like.
Yeap, once you know how long to boil chicken thighs, you can go from raw chicken to tender and flavorful cooked chicken in minutes. Weekly meal prep, dinners, and leftovers for lunch the next day are solved!
Serve with Crockpot Mashed Potatoes and salad for a complete meal.
Why Make This Boiled Chicken Thighs Recipe
- It’s Easy – Simply toss the thighs in water, add the chopped veggies and seasoning, then let it do its thing! You don’t even have to add the carrots and celery, but they add extra flavor and can be served on the side.
- It’s Flavorful – Cooking your meat this way will give you tender chicken thighs with lots of flavor from the fresh herbs you use.
- It’s Great for Meal Prep – If you want shredded chicken for sandwiches or chicken salad, this is an easy way for it to cook evenly for a more flavorful chicken.
Ingredients Notes
- Bone in chicken thighs – make this recipe using either skin on or skinless chicken thighs, fresh or frozen chicken thighs.
- Chicken stock – to add flavor after initial boiling. I like to use low sodium broth and then add salt to taste.
- Carrots and Celery – cooked veggies give this dish extra nutrients and flavor.
- Thyme and Rosemary sprigs – fresh herbs add wonderful flavor, but you can substitute for dried ones if needed.
- Chicken Seasoning – smoked paprika and peppercorns for great color and taste.
- Water – for boiling chicken thighs.
Handy Tip: Use Good Kitchen Tools!
For the best tools to help make your recipe even easier and more successful, check out my collection of the Best Kitchen Tools on Amazon.
How To Make Boiled Chicken Thighs
Get complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card further below.
- First, place chicken thighs and veggies in a large stockpot. You can stack them on top of each other if you are making a lot at one time. Now, add enough cold water to submerge the chicken thighs and bring it to a boil over high heat.
- Once the water is boiling, reduce it to medium heat, and add the chicken broth and seasonings. Boil chicken thighs for 20 to 30 minutes on a gentle boil. The internal temperature should reach at least 165 degrees F / 74 degrees C when checked with an instant read thermometer.
- After they are fully cooked, use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove the boiled chicken, pressing against the side of the pot to squeeze out excess water. Place the chicken thighs on a rimmed baking sheet with the skin side up.
- Last, broil chicken thighs on high for five to eight minutes, or until the chicken skin is crispy and golden brown. Serve boiled chicken immediately.
Chicken Thighs Cooked Temp
Wondering what the chicken thighs cooked temp needs to be? To be considered safe to eat, chicken must reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F / 74 degrees C, and the juices should run clear. Use an instant-read digital meat thermometer to get an accurate reading.
Bone in thighs and boneless chicken thighs, whether you boil frozen frozen chicken thighs or fresh, should reach the same internal temperature.
Pro Tips To Boil Chicken Thighs
- Chicken that is thoroughly cooked through should not be pink, and the meat pulls away from the bone easily.
- Boiling frozen chicken thighs takes 10-15 minutes longer than fresh.
- If you want crispy skin without the oven, remove the cooked thighs when they reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees F / 71 degrees C. Then sear them in a cast iron skillet with olive oil on high heat.
- If you are using low-sodium chicken broth for this chicken method, you can add salt for more flavorful meat.
- Cook chicken on medium or low heat. A rapid boil can give you rubbery and tough meat.
Delicious Variations
- Add Bouillon: Add a chicken bouillon cube or granules to your broth for extra flavorful chicken.
- Make it Saucy. Add BBQ sauce, buffalo sauce, ranch dressing, teriyaki sauce, or any sauce you like to your cooked chicken thighs.
- Swap the Seasoning. Feel free to use your own favorite seasonings like curry powder, garlic powder, thyme, oregano, or whatever you like.
- Spice it Up. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to make this chicken spicy.
- Make it Sweet. Another way to boil chicken thighs is to put them in a pot with some granulated sugar for a sweeter flavor.
- Add Citrus. You could even add some lemon, orange, or lime zest for citrus chicken.
Prep Ahead and Storage
- Prep Ahead: chop the veggies in advance and store in the fridge until ready to cook.
- Store: You can store your leftover chicken in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.
- Freeze: If you need to keep chicken longer, wrap leftovers in plastic and foil, then place them in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag. You can keep them frozen for two months.
- Thaw: Thaw your leftovers in the refrigerator overnight for the best flavor and texture.
- Reheat: Reheat in the microwave on medium heat for 60 to 90 seconds.
FAQs
To determine how long to boil chicken thighs, you first need to know the weight, whether you are using bone-in or boneless chicken thighs, and whether they are fresh or frozen.
