Easy Boneless Chicken Thighs

By Ali Slagle

Updated March 10, 2024

  • Kerri Brewer for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
20 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Rating
4(1,064)
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

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 pound), patted dry

  • Salt and pepper

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

107 milligrams cholesterol; 168 calories; 4 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 8 grams fat; 315 milligrams sodium; 22 grams protein

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
1,064 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

Don't question this recipe -just make it. My chicken looked just like the picture (I was thrilled with that) and tasted wonderful. I would consider the "sauce" to be a blank page for making it however you wish. I threw in chicken broth, mushrooms, spinach and a splash of white wine. I used a cast iron skillet. Too good to be this easy

Deb

1. Flick a bit of water into hot skillet. If it evaporates immediately, skillet is NOT hot enough. Try again every 15-30 seconds until you see water turn into beads that "dance" across and around the skillet. Then it is hot enough for the chicken. 2. Use a skillet large enough to hold all the chicken without crowding. 3. Leave chicken undisturbed while cooking - DON'T PEEK until end of cooking time, otherwise you risk chicken sticking to pan. Thighs will release themselves when ready to flip.

Carrie L

This is a great basic recipe and so easy. I had more than 4 thighs so pan was crowded, but each thigh had browning surface. Agree with comments, there are all kinds of things one could do make a yummy sauce using the fond.

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