Grilling chicken thighs on a gas grill is simple once you know the right method. Bone-in thighs come off juicy, with crispy skin in about 25 minutes and minimal flare-ups.
This guide shows you exactly how to grill chicken thighs—bone-in or boneless—on a gas grill: times, temps, and a no-burn method that keeps the skin golden instead of burnt charred.
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- 💕Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- 🐓Ingredients
- 👨🍳Quick Overview: Grilling Chicken Thighs
- ⏲️ How Long to Grill Chicken Thighs (Bone-In & Boneless)
- 🌡️ The Best Internal Temperature for Chicken Thighs
- 🤔 How Uneven Grilling Prevents Burnt Skin and Flare-Ups
- 🐔 Grilling Boneless Chicken Thighs on a Gas Grill
- 😊 Seasonings, BBQ, & Marinade Options
- 👍Tips for the Juiciest Chicken Thighs
- ♨️Grill Temperature Tips
- 😊Other delicious chicken recipes
- 🍽️ Serving Suggestions
- ❄️Storage & Reheating
- ❓FAQs
- 📖The Recipe Card
Featured Comment by Davey:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"This site is the Holy Grail for how to cook chicken thighs. I trim off excess fat, season liberally with 7:2:1 rub (with an extra ½ part smoked paprika), and grill to 185-190. Comes out so delicious. Made them again yesterday, and people were telling me how fantastic the chicken was. Thanks!"
💕Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple method – Just season and grill, no marinade required.
- Minimal flare-ups – Trimming excess fat and using the uneven grilling method keep the skin crisp, not burnt.
- Juicy, crispy skin – Cooked to 185°F for tender meat and golden skin.
- Weeknight easy – From fridge to plate in about 30 minutes, with whatever seasoning or BBQ style you like.
🐓Ingredients
- Chicken thighs – Bone-in, skin-on gives the juiciest flavor and crispy skin. Boneless or skinless thighs work too, but cook faster and benefit from a little oil.
- Seasoning – Kosher salt and black pepper are all you need, or use your favorite BBQ rub or spice mix (like my All-purpose Seasoning 7:2:2 mix).
- Olive oil (optional) – It can help the seasoning stick and protect skinless thighs from drying out. For skin-on thighs, it may slightly thicken the skin.
- BBQ sauce (optional) – Brush on during the last 5 minutes for classic BBQ-style thighs.
- Marinade (optional) – A quick marinade like my Lemon Chicken Marinade adds flavor, especially for boneless thighs.
👨🍳Quick Overview: Grilling Chicken Thighs
1. Preheat the grill
Heat the grill to a surface temperature of 450°F (medium-high). Let the chicken rest at room temperature for 20–30 minutes.
✅ Pro Tip: Other grill types than gas may be used, but are harder to control the surface temperature.
2. Trim and season
Trim excess fat/loose skin; season with salt and pepper, your favorite seasoning, or a BBQ rub.
3. Grill with uneven grilling method
Start skin side up for 5–6 minutes, then flip skin side down for about 4 minutes. Repeat, moving to a new grill spot each time to control flare-ups.
✅Pro Tip: The “uneven grilling” method and trimming help prevent burnt skin and flare-ups
4. Finish and rest
Grill until internal temp is 185°F—about 25–30 minutes for bone-in thighs, 10–15 minutes for boneless. Let rest 5–10 minutes before serving.
✅Pro Tip: Chicken is safe at 165°F, but thighs are juicier and more tender at 185°F when the connective tissue has time to break down.
👇For complete step-by-step instructions, scroll down to the printable recipe card or keep reading for tips, flavor options, and serving ideas.
⏲️ How Long to Grill Chicken Thighs (Bone-In & Boneless)
Bone-in thighs take about 25–30 minutes on a gas grill with a surface temperature of 450°F, using the uneven grilling method. Rotate to new grill spots with each flip and cook to an internal temperature of 185°F for juicy, tender meat.
Boneless thighs cook faster—10–15 minutes total. Flip every few minutes, move them around hot spots, and start checking temperature early to avoid overcooking.
✅Pro Tip: Always cook to temperature, not just time. Use a meat thermometer and pull the thighs when they hit 185°F.
🌡️ The Best Internal Temperature for Chicken Thighs
The best internal temperature for grilled chicken thighs is 185°F to 195°F. At this range, the connective tissue has time to break down, leaving the meat tender and juicy instead of stringy and chewy.
The USDA minimum safe temp is 165°F, but that’s only for food safety. At 165°F, thigh meat is still stringy. Around 175°F it begins to soften, and by 185°F you’re in the sweet spot. America's Test Kitchen recommends going as high as 190–195°F for thighs and drumsticks.
