I have been looking for an easy grilled chicken thighs recipe for a while and I finally found one. all you need is chicken thighs, a grill set up for 2-zone grilling, and one spice.
If there is one kind of meat that about everyone likes it must be chicken. From kids to people of all ages, everyone likes a piece of grilled chicken.
Grilling chicken is not as easy as it sounds and it can be burned, overcooked, or dried out if done incorrectly. I have found that a thigh is the easiest to use because it contains lean meat and some fatty parts.
This combination makes it
Seasoning for chicken thighs
I have tried a ton of different seasoning mixes and right now all I use is one seasoning.
Lemon pepper
Preparation
This is a very easy step that I like to do the evening before and the reason is that this will give the seasoning time to get a little deeper in the meat. This will enhance the flavor.
I use a zip lock bag for this and season the thighs before I put them in the bag and after that keep them in the refrigerator.
Grill setup for chicken thighs
I have also tried several set ups for my grill and burned a lot of them by cooking them direct over heat. The best way is to use a 2 zone or indirect setup. You can read more how to do that here or just look at the picture at the top.
Basically all you do is keep your charcoal on one side on the grill and the meat on the opposite site. In this way you can cook your meat indirect and this works a lot better than direct over a hot bed of coals.
Temperature for grilling chicken
I have tested all kind of temperature and even low and slow with 225 degrees Fahrenheit but for these perfect grilled chicken thighs I keep my grill on 350 degrees. You can read here how to use the vents on a charcoal grill to control your temperature.
How long to grill chicken thighs
Using my handheld thermometer several times during the cooking process I found that I like mine to cook between 1 hour and 1 hour and 15 minutes.
The internal temperature is than about 175 to 180 degrees and they are nice and moist and the skin is nice a crispy but not burned.
Skin up or down?
I have read and tested many recipes and what I use now is the skin down way of cooking my chicken thighs.
I have found that with the skin down the juices that flow down are crisping up the skin better and, in my opinion, this makes them taste a lot better.
If you have your personal way of grilling chicken thighs feel free to share it with us. I am always open to find new recipes.
Robert Chill
Robert Chill loves to cook on BBQs and grills and uses all types of recipes and techniques to cook some awesome food. With his experience, he can share many reviews, tips, and ideas on how to use any grill. You can read more about him here