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Perfectly golden, tender, and juicy boneless skinless chicken thighs prepared on the stove top. These delicious pan seared chicken thighs make for a wonderful meal that’s surprisingly easy, and the pan sauce is amazing!
Quick enough for a weeknight dinner, or even a dinner party, this stove top chicken thighs recipe is all about the technique. If you’re wondering how to cook chicken thighs in a pan, this method, using olive oil and finishing with butter, garlic, and chicken broth, results in crispy yet tender, finger-licking good chicken thighs.
Pan-seared chicken often ends up dry and flavorless, but not so with this recipe! The meat is tender and juicy. Chicken thighs have a rich and hearty taste and are tastier than chicken breasts, in my opinion. The dark meat of the thigh contains more fat than the breast, which gives it a deeper flavor.
Why I Love This Boneless Chicken Thighs Recipe
- Easy. Just season your chicken then cook it up in a skillet. No complicated techniques or fancy ingredients here.
- Quick. Start-to-finish this recipe is ready in 20 minutes! How’s that for the perfect weeknight dinner?
- Flavorful. Boneless skinless chicken thigh recipes should be juicy, tender, and moist when cooked properly. This recipe delivers on all of that.
- Flexible. Both boneless and bone-in chicken thighs can be used in this recipe; however, remember that bone-in thighs will take longer to cook.
Looking for more ways to cook chicken thighs? Check out my air fryer chicken thighs or these instant pot chicken thighs.
What You’ll Need
- Olive oil: You could also use avocado oil.
- Boneless chicken thighs: We’ll need about 6 thighs. You can also use bone-in thighs but they will take a bit longer to cook.
- Seasonings: Onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, salt and pepper.
- Butter: You can use unsalted or salted butter, whichever you have on hand.
- Garlic: A couple cloves of garlic adds flavor to the the butter.
- Broth: I used low-sodium chicken broth, but vegetable or bone broth also works. If you want, you can also use your favorite white wine or apple juice.
How To Cook Boneless Chicken Thighs
Cooking chicken thighs in a pan is a simple and easy method. Here’s a quick look at how to do it:
- Heat the oil: Similar to my garlic sauce chicken thighs, sans bones and skin, this recipe starts with a wide, deep 12-inch skillet and well-heated olive oil.
- Season the chicken: In the meantime, we will season our chicken thighs with a mix of garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
- Cook: Add chicken thighs, smooth side down, to the skillet and sear for about 5 minutes, or until you can easily flip it over.
- Turn over and finish cooking: Flip the chicken thighs over and cook for 6 more minutes. Add butter and garlic to the pan and cook for a minute before adding chicken broth to scrape up all the delicious bits on the bottom of the pan. This will also create the sauce to go with the chicken thighs.
Tips for Cooking Chicken Thighs
- Use a large skillet: To make the most perfect pan fried chicken thighs, use a large skillet that comfortably fits 4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
- Use the right temperature: Cook the chicken thighs over medium heat so to allow the lower heat to evenly cook the meat. This helps ensure that you know exactly how long to cook chicken thighs on the stove for the best results.
- DO NOT move the chicken thighs around. Let cook for 5 minutes or until you can easily flip them over.
- Do not overcook the chicken thighs. Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness; chicken thighs are cooked through when the internal temperature registers at 165˚F.
How To Store Extras
- Store in the fridge: Refrigerate chicken thighs within two hours of cooking. Make sure that they are completely cooled. Store chicken in airtight containers, and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- Freeze it: Transfer completely cooled chicken thighs to an airtight container OR freezer bags. Label the bag or container with name and date, and place it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Serving Suggestions
Wondering what to serve with your delicious chicken dinner? I have some ideas:
More Chicken Recipes
- Honey Sriracha Chicken Recipe with Cauliflower Rice
- Grilled Chicken Thighs with Brown Sugar Glaze
- Garlic Butter Chicken and Rice
- Saucy Skillet Chicken with Lemons and Olives
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Juicy Stovetop Chicken Thighs Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ pounds (about 6 chicken thighs) boneless skinless chicken thighs
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup low sodium chicken broth, you can also use dry white wine or apple juice
- fresh chopped parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Season chicken thighs with onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
- Add seasoned chicken thighs to the skillet, smooth side down; cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until you can easily flip over the chicken. Flip and cook for 6 to 7 more minutes or until no longer pink.
- Add butter and minced garlic; cook for about 20 to 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Add chicken broth and stir around to scrape up all the crispy bits on the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook for 1 minute.
- Remove from heat.
- Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve.
Video
Notes
- Use a large skillet that fits 4 to 6 boneless chicken thighs.
- Do not move the chicken thighs around; let them cook for 5 minutes or until you can easily flip them over.
- Both boneless and bone-in chicken thighs can be used; however, note that bone-in thighs will take longer to cook as the bones add mass. Use a Meat Thermometer to check for doneness – chicken is cooked through when the internal temperature registers at 165˚F.
- After adding in the butter and garlic, a splash of chicken broth will help to scrape up all the bits from the bottom of the pan.
- You can use chicken breasts in place of chicken thighs.
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.
what can I serve as a side dish with this yummy chicken?
I heated a bag of wild brown rice and steamed fresh shelled peas from Trader Joe’s.
Excellent. I try to make different things all the time but this is one I repeat. I make a little extra juices using one cup broth and a half cup wine so I can pour them over the rice and vegetables on the side. Absolutely delicious
I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for chiming in! 🙂
I think you need more ads. I found the recipe after only 10 mins of looking.
Does not work for bone in and skin on thighs
Doesn’t work with bone in or skin on. They don’t cook in the allotted time. Therefore burning the butter and garlic because it reduces to much.
Yes, that’s right. This recipe is for boneless chicken thighs, not bone-in.
Thank you for this recipe. It was fabulous! I took someone’s suggestion and made extra sauce for noodles. Perfect 🤩
Well, I did use bone-in, and remembered in the article she mentions that it would take longer to cook, because of the extra mass. I cooked mine a bit longer, but not nearly enough. The next day, and cooked them again (I don’t like wasting food) and they came out great! I think next time I will cook them twice as long, and just hold the butter till later in the cooking process, and/or use oil to start it off. This is the third recipe I’ve tried on this site, and I have not been disappointed. I love the tips, serving and side suggestions, and the simplicity of the dishes. I am grateful, thank you so much! 🙂
I’m happy to know you’re enjoying the recipes and finding the tips and suggestions useful. Thanks for your kind words! If you need any specific recipes or have questions, just let me know. Happy cooking! 🙂
Made as instructed & it was DELICIOUS!! Adding to dinner rotation.
Best chicken recipe for a beginner cook. This was so simple and DELICIOUS! I added a bit of green onion while frying, and used white wine instead of chicken stock. Definitely a weekly dish!
That’s great! I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
This dish was amazingly simple, fast, and delicious! I added a splash of cream at the end and used Tajin instead of chili powder. I also sprinkled a bit of fresh cilantro. This recipe is a keeper and will be made again and again in my home.
Made them tonight for dinner. Only had chicken thighs with bone and skin, so I just cooked them a bit longer. Came out great!
Great recipe basically, but I used chicken thighs with skin and bone-in. Added lots of fresh lemon juice which really spiked the flavor.
At the end, I added cream which really made the sauce. I’ll make this again.
Thank you so much! I am very glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
I added a 1/4 tsp of powdered ginger and my chinese hubby loves it.
The first time I had chicken stock, the next time I used apple juice and last night I used ginger beer. Awesome.
Super easy and delicious. Thank you!
Thank YOU! I am very glad you enjoyed it! 🙂