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These delicious bone in chicken thigh recipes are the perfect way to keep weeknight dinner interesting while sticking to your grocery budget!

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Do you prefer white or dark meat chicken? I’ll eat either, but dark meat is definitely my favorite!

I find dark meat much more flavorful, tender, and juicy. And I Iike that it’s a little more forgiving than chicken breasts when your’e cooking it; it takes chicken thighs a lot longer to dry out.

Also, this cut of chicken is extremely versatile! There are so many different meals you can make with chicken thighs as the star of the show.

Another bonus is that dark meat chicken is typically a lot more affordable than chicken breasts. This is especially true of bone-in chicken thighs. And it goes double if you buy bone-in chicken thighs in bulk, which is often called a “family pack”.

If you’re sticking to a grocery budget, having a variety of bone in chicken thigh recipes in your repertoire will help you save money. If you’re looking for interesting chicken recipes or a new take on chicken dinner, bookmark this list so you can easily find it later!

bone in chicken thigh recipes

The Best Bone In Chicken Thigh Recipes

This diverse list of chicken dinners spans the globe for culinary inspiration with flavors of Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. These meals are easy to make and many are weeknight-friendly!

Easy Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe
This budget-friendly honey garlic chicken recipe features crispy outside and tender inside chicken in a sticky sweet and savory sauce.
Check out this recipe
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Chermoula Chicken
This chermoula chicken recipe yields tender and juicy meat with crispy skin and tons of flavor thanks to a fresh zesty, spicy North African herb sauce. This restaurant-quality meal whips up in less than an hour and pairs well with couscous or an easy 15-minute bulgur wheat pilaf, which I also share the recipe for.
Check out this recipe
Crispy Baked Five Spice Chicken
Crispy baked five spice chicken has fragrant, super crispy skin with tender, juicy meat! It is cooked simply in the oven with minimal prep work, making it ideal for an easy lunch or dinner.
Check out this recipe
Crispy Baked Five Spice Chicken
Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs
Sheet pan chicken thighs is an easy one pan weeknight meal that's convenient, family-friendly, and delicious! This sheet pan chicken thighs with brussels sprouts never disappoints. It's simple to throw together, and it's bursting with flavors and nutrition!
Check out this recipe
Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs
Slow Cooker Apricot Chicken
Slow cooker apricot chicken yields tender chicken thighs in a deliciously sweet and savory sauce made with apricot jam, soy sauce, and ginger. It's a super easy crock pot dinner option that's always a hit!
Check out this recipe
slow cooker apricot chicken
Peri Peri Chicken Thighs
Peri peri chicken is a quick and easy weeknight meal! Chicken thighs are cooked in a spicy, tangy peri peri sauce. We use bone-in chicken thighs because they come out juicy and flavorful whether they're cooked in the Instant Pot or the grill.
Check out this recipe
Instant Pot Peri Peri Chicken Thighs
Dutch Oven Coq au Vin Recipe (French Chicken in Red Wine)
This Dutch oven Coq au Vin recipe is true the to the classic; tender chicken and hearty vegetables cooked low and slow with layers of flavor in a rich, velvety red wine-based broth. It’s perfect for date night dinner and it takes just an hour to make from start-to-finish!
Check out this recipe
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Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Thighs
As far as bone in chicken thighs recipes go, this one is a classic you'll turn to over and over! These zesty baked chicken thighs have an irresistible seasoning blend that packs a punch in every bite. And they come out tender and juicy every single time!
Check out this recipe
Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Thighs
Mediterranean Roasted Chicken Thighs with Olives
Roasted Mediterranean chicken thighs with tomatoes and olives is an easy one-pan meal! It has a main and side dish cooked together as one recipe for minimal cleanup.
Check out this recipe
Mediterranean Roasted Chicken Thighs with Olives
Hot Honey Chicken Thighs
Hot honey chicken thighs are crispy outside and incredibly tender and juicy inside. The sweet and spicy hot honey butter sauce creates a heavenly sticky glaze on the crispy chicken skin!
Check out this recipe
Hot Honey Chicken Thighs
Chicken Matzo Ball Soup Recipe (Kneidlach)
This Chicken Matzo Ball Soup recipe is a classic Jewish Passover dish with fluffy matzo balls, tender chicken, and savory vegetables in a rich, flavorful homemade chicken broth. It has all the earmarks of comfort food, so don’t wait for Passover to make it!
Check out this recipe
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Creamy One Skillet Smothered Chicken Thighs
Creamy Smothered Chicken Thighs are seared to perfection on the stovetop and bathed in a homemade flour-based gravy. Baked to tender perfection, this comfort food recipe is easy to prep!
Check out this recipe
Creamy One Skillet Smothered Chicken Thighs
Dijon Chicken Thighs
These flavorful, juicy bone-in Dijon Chicken Thighs whip up in just 25 minutes, using only a handful of ingredients. Thanks to using the cast-iron skillet cooking method, the skin gets amazingly crispy while the meat stays tender.
Check out this recipe
Dijon Chicken Thighs
Sichuan Mouth Watering Chicken
Savory and flavorful mouth watering chicken is a well known, popular dish in Sichuan cuisine. And for good reason – everyone loves it!
Check out this recipe
Sichuan Mouth Watering Chicken
Roasted Jerk Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potatoes
Switch up your regular chicken dinner routine with this Jamaican-inspired paleo Roasted Jerk Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potatoes! The trick is to cook a pan of vegetables under the chicken thighs, so the chicken juices drip down onto the vegetables as they cook. Serve it up with an easy creamy honey-jalapeno sauce to bump up the flavor even more!
Check out this recipe
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Bone In Chicken Thigh Recipes FAQs

What Cooking Method is Best for Chicken Thighs?

Chicken thighs, especially with the bone in, are a very forgiving cut of meat. They don’t dry out quickly, and they’re packed with flavor.

Because of this, chicken thighs do well with a variety of different cooking methods, including:

  • Grilling
  • Braising
  • Baking or roasting
  • Boiling and using as the base for soup
  • Pan-frying (especially in a cast-iron skillet because you can get the skillet very hot, which gets the skin crispy!)

Do Bone In Chicken Thighs Take Longer to Cook?

Yes, bone-in chicken thighs take longer to cook than boneless chicken thighs.

Dark meat chicken (which includes legs and thighs) is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 175F on an instant-read meat thermometer.

What Side Dishes Pair Well with Chicken Thighs?

That depends on what flavors are in the chicken thigh recipe! However, here are some classic side dishes that I frequently use as standbys:

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Faith, author of An Edible Mosaic.
About Faith

I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.

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2 Comments

  1. Karen (Back Road Journal) says:

    My husband thinks like you do when it comes to chicken thighs, he loves them and I know he would especially enjoy you chermoula chicken recipe.

  2. Dizzy Busy and Hungry says:

    I am so excited to see so many great bone-in chicken recipes in one place. They are all so delicious. I am going to make each one on this list!

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