Chicken thighs are often overlooked in favour of the slightly leaner and uniformly white breast meat, but if you’re after a deeper flavour and a juicier texture then the slightly darker meat on thighs is what you need. It’s also quite a bit cheaper than chicken breast, so it’s a win-win for the home cook!
Bone-in chicken thighs are less prone to drying out and suited to long, slow dishes such as curries and stews. Whilst chicken of course should never be served rare or pink, the meat on the thighs is darker than the white breast so don’t be alarmed if it's brown or very deep red where it has become stained from the bone. You can buy boneless chicken thigh fillets too, but they will still have darker patches on the meat next to where the bone would have been.
What to look for when buying chicken thighs
Thighs can be bought as part of the leg (which can easily be separated into thigh and drumstick at the joint with a sharp knife), as thigh only, or as thigh fillets which are boneless and skinless. You can however quite easily debone the thighs yourself by placing them skin-side down on a board and running a knife down each side of the bone, then carefully cut the bone away from the meat. Remember to keep the bones for stock!
Do always buy organic and/or free-range chicken if you’re able to – aside from the ethical reasons, a happier chicken produces much tastier meat.
How to cook chicken thighs
Chicken is a very versatile meat that can be roasted, fried and even steamed for delicious results. Chicken thighs, however, benefit the most from being roasted or fried, as it allows the fat to render and results in a succulent texture. For a basic roast chicken thigh recipe, follow the method below, then take a look at all the different recipe ideas we have for chicken thighs in more complete dishes.
Metric
Imperial
- 8 bone-in chicken thighs, skin on
- 4 garlic cloves, bashed but left in their skins
- 3 sprigs of rosemary
- 1 lemon, zested
- olive oil
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Place the chicken thighs in a tray with the garlic and rosemary
Grate over the lemon zest, drizzle with oil then mix all the ingredients together, ensuring the thighs are skin-side up, then season well with salt and pepper. This can be left to marinate for an hour, overnight or ready to cook straight away
Preheat an oven to 200ºC/gas mark 6
Roast in the oven for 35–40 minutes, or until the skin is nice and crispy
Serve up warm with your choice of sides. You can also leave the thighs to cool down and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days, ready to use in salads, sandwiches or as a picnic snack
Recipe inspiration
Fried chicken
Barbecued chicken thighs
Chicken thighs are ideal for a barbecue as they’re less inclined to dry out (unlike breast meat) and the skin chars and crisps up wonderfully – especially when marinated and glazed. For those less confident on a barbecue, you can cook the chicken through in the oven and then finish off on the barbecue to get the smoky flavour and crispy charred skin. Selina Periampillai even brines chicken thighs before marinating in a fiery barbecue sauce. This is a simple trick to help the meat remain juicy whilst withstanding the high temperatures and smoke of the barbecue. Meanwhile, Lerato Umah-Shaylor poaches the chicken thighs in a fragrant spiced coconut broth before finishing on the grill in her West African chicken suya recipe.
Superb skewers
Thighs, spice and all things nice
French classics
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