Simple BBQ Chicken Thighs


What You Need For BBQ Chicken Thighs

For this recipe, we'll be using a gas grill. Its convenience is what makes it the perfect tool for this BBQ chicken recipe. Whether you're planning a quick weeknight meal or cooking for a gathering, a gas grill makes the process seamless and enjoyable.

All it takes is a few boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1-2 lbs.) and your favorite BBQ sauce. Although I'll be using Sweet Baby Ray's, feel free to use your favorite. With just these simple ingredients, you're set for a juicy, flavor-packed BBQ chicken feast.

How To Make Barbecue Chicken Thighs

Heat your grill to 400°. We'll be utilizing indirect heat for cooking. With indirect heat - preferably using 2 out of 4 burners and placing the chicken over the unused burners - you can cook chicken without worrying about it drying out. If space is limited, your grill's warming rack is a good alternative location.

Next, place the boneless, skinless chicken thighs onto the grill. These are chosen for their ability to withstand higher heat due to their fat content, eliminating the need to brine them. However, if you'd like to try brining, here's a link to a great brining recipe.

Allow the thighs to cook for roughly 15 minutes, keeping the grill lid closed. Make sure to move the chicken around a bit to prevent it from sticking. Applying some cooking spray or vegetable oil to the grate beforehand could be helpful too. Start lathering on your BBQ sauce once the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 140°. With indirect heat, there's no need to flip the chicken at this stage.

BBQ chicken thighs sauced and wrapping up with indirect cooking

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As for the BBQ sauce, brush it evenly on all sides before flipping the thighs. Continue with indirect grilling until the internal temperature hits 160°. It's worth noting that while chicken is typically safe to consume at 165°, thighs can withstand higher temp up to 175° due to their higher fat content, keeping them juicy and flavorful.

Once the internal temperature reaches 160°, we are going to move over to direct heat. Place over direct heat, brush the top of the thighs again with BBQ sauce and let cook for 2 minutes over direct heat. You can then flip, brush again with barbecue sauce and cook for another 2 minutes over the direct heat. Each grill will be a little different and has those hotter spots so just keep an eye on them. You can do this last part with the grill open. By moving over at 160°, there should not be a need to check IT, will you easily reach a safe IT of 165°.

Once the thighs have achieved that perfect char, you're nearly done. Just remove them from the grill, let them rest for 5-10 minutes to let the juices evenly distribute, and then they're ready to serve!

Bringing Home Our BBQ Chicken Thighs Recipe

This scrumptious BBQ chicken thigh recipe is incredibly easy to prepare. It's a showstopper at family dinners and 4th of July BBQ parties alike. The simplicity of preparation can be our little secret – the focus will be entirely on its outstanding taste!

BBQ Chicken Thighs

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If you're looking for more chicken thigh or grilling recipes, we've got a collection of recommendations to explore:

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BBQ Chicken Thighs

BBQ Chicken Thighs

Incredibly easy but delicious recipe for cooking BBQ chicken thighs.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Additional Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce

Instructions

  1. Get the grill going to 400°
  2. Place thighs on grill for indirect heat, keep grill closed
  3. Cook for about 15 minutes or until the thighs reach an IT of 140°
  4. At 140°, brush on BBQ sauce on one side, flip and brush on the other side
  5. When thighs hit 160° move over to direct heat
  6. While over direct heat, brush BBQ sauce on again but leave cooking over direct heat for 2 minutes
  7. After 2 minutes, then flip the thighs, brush on BBQ sauce again and cook over direct heat for another 2 minutes
  8. After the two minutes, remove, let rest for 5-10 minutes and then serve

Notes

When cooking over the direct heat, keep lid open and watch, if they are getting too charred, remove before the 2 minutes is up. Grills all cook a little different, have some hot spots and so some pieces may cook faster than others.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 193Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 138mgSodium: 244mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 28g

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