Grill bone-in chicken thighs for about 25–30 minutes for juicy meat and crispy skin. The key is controlled heat and moving the thighs as they cook to prevent flare-ups and burning.
⏱️ Quick Answer: How Long to Grill Chicken Thighs
- Grill temp: 450°F (medium-high)
- Bone-in thighs: 25–30 minutes to 185°F (recommended)
- For 165°F: about 20–25 minutes (safe but not as tender)
Jump To (scroll for more)
- 🧾 TL;DR — Recipe Summary
- 🐓 Ingredients
- 👨🍳 Quick Overview: Grilling Chicken Thighs
- ⏲️ How Long to Grill Chicken Thighs
- ♨️ Best Grill Temperature and Uneven Grilling Method
- 🐔 Grilling Boneless Chicken Thighs
- 😊 Seasonings, BBQ & Marinade Options
- 🍽️ Serving Suggestions
- ❄️ Storage & Reheating
- 😊 Other Delicious Chicken Recipes
- ❓ 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!"
🧾 TL;DR — Recipe Summary
What it is: Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs grilled until juicy with crispy skin.
Why it works: Moving the thighs as they cook helps control flare-ups and prevents burnt skin.
How to make it: Grill over medium-high heat, flipping and moving the thighs until they reach 185°F.
🐓 Ingredients
- Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs – Best for juicy meat and crispy skin. Boneless or skinless thighs may be used, but they cook faster and need timing adjustments.
- Seasoning – Kosher salt and black pepper are all you need. You can also use your favorite BBQ rub, All-Purpose 7:2:2 Seasoning, or another seasoning blend.
👨🍳 Quick Overview: Grilling Chicken Thighs
1. Trim and season – Remove extra fat or loose skin, then season with salt, pepper, or your favorite seasoning or BBQ rub.
2. Grill at 450°F with uneven timing – Grill skin-side up for 5–6 minutes and skin-side down for 4 minutes. Keep repeating that uneven timing, flipping and moving to a new area of the grill each time to control flare-ups.
3. Finish and rest – Continue grilling until the internal temperature reaches 185°F. Rest for 5–10 minutes before serving.
👇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
Grill bone-in chicken thighs on a gas grill at about 450°F for 25–30 minutes to reach the recommended internal temperature of 185°F.
For the USDA-safe minimum of 165°F, they may be done in about 20–25 minutes, but the meat is often stringier and less tender. I found that especially noticeable in my early testing.
Use the uneven grilling method—keep the skin-side-up periods longer than the skin-side-down periods, and move the thighs to a new grill area with each flip to control flare-ups.
Always cook to internal temperature, not just time.
♨️ Best Grill Temperature and Uneven Grilling Method
A grill surface temperature of about 450°F (medium-high) works best for bone-in chicken thighs. It is hot enough to crisp the skin, but not so hot that flare-ups and burning become hard to control.
Use the uneven grilling method: grill skin-side up for 5–6 minutes, then skin-side down for 4 minutes. Repeat that timing, moving the thighs to a new area of the grill after each flip so fat does not keep dripping onto the same hot spot.
- Preheat the entire grill so you have room to move the chicken.
- Trim excess fat and loose skin before grilling.
- Use a grill-surface thermometer if you have one; hood thermometers are often inaccurate.
- Continue until the internal temperature reaches 185°F.
Other grill types: Charcoal and pellet grills also work if you can hold the cooking surface near 450°F and leave enough room to move the thighs away from flare-ups or hotter areas.
For help with grill temperatures, see Guide to Grill Temperature on a Gas Grill.
Save this recipe!
Enter your email address and we'll send the link straight to your inbox!
🐔 Grilling Boneless Chicken Thighs
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs cook much faster than bone-in thighs—usually about 10–15 minutes total at 450°F.
Flip every 4–5 minutes; no need for uneven grilling times. Cook to 185°F for the best texture. A light coating of oil can help prevent sticking and drying.
😊 Seasonings, BBQ & Marinade Options
Seasoning: Salt and pepper are enough, or use your favorite seasoning blend, Classic BBQ Rub or Memphis Dry Rub
BBQ sauce: Brush on during the last 5 minutes of grilling, then add more after cooking if you like. Use your favorite sauce or my Memphis Barbecue Sauce
Marinade: Optional, but it works especially well with boneless thighs. Avoid very sugary marinades until later in cooking, or they may burn. Try my Lemon Butter Marinade.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
Serve grilled chicken thighs with a fresh salad and a simple side such as Grilled Baby Potatoes, potato salad, grilled vegetables, or corn on the cob.
