These Stove Top Chicken Thighs are incredibly easy to make and are perfect for those times when you're short on time. This dish comes together in about 45 minutes and always turn out perfectly. It's both savory and slightly sweet, and the meat is juicy and delicious. You'll always be able to count on this dish and one that you'll turn to again and again.

This dish is actually inspired by chicken adobo but with a twist. It's served over a bed of steamed rice and pairs well with Sauteed Green Beans.
If by chance, you're craving fried chicken without an excessive amount of oil, head on over to check out the Ultimate Crispy Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Thighs and Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Wings.
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Ingredients
Let's cook up some serious deliciousness and make these easy stove top chicken thighs. It all starts with these simple ingredients.
- Chicken thighs
- Kosher salt
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Dried parsley
- Red pepper flakes (optional)
- Black pepper
- All-purpose flour
- Coco aminos
- Rice wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
- Sriracha or Sambal Oelek (optional)
- Fresh garlic
- Lime
- Green onion or cilantro (for garnish)
Ingredient Notes
Coco aminos: Is a sauce that has a dark brown color and can be used as a marinade as well. It's made from the sap or nectar of a coconut palm tree and is an alternative to soy sauce. Compared to soy sauce, it has a slightly sweet taste. Due to its mild sweetness, I never have to add sugar even when making teriyaki-inspired dishes like this Grilled Teriyaki Pork Ribs Recipe. My favorite brand is Big Tree Organic Coco Aminos.
Sambal Oelek: Is a ground chili paste that I like to add to the coco aminos mixture for a little kick of spice.
All-purpose flour: Adds texture to the chicken skin when pan frying and helps thicken the sauce as it simmers.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Stove Top Chicken Thighs
Now that your ingredients are in place - grab your skillet and cooking utensils and let's get into this one pan chicken dinner.
- Pan fry chicken thighs on both sides over medium-high heat.
- Remove them from skillet and place on a clean plate.
- Quickly saute garlic.
- Pour the coco aminos mixture into the skillet while gently scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the skillet.
- Gently place the chicken thighs back into the skillet and lower heat.
- Immediately begin to baste the chicken thighs repeatedly until the mixture begin to reduce and thicken.
- Squeeze the juice from a fresh lime over the thighs.
- Turn off the stove top and serve over steamed rice.
- Garnish with sliced green onions or chopped cilantro.
Equipment
These inspired adobo chicken thighs can be made in a cast iron skillet, a stainless steal skillet, a Dutch oven or a braiser.
Storage and Reheat
Storage
Store chicken thighs in an airtight container with a tight-fitting lid or in a ziploc bag and place in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat
To reheat, wrap chicken thighs in foil and place in a preheated oven at 375 degrees F until warm throughout.
Top Tips
- Make sure the chicken thighs are completely dry before pan frying them. To do this, pat them dry thoroughly with paper towels.
- Trim off the excess skin and some of the fat that runs throughout the chicken thigh (This is my way of cleaning the thighs up and making it so that they all fit into the skillet without the skin overlapping).
- When pan frying the chicken thighs RESIST the urge to flip them over too early. Allow them to pan fry for at least 5 minutes.
- The moment the mixture begins to boil, lower the heat and allow the sauce to reduce and thicken as it simmers.
- It's important to baste your chicken throughout the process, so it's packed with flavor from the sauce and turns the thighs to a deep caramelized color.
- Feel free to opt for boneless skinless chicken thighs if you like.
FAQs
I really depends on the recipe
Chicken thighs are more forgiving than chicken breast, which means they are less likely to be become overcooked. However, if you're unsure about whether or not they're done, it's always a good idea to use a digital meat thermometer. According to the USDA chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F by inserting the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken. However, for chicken thighs I prefer a slightly higher internal temperature of 175 degrees F.
When cooking chicken thighs, it's best to start with the skin side down. This allows the skin to develop a beautiful seared outer coating, which enhances the flavor of each dish. To achieve a crispy outer coating, you can dredge the skin in all-purpose flour before adding it to the hot oil making it even more delicious.
