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With the subtle taste of your favorite beer, these marinated grilled chicken thighs are juicy, tender, and dang delicious! Serve them with our favorite heirloom tomato salad or grilled veggies for an easy dinner any night of the week.
5 Star Review
“Tried this recipe for dinner and it was absolutely delicious! OMG Sooo good! Thank you for sharing!” – Elizabeth Walker
An Easy Grilled Chicken Recipe
During the hot summer months, I avoid heating up the kitchen unless I absolutely have to. That’s why you’ll find me out at the grill almost every night of the week. Grilling is hands-down one of the easiest ways to get perfectly cooked, juicy meats! The extra flavor it adds to everything from pork tenderloin to salmon (and of course, chicken!) is just unbeatable.
This year, one of my go-to grill recipes has been these marinated grilled chicken thighs, mainly because they give me the same flavor vibes as my honey beer sauce chicken thighs! With chipotle peppers in the mix, they’re a little tangy, not too spicy, and while most of the alcohol cooks off, you still get those subtle hints of your favorite beer. The beer and vinegar work as a perfect tenderizing duo, leaving you with juicy, flavorful chicken that’s practically falling off the bone.
Reasons to Make this Marinated Grilled Chicken Recipe ASAP
- Weeknight-Friendly. Even with a marinade time, this recipe comes together fast. Just around 12-15 minutes on the grill and dinner’s done.
- No Fancy Ingredients. If you’ve got a bottle of beer in the fridge, chances are you’ve already got everything else you need to make beer marinated chicken on the grill.
- Big Flavor, Minimal Work. The beer and chipotle give the chicken bold flavor without a ton of effort, which is exactly how summer dinners should be.
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the Marinade
- Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce – Adds a kick to the beer marinade.
- Yellow onion – Chopped finely for flavor.
- Beer – Any can of your favorite beer works.
- Balsamic vinegar & apple cider vinegar – Vinegar helps to tenderize the chicken and provides a contrast to the beer.
- Olive oil – Just a small amount of oil is added to the marinade.
- Maple syrup – A bit of maple syrup helps to sweeten the marinade and balance the beer and vinegar.
For the Chicken
- Chicken thighs – I use boneless, skinless chicken thighs, but you can also use boneless chicken breasts. If you’d like to use bone-in, try them in this baked marinated chicken thighs recipe.
- Pineapple rings – These are optional, but I find them to add a nice, sweet touch for serving.
How to Make Marinated Grilled Chicken Thighs
This chicken dinner is surprisingly easy to prepare. It does need about 4 hours to work its magic, but the hands-on time is under 30 minutes.
- Prepare the marinade. Whisk together all of the marinade ingredients in a mixing bowl. Set aside 1/2 cup for later.
- Marinate the pineapple. Place the pineapple rings in a ziploc bag with 1/2 cup of marinade. Seal and refrigerate for 4 hours.
- Marinate the chicken. Add the remaining marinade to the chicken thighs in a large ziploc bag. Refrigerate for 4 hours.
- Prep the grill. Preheat the grill to 400˚F. Discard the marinade from the chicken thighs; let chicken sit at room temperature as the grill preheats. Brush the grill grates with oil.
- Grill the chicken. Place the chicken thighs on the hot grill over direct heat. Cook undisturbed for 5 minutes, then flip and brush with reserved marinade. Cook for 5 more minutes or until chicken reaches 165˚F. Continue to brush on reserved marinade. Remove from grill and allow to rest, covered, for 5 minutes before serving.
- Grill the pineapple. Grill the pineapple on both sides until golden brown and grill marks appear. You can do this while the chicken is cooking or resting.
- Serve and enjoy! Move the chicken thighs to a plate and serve them topped with the pineapple rings.
Katerina’s Recipe Tips
- Trim the fat. Before you even marinate the chicken, take the time to trim off any excess fat. It is guaranteed to burn and cause flare-ups on the grill.
- Use chicken breasts instead. While I love chicken thighs, if you prefer white meat chicken breasts, then you can easily adapt this recipe. You’ll only need to adjust the cooking time by a few minutes to fully cook the chicken breast.
- How to tell when chicken is done on the grill. The most sure-fire way to tell when your chicken is finished is to use an instant read thermometer. Chicken is done when it reaches 165˚F, but I usually leave chicken thighs on the grill under 170˚F, as a personal preference.