For a sweeter contrast, Grilled Pineapple also works well.
❄️ Storage & Reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3–4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheat in a 350°F oven for 15–20 minutes or an air fryer at 350°F for 5–7 minutes to help re-crisp the skin. The microwave works, but the skin will soften.
😊 Other Delicious Chicken Recipes
- Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Thighs – Crispy skin and juicy meat from the oven
- Grilled Chicken Drumsticks – Similar grill method with dark meat
- Oven Baked Chicken Legs – Crispy skin without the grill
- Grilled Chicken Breasts – A leaner grilled chicken option
❓ FAQs
Trim visible fat from the underside and edges. Remove loose or hanging skin, but leave the attached skin in place to help keep the meat juicy.
You can, but a meat thermometer is the best way to avoid undercooking or overcooking. For the best texture, cook chicken thighs to about 185°F.
Cook to about 185°F for tender, juicy meat and crisp skin. America’s Test Kitchen also recommends higher temperatures for dark meat, up to 190–195°F for extra tenderness. The USDA minimum is 165°F for safety.
Fat drips cause flare-ups. Trim excess fat, keep the grill around 450°F, and move the thighs to a clean area after each flip.
📖The Recipe Card
Grilled Chicken Thighs (Juicy with Crispy Skin)
Video Slideshow
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- Salt and Pepper or seasoning of choice
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, let the thighs rest at room temperature for 20–30 minutes if you have time.
- Trim excess fat and loose skin. Season all sides with salt, pepper, or your favorite seasoning or BBQ rub. Brushing the skin lightly with oil is optional.
Grill with uneven grilling method
- Place the thighs skin-side up over direct heat. Grill for 5–6 minutes, then flip skin-side down, move to a new area of the grill, and cook for 4 minutes. Continue repeating the uneven timing—5–6 minutes skin-side up and 4 minutes skin-side down—moving to a new area with every flip. Reduce the heat if the skin is getting too dark.
- Grill until the internal temperature reaches 185°F, usually about 25–30 minutes. Check the temperature early and cook to temperature, not time.
Resting
- Let the grilled thighs rest for 5–10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- Keep the grill surface around 450°F. A surface thermometer is more accurate than the grill hood thermometer.
- Trim excess fat and loose skin to reduce flare-ups.
- Use the uneven grilling method and move the thighs to a new area with every flip.
- Cook to about 185°F for tender thighs. Chicken is safe at 165°F, but the texture will be firmer and stringier.
- Always cook to internal temperature, not time.
- Boneless thigh modifications are discussed in the post.
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.
Cheryl says
Followed the directions and it came out perfectly!!! Very juicy inside and wonderfully crispy skin!
First time grilling chicken thighs too!!
Thank you so much!!
DrDan says
Hi Cheryl,
Welcome to the blog.
Glad it worked well for you.
Dan
Val says
Excellent! Followed your instructions to a "T" and they were great. My husband,who isn't even s big fan of chicken, said they were delicious!
DrDan says
Hi Val,
Welcome to the blog. Glad it worked so well for you.
Dan
Jeff says
What about boneless skinless thighs?
DrDan says
Hi Jeff,
Skin-on boneless thighs should cook about the same but maybe be a bit faster so as always cook to a final internal temperature and not by time alone.
Skinless??? not convinced it would be good. Probably would dry out too much.
Dan
Kay and Chris says
I did the prepping and my hubby did the grilling. PERFECTION!
Thanks for the recipe and the tips!
Don't know if I'll ever go back to white meat/breasts after this! :)
DrDan says
Hi Kay and Chris,
Glad it worked well for you. I suspect that with the trimming of the fat, the use of the grill where fat will drain and not coating it with oil, it is probably lower in fat than we think. In grill competitions, they will remove the skin and scrap underneath then pin it back on. But they are using smokers and not flipping things like we do.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Elisabeth says
This is probably a silly question but is the grill lid open or closed when grilling the thighs?
DrDan says
Closed. General rule: Less than 1/2 inch (fish) is open. 1/2-1 inch can be open but it is much harder control and over 1 inch is always closed.