🤔 How Uneven Grilling Prevents Burnt Skin and Flare-Ups
The main issues with grilling chicken thighs are flare-ups from dripping fat burning the skin. Add in that thighs need longer cooking to achieve tenderness, and you’re asking for burnt skin.
By removing as much fat as possible and minimizing the exposure of the skin to flare-ups (shorter skin-down time and moving around), you can get crispy, unburnt skin and fully cooked thigh meat.
Suggested method:
- Trim and dry well.
- Use the right grill temperature on a clean grill using the entire grill surface.
- Skin-side up for 6 minutes then down for 4. Repeat until 185°F internal temperature.
- EVERY FLIP gets a new location away from where fat just drained.
Note: Skinless thighs don’t need uneven grilling, but still benefit from being moved around the grill to avoid flare-ups from dripping fat.
🐔 Grilling Boneless Chicken Thighs on a Gas Grill
Boneless, skinless thighs cook much faster than bone-in—about 10–15 minutes total on a grill set to 450°F. Because there’s no bone to absorb heat, they reach temperature quickly, so start checking early and pull them at 185°F for best texture.
Brush lightly with oil before seasoning to prevent sticking and help them stay moist. Since there’s no skin to protect, you don’t need the full uneven grilling method—just flip every 4–5 minutes and move them around the grill to avoid flare-ups from dripping fat.
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😊 Seasonings, BBQ, & Marinade Options
🧂Seasonings
Salt and pepper are all you really need. Add garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, or use the seasoning you prefer.
✅ Pro Tip: Brushing with oil first also helps dry seasonings stick better so they don’t fall off on the grill grates. The oil will thicken the cooked skin a bit, but it will still be crispy.
🔥 BBQ Rub
A BBQ dry rub is a great choice—use store-bought or my Classic BBQ Rub or Memphis Dry Rub.
For sticky BBQ, in the last 5 minutes of grilling, brush on a thin layer of your favorite BBQ sauce—or try our Memphis Barbecue Sauce. Add a second brush of sauce just after removing the thighs from the grill.
🍋 Marinade
Marinating works well too, especially for boneless thighs. Try my Lemon Chicken Marinade which adds fresh flavor and moisture.
👍Tips for the Juiciest Chicken Thighs
Dark meat, like chicken thighs, is very forgiving due to the fat content, keeping the meat moist. However, the fat will also cause flare-ups that burn the thighs when grilling. Handling it is critical for good results, so:
- Trim as much of the fat as reasonably possible.
- Use my "uneven grilling," where the skin faces up more than down during cooking, to prevent burning. Plus, move around the grill with each flip to avoid fat flare-ups.
To reach the best internal temperature (185°F), rest the thighs at room temperature while preheating the grill, which helps achieve the temperature goal without burning the skin.
Let grilled thighs rest 5–10 minutes before serving, which gives time for the juices forced out of the meat cells during cooking to reabsorb for maximum moisture and tenderness.
♨️Grill Temperature Tips
Set your grill to a surface temperature of 450° to 500°F—that’s about medium-high on most gas grills. Preheat the entire grill, not just one section. You’ll need the space to move the chicken around and avoid flare-ups.
If you have one, use a grill surface thermometer—it’s the only reliable way to measure actual cooking temperature. Ignore the highly inaccurate grill hood thermometer.
Charcoal or pellet grills can also be used, as long as you can control the heat and have enough room to rotate the chicken while grilling.
For help getting your grill to the right temperature, see A Beginner’s Guide to Grill Temperature on a Gas Grill.
😊Other delicious chicken recipes
If you love chicken thighs, you might also enjoy:
- Grilled Chicken Drumsticks – Another flavorful grilling option
- Oven Baked Chicken Legs – Crispy skin, no grill needed (👈 custom ad box goes here)
- Grilled Chicken Breasts – Great for meal prep or lighter dinners
Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Thighs
Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs are roasted perfectly in 30 minutes and seasoned to your taste. Using a convection oven for crispy skin, these moist and tender chicken thighs will become a family favorite.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
Grilled chicken thighs are versatile — serve them with almost anything.
Serve your grilled chicken thighs with a fresh green salad and something starchy, like Grilled Baby Potatoes or classic potato salad.
For veggie lovers, try grilled mixed vegetables or grilled corn on the cob. And if you want something a little unexpected, Brown Sugar Cinnamon Glazed Grilled Pineapple makes a great sweet side.
❄️Storage & Reheating
Leftover chicken thighs will keep in the refrigerator for 3–4 days in an airtight container, or you can freeze them for up to 3 months.