Side Dishes
These are my favorite side dishes to serve with these stove top chicken thighs.
- Crispy Oven Roasted Broccolini
- Simple Italian Cucumber Salad
- Saffron Yellow Rice In Rice Cooker
- Fresh Spring Mix Salad
More Chicken Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
- Baked Marinated Whole Chicken Wings
- Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breast
- Cajun Spatchcock Chicken Recipe
- Easy Blackened Chicken Alfredo
📖 Recipe
Easy Stove Top Chicken Thighs
Equipment
- 1 Skillet Dutch oven, braiser, stainless steel skillet, nonstick skillet
- Paper towels used to pat dry the chicken
- 1 Sheet of foil paper used to line the baking sheet for easy clean up
- 1 Baking sheet used to place the chicken on to season
- 1 measuring cup to measure the ingredients to make the sauce
- 1 Chopping board to minced garlic and for the garnish
- 1 Tongs to flip the chicken
- 1 Medium-sized spoon to baste the chicken
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs chicken thighs (bone-in chicken thighs although you can opt for boneless skinless)
- ½ tablespoon kosher salt
- ½ tablespoon garlic powder
- ½ tablespoon onion powder
- ½ tablespoon dried parsley
- 2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 cloves fresh garlic (minced)
- green onion (sprinkle sliced green onion or chopped cilantro for garnish)
Coco Aminos Sauce
- ⅔ cup coco aminos (an alternative to soy sauce)
- ⅓ cup rice wine vinegar ( or white wine vinegar)
- 2 teaspoon sambal Oelek ( or sriracha - optional - feel free to add more if you'd like)
Instructions
- Using a measuring cup, measure out ingredients to make the coco aminos sauce. Set aside.
- Minced the garlic and slice up green onion or chop cilantro for the garnish. Set aside. Also, slice the lime in half. Set aside.
- Prepare a baking sheet and line it first with a sheet of foil for easy clean up. Then, layer with paper towels. Use kitchen sheers to trim away any excess skin and some of the visible fat from the thighs and discard. Rinse the chicken thighs under cold water and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Then, take a few more paper towels and blot the top of the thighs to absorb any moisture.
- Use kitchen shears to cut each chicken thigh length-wise alongside the bone. Sprinkle the seasoning on both sides of the thighs and massage the seasoning into the meat making sure the thighs are evenly coated. Dredge the skin side in the all-purpose flour and gently shake to remove any excess flour.
- Place a skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the oil then the chicken SKIN SIDE DOWN and pan fry for 5 minutes or until the skin forms a crispy outer coating. Flip and pan fry the other side for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet and place on a clean plate. Remove some of the oil from the skillet, KEEPING ONLY ABOUT 2 TABLESPOONS.
- Lower the heat just a little and add your minced garlic and quickly saute for about 10 seconds making sure it doesn't burn. Pour in the coco aminos mixture and gently stir. Add the chicken thighs back to the skillet. Turn the heat up to medium. Allow the coco aminos mixture to come to a gently boil.
- Turn it down to simmer and allows the mixture to reduce and thicken to create a sauce. Meanwhile, baste the chicken with the sauce REPEATEDLY, so the thighs turn a deep caramelized color. Let it simmer for 30 minutes.
- At the 30 minute mark, squeeze the juice of a fresh lime over the thighs and garnish. Serve over steamed rice and enjoy.
Notes
- Make sure the chicken thighs are completely dry before pan frying them. To do this, pat them dry thoroughly with paper towels.
- Trim off the excess skin and some of the fat that runs throughout the chicken thigh (This is my way of cleaning the thighs up and making it so that they all fit into the skillet without the skin overlapping).
- When pan frying the chicken thighs RESIST the urge to flip them over too early. Allow them to pan fry for at least 5 minutes.
- The moment the mixture begins to boil, lower the heat and allow the sauce to reduce and thicken as it simmers.
- It's important to baste your chicken throughout the process, so it's packed with flavor from the sauce and turns the thighs to a deep caramelized color.
- Feel free to opt for boneless skinless chicken thighs if you like.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. For the most accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information using the specific ingredients and brands you use.
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