I am handing you the keys to the Queendom. Spice-rubbed chicken thighs is the dish for all those times this summer you’re having friends over for a barbecue– and all the times year-round you need a meal you can get on the table with about 5 minutes of prep.
This is the chicken dish that everyone loves. Perhaps it is a slight exaggeration to say “everyone loves it”, because I am fairly certain vegans and vegetarians wouldn’t, and maybe one or two chicken lovers. No, I take that last part back: I have never met a chicken eater who doesn’t like these. That’s actually saying a lot, considering the number of people for whom and with whom I have made this chicken, both at home and in my classes at ICE.
Wow, that sounded like a sell job. Really, if you don’t want to try this particular recipe, that’s your business and I don’t want to be a recipe-pusher. But no matter what, this post should make it easy for you to roast and grill chicken thighs to perfection. Even if you don’t use this knock-your-socks-off, killer-good spice rub…
Before I get to the actual recipe, here’s my run-down on what you need to know to cook moist, tender and safe chicken thighs. (If after reading this you still have a question, write it in the comment form at the bottom of the post)
- Thighs stay moist even when they’re a little over-cooked. This makes them stress-free to serve to company, because you can make them ahead and re-heat. Also, if you have a glass of wine while you’re cooking and get involved in a conversation with a friend, and then realize oh-my-god-the-chicken! you might still be okay. The same cannot be said of chicken breasts, fish, steaks, or burgers. (Disclaimer: if the conversation goes on for, say, 30 minutes, you may need to make alternate plans for dinner).
- Thighs come with their own built-in handle, making them ideal for walk-around gatherings. The single bone that runs down the center sticks out a bit at either end, which makes thighs easy to pick up and eat without utensils.
- Figure on two thighs per person, or three thighs for big eaters. But they vary in size, so use your judgement.
- The raw, on the bone weight is about double the cooked yield. So buy 2 pounds of bone-in thighs to yield 1 pound of cooked meat.
- Make them prettier. Thighs come out of the package looking like a cartoon splat. Or a Rorschach test. You need to pretty them up by pulling the skin evenly over the meat and folding the sides under.
messy splat-shaped thighs
neat prettied-up thighs
- You cut 40-50 calories and 1-2 grams of saturated fat per thigh by removing the skin. Yup, but you also lose the golden, crisp skin. It’s a choice. (I go both ways, depending on how dedicated I am to dieting at the time.)
- Don’t freak at the sight of pink. Thighs can be cooked to a safe internal temperature and still be pink (or even have a red bloody-looking spot) near the bone. That has to do with blood vessels and protein structure, not “rawness”. Use a thermometer and cook thighs to 170-175F. The thermometer should be parallel to but not touching the bone and the tip should be in the thickest part of the meat.
Thermometer inserted parallel to the bone
Okay, go cook.
Marge Perry's A Sweet and Savory Life
Grilled or Roasted Spice-Rubbed Chicken Thighs
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 – 3.5 pounds chicken thighs (bone-in), about 12 thighs
- If you are grilling, coat the grill rack with cooking spray and heat the grill for direct heat cooking. If you are roasting, preheat the oven to 425F and coat a large baking sheet pan with cooking spray.
- Combine the sugar, cumin, salt, garlic powder, ginger, cinnamon, cayenne and black pepper in a bowl, working the mixture with your fingertips to get rid of any lumps.
- Shape and trim the thighs. Pat the mixture over the entire surface of the thighs.
- To roast: place in the oven, skin side up, and cook until the largest thigh reaches an internal temperature of 170-175F, about 30-35 minutes depending on the size of the thighs. To grill: place on the grill skin side facing down and cook 15 minutes. Turn and cook until the largest thigh reaches an internal temperature of 170-175, about another 15 minutes.
Makes 6 servings
Nutritional analysis per serving:
With skin: 322 calories, 19 g fat, 5 g sat fat
W/o skin: 237 calories, 11 g fat, 3 g sat fat
{ 34 comments… read them below or add one }
That recipe truly annoints the hostess as the queen. It sounds so easy. Have you thought about adding calorie contents to your recipes?
Great point, Laurie. I have added the nutritional analysis to the recipe– for both skin on and skin off. And in the future, I will include the nutrition whenever possible.
Could this be done with other cuts of chicken? Like breasts cut in half?
You can certainly use this spice rub on other cuts of chicken, though of course your cooking times will vary. (Chicken breasts need to be cooked to only 160F, by thwe way, or they will get dry). The spice rub is also very good on swordfish, salmon and flank steak.
SOME MEMBERS OF MY FAMILY DO NOT LIKE CUMIN, IS THERE ANOTHER SPICE YOU COULD SUGGEST AS A SUBSTITUTE?
To replace the cumin, I would stick with some of the sweet spices: perhaps a pinch of cardamom and/or about 1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander. Or, you can take it in a slightly different direction and use curry.
Roasted chicken thighs with cannellini beans & rosemary are our winter go-to, and we usually forgo the oven for the grill in summer. So we’re doubly excited to try this recipe on the grill. Can’t wait …. keep ‘em coming.
Roisin, your winter dish sounds great– maybe when the weather gets cool, you’ll share…
This looks amazing! I have some thighs just waiting for this recipe!
Making these tonight! Funny, I never thought about “neatening up” my thighs. They look much better this way!
Made these last night with b/s thighs. They were great, and I am excited to try them again soon with the curry substitution.
Thank you!
This looks delicious and really simple too! adding it to my collection of easy chicken dinner recipes
thanks!
I was lokking for something quick to roast my thighs with curry i had curry power,paprika,garlic salt and powder,ginger,and cinnamon already so i didnt add anything else lets see how it turns out.
