4 Easy Chicken Thigh Recipes to Save Money and Avoid Mess

Are you still scared of chicken thighs? Or do you think the chicken breast reigns to frame? Well, that ends today. I’ve got four chicken thigh recipes that you need to add into your weekly rotation, especially if you’re into saving money. I think there are a lot of people that just don’t know how to cook chicken in general. And if that is you, then you need to start with a chicken thigh. It is a whole lot harder to mess that up than a chicken breast and is a whole lot cheaper.

Why You’ll Love This

This is going to be your definite crowd, please, or my kids love it. They will inhale it.

I love this dinner because it’s so easy. Like this is one you can do when you get home from work because the prep is so minimal.

While you’re gonna 100% want to keep this recipe forever, the main takeaway that I really want you to get is the cooking method because then you can adjust it to whatever flavors you’re feeling that day.

It’s just going to be more flavorful and it’s a cheaper way to make this recipe.

What makes this dish so magical is the addition of whole milk yogurt. It adds tang, it adds creaminess, it’s just heavenly.

Unbelievable. You taste the punch of flavor, like literally before it even gets into your mouth because you can smell it first. A little bit of tang from that yogurt, but it is so, the chicken is so tender and juicy. I don’t know why you would even make this with chicken breast. Ten out of ten. Maybe twelve out of ten.

This next one is a complete meal in one pan. It requires minimal effort and zero time at the stove. This is crispy and tender oven baked chicken thighs.

This is the meal you make when you come home from Oregon. You really don’t feel like cooking.

So tender, it’s like cutting through like butter. Do you see the juiciness right here? The chicken breast could never do that. The way those potatoes have absorbed that juice. It’s amazing.

The key to this recipe is a long marinade in some whole milk Greek yogurt. This is really going to tenderize the chicken, even though we know it already stays juicy.

That marinade is so good. You taste everything. I’m going to like the smoky flavor headset. This is a winner winner.

Ingredients

Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs

• bone-in skin on chicken thigh
• half of an onion
• garlic (kind of heavy on the garlic)
• salt
• pepper
• a little avocado oil
• honey
• soy sauce
• a dash of rice vinegar
• a little sriracha

Simmered/Braised Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs

• boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• salt
• pepper
• onion
• ginger
• garlic
• curry powder
• cumin
• turmeric
• coriander
• cayenne
• water
• tomato
• whole milk yogurt
• cilantro
• a little more water
• salt
• a little fresh lemon juice
• garam masala

Crispy and Tender Oven Baked Chicken Thighs

• red bell pepper
• potatoes
• a little onion
• oil
• salt
• pepper
• garlic powder
• bone in, skin on chicken
• salt
• pepper
• garlic powder
• oregano
• a little onion powder
• smoked paprika

Turkish Chicken Kebabs

• about a cup of Greek yogurt
• a lot of garlic
• olive oil
• freshly squeezed lemon juice
• lipo pepper
• kosher salt
• cumin
• black pepper
• paprika
• Cinnamon (a pinch)
• boneless skinless chicken thighs

Instructions

Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs

1. Finely chop half of an onion.
2. Pat chicken thighs dry.
3. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
4. Get a skillet like medium-high heat until it’s hot.
5. Go in with a little avocado oil.
6. Once we put this chicken in the skillet, do not touch it.
7. The chicken will tell you when it’s time to set. Stick it in a minute and that is when it releases easily from the pan.
8. After we flipped it, we’ve only cooked it for another minute or two.
9. In the drippings, go with your onion and garlic.
10. Cook that down till it’s all nice and soft.
11. Make our sauce with honey and soy sauce.
12. Add in just a dash of rice vinegar also to cut some of that fat.
13. Add in a little sriracha.
14. Turn the heat down and just let that simmer until the chicken’s cooked through.
15. Once you flip them, it only takes about 10 minutes if that because we cooked it for so long on the first side.
16. Give it a quick toss in the sauce.