This recipe calls for six medium to large chicken thighs with the bones in and it takes about 20 to 30 minutes. To boil boneless chicken thigh and smaller chicken thigh pieces will take about 15 to 20 minutes.
If you are boiling frozen chicken thighs, it can take 40 to 50 minutes on medium heat. Make sure the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F / 64 degrees C.
You should boil chicken thighs because cooking your meat this way will give you tender chicken thighs. You can get flavorful chicken from whatever you use, and the cooking liquid is good to use for chicken broth or other recipes.
If you want shredded chicken for sandwiches or chicken salad, this is an easy way for it to cook evenly for a more flavorful chicken.
Here are the nutrition facts in this recipe. Each serving has 254 calories, 2 grams of carbs, 20 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 120 mg of cholesterol, 399 mg of sodium, and less than 1 gram of sugar.
This boiled chicken thighs recipe also provides 1 mg of iron, 12 mg of calcium, 90 units of vitamin A, 229 mg of potassium, 12 mg of unsaturated fats, and 20 grams of protein.
There are so many great ways to serve boiled chicken thighs! This boiled chicken thighs recipe is perfect for making chicken noodle soup from scratch.
Save your pre-cooked chicken for the next time you cook pasta and need some chicken meat to go along with it. You can also chop them up and add them to salads or soups.
For a hearty meal, whip up some rice or potatoes to go with your chicken thighs. You can use an instant pot to cook rice, so it gets done quickly.
Similar Recipes
- How Long To Boil Chicken Legs.
- How Long To Boil Chicken Tenders.
- How Long To Boil Potatoes For Potato Salad.
- How To Boil Potatoes.How To Boil Carrot.
Serve Boiled Chicken Thighs With:
- This Red Potato Salad or this Greek Potato Salad makes a classic comfort food pairing.
- Scalloped Corn to add a little Southern cooking flair.
- Green Bean Casserole for a hearty and satisfying meal.
Recommended Tools
- This awesome meat thermometer easily checks the internal temperature of your food.
- Great saucepans for even cooking.
- The best spices for adding tons of great flavor.
- For the best tools to help make your recipe even easier and more successful, check out my collection of the Best Kitchen Tools on Amazon.
Weight Watchers Points
There are 9 Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving of this.
More How To Recipes
Be sure to check out these other helpful recipes;
Thank you for reading my how long to boil 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.
Get The How Long To Boil Chicken Thighs Recipe:
Don’t forget to tag #recipesfromapantry on Instagram or Twitter if you try How Long To Boil Chicken Thighs! It is really, really awesome for me when you make one of my recipes and I’d love to see it. You can also share it on my Facebook page. Please pin this recipe to Pinterest too! Thank you for reading Recipes from a Pantry.
How Long To Boil Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 36 ounces (1.02kg) chicken thighs 6 fresh skin-on, bone-in thighs
- 2 cups (473ml) chicken broth
- 5 spigs rosemary
- 10 sprigs thyme
- 2 ribs celery roughly chopped
- 1 carrot roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- water
Instructions
- Place chicken thighs and veggies in a large stockpot. You can stack them on top of each other if you are making a lot at one time.
- Add enough cold water to submerge the chicken thighs and bring it to a boil over high heat.
- Once boiling, reduce to medium heat, and add chicken broth, carrot, celery, thyme, rosemary, peppercorns, and smoked paprika.
- Continue cooking the chicken thighs for 20-30 minutes, then check for doneness using a digital instant-read thermometer. The internal temperature should reach 165 degrees F / 74 degrees C when inserted into the thickest part of the thighs, avoiding the bone.
- When done, use a slotted spoon to remove the thighs from the water. Press them slightly against the side of the pot to squeeze as much water out of them as possible.
- Place the chicken thighs on a rimmed baking sheet, skin side up. If desired, spritz with a bit of oil.
- Broil the thighs in the oven on high until the skin is golden brown and crisp, about 5-8 minutes.
Video
Recommended Products
Notes
-
- Chicken that is thoroughly cooked through should not be pink, and the meat pulls away from the bone easily.
- Boiling frozen chicken thighs takes 10-15 minutes longer than fresh.
- If you want crispy skin without the oven, remove the cooked thighs when they reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees F / 71 degrees C, and then sear them in a cast iron skillet with olive oil on high heat.
- If you are using low-sodium chicken broth for this chicken method, you can add salt for more flavorful meat.
- Cook chicken on medium or low heat. A rapid boil can give you rubbery and tough meat.
- Storage – keep chicken thighs in an airtight container inside the fridge for 4 days.
- There are 9 WW Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving.