I must prepare baked chicken pieces for 20 – 25 people. Any tips on assuring they are moist and tender. After baking I plan to pour an alfredo sauce over them. I’d like to use boneless, skinless breasts and thighs.
Thanks,
Dee
Hi Dee. If I were preparing chicken for that many people, I would want to do it mostly in advance. To ensure the chicken stays moist and tender, your best bet is to use chicken thighs, not breasts. Breasts have very little fat, which means they dry out easily. Thighs have enough fat to allow you to first cook them to a safe internal temperature (170F) and then re-heat them– and they won’t be dry.
Also, when cooking for that many people, if you make the thighs on the bone, diners can pick them up (the bone is like a handy handle!); boneless meat (will require a knife and fork.
No matter what you decide, the key to keeping it tender and tasty is to cook chicken to the correct internal temperature (160f for breasts, 170f for thighs). For details on how to take the temperature and other cooking guidelines, please see this post on how to cook thighs and this one on cooking breasts.
Does this recipe work equally as well with Chicken wings? Would you cook them at a different temperature?
You can certainly use the spice rub on wings. You’ll have to make a lot more rub, though, because wings have more surface area per pound than thighs. I would suggest tripling the rub: if you don’t need it all, store the leftover (that has not come in contact with the chicken, obviously) in a plastic bag or bottle in your spice drawer.
Is there any issue with this rub falling off the chicken skin through the grill grates when grilling skin-side down?
Cindy– Pat the rub (so why don’t we call it a “pat” instead of a “rub”?!) on the chicken and coat the grill grates with cooking spray or oil (before you heat the grill. I have never had a problem with losing all that delicious rub.
Hi Marge,
Looks yummy! I too am preparing for around 30 people and was thinking I might add a yellow rice under for the chaffing dish to try to keep it warm and moist with the steam from the rice. Also, is it very spicy (hot) as it will serve children as well. Thanks!
Hi Colleen– The spice rub is a balance of savory and sweet flavors with very little heat. I think it is very kid- friendly– but all kids (and adults) are different. You can omit the cayenne entirely if you would prefer, but I don’t think it’s necessary. Hope your party is a blast!
I made this last night and it was delicious!! I used skinless chicken thighs with the bone in, and roasted in the oven per the recipe. I only used 4 chicken thighs, but used the same proportions and cooking times as instructed by the recipe, and it came out great. Thanks for posting this yummy recipe!!
Glad you liked it, Kate! I do the same when I want to watch my fat and calorie consumption. I take the skin off before I cook them. For one thing, I don’t have willpower enough to remove the crispy cooked skin, and for another– if I put the rub on the skin instead of the meat, I would lose all the flavor by pulling the skin off.
I made these last night and the rub only covered 6 thighs. I did put it on both sides of the thigh and it wasn’t too much. The flavor was delicious! I’ll be making them again and just double the rub. Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi Andrea–
I wonder why the rub covered only half the thighs– were your chicken thighs big? The recipe says 12 thighs should weigh 3 to 3 1/2 pounds, which gives you an idea of the size.
I am very happy you liked the end result. That rub can be made in multiples and kept on hand in your spice cabinet. It is also quite handy (and delicious!) to use on grilled steak-like fish, such as tuna and swordfish and on steak (such as flank steak).
I love this recipe! I made it for my boyfriend and he was blown away. Seriously delicious- not too sweet, which is normally what I worry about brown sugar rubs. Great job!
Thanks for the humorous, simple yet clear directions. Yum!
I have NEVER left a comment on a food recipe. I usually just lurk! I’m very much looking forward to trying this rub because I followed your instructions for the chicken breast and was blown away. My ‘trained chef’ fiancee loved it. He just keeping eating it before I put it on his plate. I love the way you give instructions with humor and pics. Thank you!!!!
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Thanks, Nette, and I am glad you and your fiancee liked the chicken breasts. I love these thighs. Honestly, they are our go-to meal.
Enjoy! (And thanks for “coming out”!)
Hey Marge, My family and I love this dish. I have prepared it several times now and am planning to have it for dinner tonight. When I told my family what we’er having I received high praise and was questioned as to when it would be ready! Thanks for such a wonderful and easy recipe it truly has made me queen of my kitchen.
Wow– thank you for taking the time to write and let me know. It’s so nice to hear!
I’m trying this tonight! I also wanted to add that the FDA has just changed the internal cooked temperature for pork to 145 degrees.
Please ignore my previous comment. I don’t know why I was thinking of pork while planning to cook chicken! I will let you know how it turns out when done.
I’ve also used your, “How To”, cook chicken breasts 4 times now, also using your, Lemon, Butter, & Capers chicken recipe. My body thanks you for the protein and I thank you for tasty dinners.
I’d sure love to see you write more recipes like those. I’ve tried a couple other cook books but nothing compares to how you write directions.
I must say, you had me baffled, Angela. I even went back to see if I had mentioned pork somewhere on the post! But while we are talking about pork, I will mention that you can actually cook it safely to 140 degrees and let it sit 5 minutes before serving (the temp will continue to climb a bit). But you have inspired me: I will do a post on pork, I think. And given your very flattering remarks, I think I’d better make it a post like the chicken one: How to Cook Pork tenderloin to Moist, Tender and Juicy Perfection. I think that is another protein that is easy to overcook.
Are there other How-To’s you’d like to see? I’d love to know! (I assume you’ve seen the others on my site: Artichokes, Mussels, Turkey, Rugelach, Eggs, Chicken stock, etc)
And, while I am making the most of your flattery (!) I will tell you that I am in the early stages of doing my next cookbook…I will certainly announce something on my blog when it is more definitive.
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