With our stove top chicken thighs recipe, you can create a quick and easy bone-in chicken thigh dinner in a pan and under 30-minutes!
Seasoned to perfection with a mix of garlic and smoked paprika, seared them on both sides, and finished off with some chicken stock. It's a Whole Lotta Yum!
These stovetop chicken thighs are the best!
Bone-in chicken thighs certainly rank high on our family's list of favorite dinners! This simple recipe has just a few minutes of prep and leaves me free to work on easy sides while the skillet is doing it's thing.
The skin gets super crispy, and the wonderful flavor of bone-in meat is super juicy and flavorful in a way boneless meat just can't do.
We typically serve pan fried chicken thighs with a couple of simple sides that can be made in about the same time as the chicken like our pressure cooker scalloped potatoes (which we start before the chicken because they do take a few minutes longer) and some pan fried asparagus (so quick and yummy!). Other great sides include your favorite veggie and a healthy grain.
- You won't believe you can cook bone-in meat in less than 30 mins.
- The thighs have TONS of flavor with a simple rub made from pantry staples.
- Searing in your skillet helps you to crisp up the skin and lock in all the flavors from the chicken.
- Perfect for a wide variety of eating plans, our healthy chicken thighs are ideal for gluten-free, low-carb, keto, paleo, and dairy-free lifestyles.
Ingredients you'll need
- chicken thighs - bone-in with skin-on
- fine sea salt - Morton's table salt can be used instead but is about 25% saltier, so you'll want to cut back a bit.
- garlic powder
- smoked paprika
- coarse ground black pepper
- chicken broth
- olive oil
Variations
- Smoked Paprika - If you are not a fan of smoked paprika feel free to use regular paprika or skip this ingredient altogether. The paprika is optional, but it adds a nice rich color to the chicken. You can also use your favorite spice rub like chicken rub, or a store-bought brand like McCormicks and follow the same steps for cooking the chicken.
How to cook Chicken Thighs on Stove
A little bit of prep work, add some seasoning, sear, and finish off the chicken thighs on the stove top in the chicken broth. Your dinner is going to be amazing!
- Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil.
- Trim any large fat or excess skin pieces from the chicken and blot the chicken thighs dry with paper towels.
- In a small bowl combine the sea salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and ground black pepper. Sprinkle the seasoning over both sides of the chicken.
- Using tongs, place the top side down in the skillet until brown and crisp for 5 minutes until the thighs are a golden brown color.
- Flip the chicken over and brown the other side for an additional 4-5 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth to the skillet, turn the heat down to medium-low once the broth is starting to bubble, put the lid on, and simmer the chicken for an additional 12-15 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165F. The key is cooking the chicken to an internal temperature of 165 degrees, all stovetops can vary slightly in cooking time.
Sprinkle with parsley or chives for color if desired. Enjoy!
Serving ideas
To make a simple and healthy dinner, pair the chicken with 1-2 veggies and a healthy starch.
- Roasted vegetables
- Rice or quinoa
- A simple green salad
- Mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes
- Grilled vegetables
- Pasta
- Baked beans
- Mac and cheese
Storage and leftovers
Storage: You can store any leftover chicken thighs in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezing: Allow the chicken to completely cool and then wrap them tightly in freezer wrap or an air tight container. You can freeze cooked chicken thighs for up to 3 months.
Recipe notes
- Don't skip blotting the extra moisture with paper towels as it really does help the skin to become crisper.
- We used a cast-iron skillet which does a terrific job of browning the chicken and making sauteed chicken thighs. We highly recommend using cast iron for the best results.
- Always check your chicken for doneness using a digital meat thermometer.
- Pan frying chicken thighs with the bone takes longer than boneless thighs, reduce the cooking time if yours don't have the bone in.
Why is my chicken sticking to cast iron?
- You're using a new cast iron skillet and it isn’t yet properly been seasoned with a coat of oil.
- The pan isn’t hot enough
- The chicken hasn’t cooked long enough
- There’s too much moisture on the chicken, make sure to blot it dry with paper towels prior to cooking
- The cast iron skillet wasn’t properly cleaned and there’s a sticky residue
More healthy chicken recipes
- Frozen chicken thighs in air fryer
- Air fryer bone-in chicken thighs
- Healthy baked chicken tenders
- Baked breaded chicken cutlets
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Recipe
Cast Iron Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs bone-in with skin (2lb)
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. We used a cast-iron skillet which does a terrific job of browning the chicken, we highly recommend using cast iron for best results.
- Trim any large fat or excess skin pieces from the chicken
and blot the chicken thighs dry with paper towels. - In a small bowl combine the sea salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and ground black pepper. Sprinkle the seasoning over both sides of the chicken.
- Using tongs, place the top side down in the skillet until brown and crisp for 4-5 minutes until the thighs are a golden brown color. Flip the chicken over and brown the other side for an additional 4-5minutes.
- Add the chicken broth to the skillet, turn the heat down to medium-low once the broth is starting to bubble, put the lid on, and simmer the chicken for an additional 12-15 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165F.
- Sprinkle with parsley or chives for color if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- The paprika is optional, it adds a nice rich color to the chicken. You can also use your favorite spice rub like chicken rub, or a store-bought brand like McCormicks and follow the same steps for cooking the chicken.
Serve the pan sauce over the chicken or over any vegetables you're serving as a side dish.
Don't skip blotting the extra moisture with paper towels as it really does help the skin to become crisper.
If you're using boneless skinless chicken thighs, the recipe will cook even faster. Check the chicken's internal temperature after 5 minutes of cooking time.
If you don't have a cast-iron skillet using an aluminum pan will also work, the chicken won't brown as well if you're using a non-stick skillet.
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