Easy Boneless Chicken Thighs

By Ali Slagle

Updated March 11, 2024

Easy Boneless Chicken Thighs
Kerri Brewer for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
20 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Rating
4(915)
Comments
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For boneless, skinless chicken as crisp and juicy as its bone-in, skin-on counterparts, start with chicken thighs, pat them dry and sear them in a hot skillet. Thighs have enough fat that in a very dry, hot environment, they can develop a bronze crust without getting tough. Compare them to seared breasts or rotisserie chicken and you’ll notice a considerable improvement in succulence and richness of flavor. Serve these thighs with a side dish or two — say Southern fried corn, mixed sabzi or refried beans — or use them anywhere you’d use cooked chicken, like in salads, soups and enchiladas.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 4boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 pound), patted dry
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

113 calories; 6 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 0 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 13 grams protein; 272 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper. Coat with the olive oil.

  2. Step 2

    Heat a large skillet over medium-high. When the skillet just starts to smoke, add the chicken flat side down and cook, pressing down occasionally with tongs, until golden-brown and opaque halfway up the sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip and cook until cooked through (at least 165 degrees in the thickest part), 3 to 5 minutes.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
915 user ratings
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Comments

Matt D

It’s a very basic recipe (more of a technique) but olive oil is not well suited to high heat cooking such as this. Better to use canola. Also after you remove the thighs from the pan, throw some broth, butter, and a splash of white wine in the pan, scrape up the leftover bits and let it reduce. Then turn off the heat and squeeze some lemon in there for a perfect sauce for your chicken.

AK

Canola oil is consistently listed as a highly inflammatory food ingredient on every list I have ever seen concerning foods to avoid for healthy eating. And unless it's organic, it's also a GMO crop, meaning it is likely to be contaminated with glyphosate. Avocado oil handles high heat cooking and does not have the health issues of canola.

Ryan

How does an empty skillet smoke? Doesn’t that mean the stove is on fire?

Cindy

I should’ve considered that my cooktop tends to cook hotter and only cooked at medium or lower. Even with the ventilation fan running, our smoke alarm went off and I’m not sure I’ll ever get my stainless steel skillet clean again. In spite of some charred parts the chicken was still moist but I will never repeat this recipe.

MG

Easy, quick, riffable and tasty! Definitely a keeper!

CarlW

I followed the recipe using a 12” cast iron skillet and the thighs were perfect. This is a great recipe to build a meal on. We combined the thighs with farro and some roasted peppers—a lovely weekday meal with leftovers for lunch and dinner tomorrow.

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