Simmered/Braised Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs

1. Cut boneless, skinless chicken thighs in like half.
2. Season them with salt and pepper.
3. Get it browned and flavorful in here and start to build our flavor base.
4. Don’t touch it. Let it get a good brown crust on the first side.
5. Take it out and add it back into finished cooking.
6. Go in with some onion, ginger, and garlic.
7. Add in the spices: curry powder, some cumin, turmeric, coriander, and cayenne.
8. Toast them for just about like 20 seconds or so.
9. Add in water to lift up the flavor.
10. Go in with some tomato.
11. Add in whole milk yogurt.
12. Go in with some cilantro.
13. Add the chicken back in, along with any juices.
14. Add in a little more water to thin the sauce out.
15. Bring this up to a simmer and let it cook for about 20 minutes or so until that chicken is cooked through and everything comes together.
16. Flavor it up with some salt.
17. Add a little fresh lemon juice.
18. Add in some garam masala at this point.

Crispy and Tender Oven Baked Chicken Thighs

1. Put your veggies (red bell pepper, potatoes, a little onion) in the bottom of whatever dish you’re going to cook in.
2. Add a little oil.
3. Do a little salt pepper, maybe a little garlic powder.
4. Get that a toss.
5. Place the bone in, skin on chicken right on top.
6. Mix up your spices (salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, a little onion powder, and smoked paprika) before spreading them on.
7. Spread spices on chicken.
8. Pop this in the oven at 375.
9. It’ll take about 45 minutes to an hour.

Turkish Chicken Kebabs

1. Start with about a cup of Greek yogurt.
2. To that, add in a lot of garlic.
3. Mellow out that tanginess with a little bit of olive oil.
4. Go in with some freshly squeezed lemon juice.
5. Add lipo pepper, kosher salt, cumin, black pepper, and paprika.
6. Add Cinnamon (just a pinch).
7. Stir it up.
8. Cut boneless skinless chicken thighs in half.
9. Add this chicken into the marinade.
10. Coat it really well and then let it marinade for at least a couple hours.
11. Thread it onto some skewers, folding the chicken thigh over so that it is a little more substantial.
12. Put these kebabs down and you’re not going to touch them.
13. After I flip them, just turn it down just a little bit and then just turn them occasionally until they’re brown on all sides.

Cooking Tips

You might want to double the recipe.

To get that crispy chicken skin, you need to pat them dry first.

Once we put this chicken in the skillet, do not touch it. Do not touch it. The chicken will tell you when it’s time to set. Stick it in a minute and that is when it releases easily from the pan. This step takes at least five to seven minutes. So do not rush that.

Again, just remember this method and then you can just up the flavors however you want.

If you don’t always start by creating that flavor base, you’re missing out.

Now is when I’m going to add in the spices because they’re going to use the fat that’s in there and the heat. So they’re going to toast a little bit. So their flavors are really going to come out a lot more if you do this and cook them in with the onion and garlic for a little while. So toast them for just about like 20 seconds or so. And then we’ll add in water to lift up the flavor.

We’re going to pat these dry so that they do get extra crispy as crispy as possible.

The key to this recipe is a long marinade in some whole milk Greek yogurt. This is really going to tenderize the chicken, even though we know it already stays juicy.

You want to coat it really well and then let it marinade for at least a couple hours. The longer you go, the more flavorful it’s going to be.

You’re going to put these kebabs down and you’re not going to touch them. After I flip them, I’m just going to turn it down just a little bit and then just turn them occasionally until they’re brown on all sides.

Serving Suggestions

For the honey garlic chicken, be sure whatever you serve it with. Noodles, rice to absorb that goodness.

For the simmered chicken, a little more cilantro, and I like to also serve it with a little bit of grilled naan.

For the oven-baked chicken, first thing I’m going to do is put some veggies on the plate. A chicken on there, and a little liquid, go.

For the kebabs, I’m like to serve this up with something fresh, like a cucumber, tomato salad.

Surely I’ve convinced you to try one of these recipes and pick up a packet chicken thighs next time you’re in the grocery store. You’ll save some money and thank me later because the thick thighs saves loves.