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These Grilled Chicken Thighs are juicy, flavorful, and so simple to prepare. Marinated in a blend of pantry staples, they cook up tender and delicious, making them perfect for weeknight dinners or backyard BBQs!
Try my Grilled BBQ Chicken or Greek Yogurt Marinated Chicken Thighs next for more delicious chicken recipes.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Versatile – This chicken marinade works well for grilling, baking, or broiling.
- Quick to Prepare – The marinade comes together in just 5 minutes.
- Juicy and Tender – Marinating the chicken ensures moist, flavorful grilled chicken thighs.
- Budget-Friendly – Chicken thighs are an affordable protein option.
RECIPE WALK-THROUGH
Before You Begin
Make sure to get all of your ingredients together, along with any measuring cups or spoons you might need. This will help the whole process go much easier!
Helpful Tools to Grab Before You Start
- Mixing Bowl: For whisking together your chicken marinade.
- Measuring Cups and Spoons: To measure out your marinade ingredients accurately.
- Resealable Plastic Bag or Shallow Dish: For marinating the chicken evenly.
- Tongs: Handy for turning the chicken on the grill.
- Meat Thermometer: Ensures the chicken reaches the safe internal temperature of 165°F.
How To Make a Grilled Chicken Marinade
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
Place the chicken thighs into a resealable plastic bag.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Pour the marinade over the chicken in the bag, seal, and gently massage to coat all pieces.
Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, up to 24 hours.
Preheat the grill to medium heat (350-400°F).
Remove chicken from the marinade and grill for 4-6 minutes per side, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use bone-in chicken thighs?
Yes, just increase the grill time and monitor the internal temperature to ensure they reach 165°F.
How long should I marinate the chicken?
For best flavor, marinate at least 2 hours, though even 30 minutes can give good results.
Can I cook these on a grill pan or in the oven?
Absolutely. Use a grill pan on the stove or bake at 400°F for 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these grilled chicken thighs with sides like macaroni salad, grilled zucchini, grilled baked potatoes, or sweet potato wedges.
For a citrusy twist, add lemon zest to the marinade. If you prefer a spicier kick, include a pinch or two of red pepper flakes.
Storage Tips
How To Store Leftovers
Let chicken cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container or resealable plastic bag. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Add chilled to salads and sandwiches or reheat in the microwave.
To freeze fully cooked chicken, cool and store in a resealable plastic freezer bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat as desired.
Recipe Tips
- For the best flavor, marinate the chicken for at least 2 hours.
- If using bone-in thighs, adjust the grilling time to ensure they cook through.
- Always let the chicken rest after grilling to retain its juices.
More Chicken Thigh Recipes
- Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs
- Fried Chicken Thighs
- Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
- BBQ Baked Chicken Thighs
- Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs
- 19 Recipes for Boneless Chicken Thighs
Grilled Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 4 pounds Boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- 1/4 cup Brown sugar
- 1/4 cup Soy sauce
- 1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 1/4 cup Olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper
Instructions
Marinade
- Prepare the chicken: Place chicken thighs in a resealable plastic bag.
- Prepare the Marinade: Whisk together the marinade ingredients in a large bowl.
- Cover/Seal: Pour the marinade over the chicken in the plastic bag. Seal, pressing out as much air as possible to ensure that all the surface area of the chicken is covered. Gently massage to coat. If cooking right away, set the chicken aside for 20-30 minutes then cook as desired.
- Refrigerate: Refrigerate for 12-24 hours. Any longer and the texture of the meat may change.
- Freeze: Place chicken and marinade in a resealable freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight and cook as desired.
Cooking
- Grill: Heat an outdoor grill to medium heat (about 350-400℉). Grill chicken for 4-6 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate, tent with foil and rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
- Bake: Bake for 25-30 minutes at 425℉. If desired, broil for a few minutes at the end for deeper color. Tent with foil and rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
- Broil: Preheat the broiler and adjust the oven rack to the middle of the oven. Line a broiling pan with foil or use a cast iron skillet. Broil chicken for about 20 minutes, basting with any reserved and unused marinade or juices from the pan. Tent with foil and rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
- If desired, garnish with fresh chopped parsley or other fresh herbs just before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
Loved it. Very easy too.