✅ Pro Tip: Remove the bone before freezing—this makes thawing and reheating faster and easier.
To reheat, the oven is best (350°F for about 15–20 minutes) to bring them back hot without drying out. A quick air fryer blast at 350°F for 5–7 minutes will also crisp the skin again. The microwave works in a pinch, but use lower power so the meat doesn’t toughen.
❓FAQs
Chicken thighs have fat everywhere, but a lot of it is easy to remove. Trim the visible fat on the underside and along the edges of the skin. Cut away any loose or hanging skin, but leave the skin firmly attached — it helps keep the meat moist and flavorful.
You can try, but you won’t get consistent results. Great grilled thighs need two numbers: the grill surface temperature and the chicken’s internal temperature. That’s the only way to hit 185°F for tender, juicy meat.
Cook thighs to 185°–190°F. That extra heat melts connective tissue and fat, giving you meat that’s juicy and tender—not tough or stringy like it is at 165°F.
Excess fat and flare-ups are the usual culprits. Trim visible fat and loose skin before grilling, and flip thighs every 4–5 minutes to a new spot on the grill. This prevents burning while still crisping the skin.
Yes. Bone-in thighs cook slower than boneless. Always use a thermometer, but expect bone-in to run a few minutes longer to reach 185°F.
📖The Recipe Card
Grilled Chicken Thighs (Juicy with Crispy Skin)
Video Slideshow
Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat the grill
- Preheat your gas grill to a surface temperature of about 450°F—medium to medium-high on most grills. Clean and oil the grill grates well. Preheat the entire grill so you can rotate the thighs to avoid flare-ups.
Trim and season
- While the grill is preheating, trim excess fat and loose skin. Let the thighs rest at room temperature for 20–30 minutes.
- For skin-on thighs, brushing with olive oil is optional. For skinless thighs, brush lightly with vegetable or olive oil before seasoning. Season all sides with salt, pepper, or your favorite spice blend.
Grill with uneven grilling method
- Place the thighs skin side up over direct heat using only half the grill. Grill for 5–6 minutes, then flip skin side down and move to the other side of the grill. Grill for about 4 minutes. Continue flipping and rotating sides to avoid flare-ups. If the skin is getting too dark, reduce the heat in the skin-down area.For skinless thighs, grill both sides for about 5 minutes each, alternating sides as needed.
- Grill to an internal temperature of 185°F—usually 25–30 minutes for bone-in, or 10–15 minutes for boneless. ✅ Check temperature early and often.
Resting
- Let the grilled thighs rest for 5–10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- Grill surface temperature should be about 450°F. Use a surface thermometer if you have one—ignore the grill hood thermometer, which is highly inaccurate.
- Boneless, skinless thighs cook faster due to lack of bone and thinner size.
- Trim visible fat and excess skin to help prevent flare-ups.
- Use the uneven grilling method and rotate the thighs across the grill surface.
- Season as you like—we use our homemade 7:2:2 mix.
- Do not grill partially frozen chicken—it will burn before reaching a safe internal temperature.
- Final internal temp should be 185°F for tender, juicy thighs. They’re safe at 165°F but still tough at that point.
- Always cook to temperature, not time.
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 4 months.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Editor's Note: Originally Published August 1, 2015. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Philip Brun says
Delicious, easy to follow recipe. The whole family loved it. Thanks for the pictures too.
jen watson says
Fantastic! Easy to follow (thanks for the photos!) and delicious results! Now I am successful at grilling chicken...Yay!!
Davey says
This site is the Holy Grail for how to cook chicken thighs. I trim off excess fat, season liberally with 7:2:1 rub (with an extra 1/2 part smoked paprika), and grill to 185-190. Comes out so delicious. Made them again yesterday and people were telling me how fantastic the chicken was. Thanks!
Lesa Browning says
Best grilled chicken recipe ever! I followed exactly and chicken thighs were perfect.
Andee says
Use your grilling technique for chicken thighs and drumsticks tonight, it was cooked PERFECT! Thank you for sharing.
Josh Miller says
I made this recipe tonight for dinner and it was amazing! I used Weber's chicken & rib rub, pepper, & garlic powder on both sides.
I have feeling my wife is going to have me make this at least once if not twice a week.
Thank you for the recipe!
Joshua Miller says
I forgot to add, it was so juicy that when I cut it open is squirted juice out (literally about 3" across my plate). I kept my gas grill between 450 & 475. 5:30 skin side up then 4 skin side down and kept rotating it till I got to 25 minutes (I don't have a thermometer). It turned out perfect!