- How long to marinate chicken. I recommend marinating for at least 4 hours, but if you’re short on time, 2 hours will still work. You can also let it go overnight or up to 24 hours for even more flavor. Don’t go past that because the acidity will break down the meat and affect the texture.
- Omit the peppers. For a more mild flavor, you can easily omit the chipotle peppers from this recipe.
What to Serve with Grilled Chicken
One thing I love about the flavor of this beer marinated chicken is that it pairs well with so many things. I usually serve this with some veggies, or a salad and potatoes, but the possibilities are endless.
- Grilled veggies. Cook your veggies at the same time to turn this into an easy meal. Grilled corn on the cob or grilled asparagus would both make an easy, tasty side dish.
- Salad. A few of my summer favorites are watermelon feta salad and creamy radish cucumber tomato salad.
- Potatoes. For a heartier meal, serve your beer marinated chicken thighs with some potatoes too. I love these garlic herb grilled potatoes and basil pesto grilled potatoes. Alternatively, these sweet potato wedges are another easy option.
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Beer Marinated Grilled Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
For the Marinade
- 2 to 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped, use more peppers for spicier taste, or use less for those that prefer a milder marinade
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced or grated
- 12 ounces your favorite beer
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup, use sugar free maple syrup whenever possible
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Chicken
- 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 8 pineapple rings, fresh or from a can
Instructions
- Make the marinade. In a large mixing bowl combine chopped chipotle peppers, onions, beer, balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, oil, maple syrup, and salt; whisk until completely incorporated.
- Marinate the pineapple rings. Place pineapple rings in a ziploc bag and add ½-cup of the prepared marinade to the pineapples. Seal the bag and refrigerate for 4 hours.
- Marinate the chicken. Place the chicken thighs in a large 1 gallon ziploc bag. Remove ½-cup of the marinade to use for later. Keep refrigerated. Add the remaining marinade to the chicken thighs; seal the bag and refrigerate for 4 hours.
- Prep. Preheat the grill to 400˚F. Remove chicken thighs from ziploc; discard the marinade. Let the thighs sit at room temperature while preheating the grill.
- Grill the chicken. Brush the grill grates with oil. Transfer the chicken thighs to the hot grill and place over direct heat; cook undisturbed for 5 minutes. Flip the chicken over; brush with the reserved marinade and continue to cook for 5 more minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and internal temperature registers at 165˚F. Brush on more of the reserved marinade while the chicken is cooking.
- Let it rest. Once they are cooked through, remove the chicken thighs from the grill and set them aside for 5 minutes. Keep them covered.
- Grill the pineapple rings. While the chicken is cooking or resting, grill the pineapples on both sides until grill marks appear; about 1 to 2 minutes per side.
- Serve. Place the chicken thighs on a plate and serve with the pineapple rings.
Notes
- Nutritional Information Note: Since we are not actually consuming all of the marinade, the nutrition information is overestimated.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Store Leftovers
- Refrigerator. Store leftover chicken thighs in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in foil. The chicken will remain good for up to 4 days.
- Reheat. Warm in the microwave or enjoy cold. Leftover grilled chicken is great in salads, Caesar wraps, and sandwiches!
- Freezer. Let the chicken cool completely, then wrap in plastic wrap and foil or place in freezer bags. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Tried this recipe for dinner and it was absolutely delicious! OMG Sooo good! Thank yoi for sharing🙏🏼
Thank you so much! I am very glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Hi Katerina! Can this be made in the oven? I want to try this but don’t have a grill yet!
Hi!
Yep, that will work, just follow these steps:
You should make the marinade first, arrange the chicken thighs in a baking dish, and then pour the marinade over the chicken thighs. Cover and leave them in the fridge for 1 hour or up to 8 hours.
Then, preheat the oven to 425˚F. Remove chicken from the fridge and let stand on the counter while the oven preheats.
Remove the cover and bake chicken for 35 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165˚F. Halfway through cooking, baste the chicken with the liquid.
Turn on the broiler and continue to cook for 3 to 4 more minutes or until golden brown on top.
Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes on the counter.
Serve chicken with the pan sauce.