Thank you Lesla for sharing your positive experience.
Jumping to the end, the chicken was really good.
The marinade smelled like Chex mix awesome. I followed the directions as written. Marinated thighs and drum sticks, 90 minutes.
I used a Weber charcoal grill, set up for indirect heat, but grilled over the hot side with a lid temp of 350F.
The only thing I would change on my system would be to turn more often and extend the cooking time. Yes, I did not take a temperature reading as I should have, but it was a hectic day.
Bar-none, this is an in my back pocket, in the recipe file, and in my farm truck’s glove box kind of recipe. Thank you.
Thank you Eric for sharing your positive feedback and experience. thanks for stopping by!
Great recipe. Easy and such great taste.
This was so good!! Honestly best grilled chicken we’ve ever had, and we grill A LOT! I subbed a few things, did coconut aminos instead of soy sauce, coconut sugar instead of brown sugar (was out of brown sugar), and pineapple juice instead of lemon juice. YUM!! My 18 month old loved it too! We only had time to let it marinate for a few hours and that was plenty! The marinade creates like a glaze over the chicken, so yum!!
Thank you Kelly! So happy that you and your family loved this recipe!
This is hands down the best chicken thigh marinade ever! This will be a summer staple in my fridge, for sure. Thank you for sharing:)
You’re so welcome Noelle! thank you so much for stopping by!
Kristin, Thank you for such a wonderful recipe. This is my first time trying out the Recipe for my Family and my mother’s 90th birthday party picnic. It couldn’t be that easy, but the ingredients sound delicious , putting them all together.
Nice! Thank you Susan.
One of the best marinades ever!!!
Made on Saturday, on my way to the grill to make it again
Excellent Recipe..
Thank you Jose!
Amazing! Perfect for bone-in chicken thighs. Think this will be our new summer standard. We served with spinach salad and grilled corn on the cob. Numerous compliments!!
Yummy! Thanks for stopping by Roxanne.
OUTSTANDING! DELICIOUS!! SIMPLE!!! WE USED REAL GARLIC AND SOME HERBS (ROSEMARY AND THYME). THIS IS A FANTASTIC, TASTY RECIPE. (SORRY ABOUT THE CAPS LOCK PROBLEM) A NEW FAVORITE!!!!!!
Thank you Darduggle! and thanks for sharing your experience!
Marinade is delicious. I added some fresh ginger and garlic. Skipped the lemon juice. Substituted salt for fish sauce. And finally used palm sugar (coconut sugar) in place of brown sugar. Will also add some green onion to the marinade next time as I made an extra batch and stored in an airtight container in my fridge. I think this would be good on some pork ribs!
Hi Jane, Great ideas, love that you made it your own!
Omg. I have the most picky husband but trying this marinade i finally found something he loves this will be on our grilling rotation permanently. Thank you very much.
That’s Awesome Aya! thanks for stopping by.
This was awesome! The only problem was there was not any left overs for me!!! Will use this recipe again and again and again! Thanks!!
Nice! thanks Jackie!
Amazing marinade!! My picky family loved it, I used Worcestershire sauce in place of soy sauce and added more lemon juice and garlic powder to it. I made twice the amount that I usually would and had no leftovers at all
That’s awesome Leora! So happy that you and your family loved this recipe!
Grilling chicken thighs tonight and this marinade sounds spot on! They’ve been soaking in a brine for a couple of hours, now I am going to throw this yummy marinade together and let those puppies soak it up for a couple of hours!
Will pop back in to give my star rating, how it was, if I tweaked it at all, etc.
Great marinade! Used on bone-in, skin on chicken thighs. Didn’t have garlic powder so I added 3 fresh minced cloves of garlic. Only had time to marinate a little over an hour in the fridge but turned out awesome!
Thank you Jess!
Made this chicken tonight, turned out great!!!
Thank you Jene! So glad you enjoyed it!
I made these last night and they were delish. I am a cook and they are perfect as is. The marinade took seconds to put together, has the perfect combination of sweet, salt and tang, and does not use too much oil. I grilled boneless, skinless thighs for 6 minutes per side and they were melt in your mouth juicy. I will keep this as my “go to” chicken marinade from now on.
Going to try this today sounds yummy