Dan
Nigel Prance says
Used this receipt tonight to wonderful results. Such a brilliant idea to shift sides of the grill! I am a huge fan of chicken thighs but it's always hit or miss (mostly miss, sorry to report). However, armed with this new approach, I shall prevail.....THANKS!
Holly Kooienga says
Trying this tonight. Thanks for the detailed instructions....
Holly K
Hudsonville, MI 😋
DrDan says
I live 20 miles away... when is dinner? :)
Nancy says
Dr. Dan,
My husband and I made your grilled chicken thighs for dinner tonight. Excellent! I am a novice on the grill so your photos of the process were very helpful. Your instructions were spot on, too. We marinated the chicken thighs for a couple hours in the frig in a mixture of lemon juice and several cloves of crushed garlic, then salted and peppered as you suggest. We will be making this recipe again soon.
Coincidentally, we also live in West Michigan. And if those are your dogs, they are beautiful.
DrDan says
Hi Nancy,
Thanks for the note. I'm more of a visual learner and I try to do enough photos so people can visualize doing the process themselves.
We are in Spring Lake and Molly and Lilly say thanks for the compliment, they are blog mascots. All blogs should have dogs.
Dan
John Lansdown says
Doc
My "go to mustard slaw"
One head red or green cabbage or 1/2 of each cut
root to tip. Slice in 1/8 to 3/16 slices. They say one
head of shredded cabbage. This would take so long
most people wouldn't do it. Just thin slices, turn 90
degrees and cut in half, or not.
Dressing
1/2 cup mayo. I use Dukes
1/4 cup standard yellow mustard
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp course ground pepper
1 tsp celery seed. I use Penzey's.
Again a "base mustard slaw", good on its own.
Add ins are golden raisins, nuts, chopped apple,
etc. Best add in is prepared horseradish.
Enjoy.
John
DrDan says
Thanks again John. In line for a test.
Dan
John Lansdown says
Doc
My go to coleslaw (and I cheat on one is)
Bag of mix. Add 1/2 cup shredded carrot plus 1/2
cup shredded onion (pressed through a strainer
with cold water) to tame it down a little.
Dressing
3/4 cup mayo ( I use Duke's).
or 1/2 cup mayo and 1/4 cup sour cream (lighter)
3 TBS apple cider vinegar
2 TBS table sugar
2 Tsp celery seeds. I use Penzey's. The best.
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
A good go to fast coleslaw that everyone likes
and what I put on your pulled pork for sandwiches
along with your Memphis Sauce. Don't get much
better than this. Except toasted buns. A must have.
John
PS I'll send my Tennessee mustard coleslaw next.
These two are the best I've found "standards". You
can add nuts, golden raisins, or anything you want
John
DrDan says
Hi John thanks for the recipe. At first look, it is what I was looking for. I will give it a trial soon. I'm good with the bag mix since I don't need a ton.
Thanks again
Dan
Stephanie Patterson says
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I was plying the Internet looking for a recipe for grilled chicken thighs, and all of them called for long marinating...and I wanted to cook right NOW...then I found this. It was GREAT! I used kosher salt in the 7:2:2 mix; I got a little carried away with it and the chicken turned out a little bit salty - but on the plus side, the kosher salt made the skin crisp up really nicely.
So I did the prep work, and my husband did the actual grilling. He reported that the techniques of alternating sides of the grill and the slightly different cooking times for the skin and bone sides worked beautifully - no flare ups at all. In short, we LOVED this recipe and intend to try it out next on a bunch of chicken leg quarters that we have in the freezer. Thanks again!
DrDan says
Hi Stephanie,
Thanks for the note. It took a number of test runs to come up with this but it seems to be just right to me. Also, I like logical things and this seems to fit.
It should work fine with your chicken quarters but be sure they are well thawed before starting.
Dan
Ron Garstka says
Sure glad I found your website. The chicken thigh recipe was the first I tried. Very successful, tender and delicious. Have 2 thighs in the fridge pegged for lunch on Sat. Really like the mixture of pics with commentary. You've done an excellent job. Can't wait to move on to other recipes. What a surprise to find out you're in Grand Haven. Wife & I live in Comstock Park & Grand Haven is one of our favorite places. Didn't make it there last year as I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Colon Cancer last spring. However, chemo is done and my last scan showed no evidence of any cancer in my torso. We are planning our schedule for the summer and fall. I'm also an ex-programmer. Started with SPS, Autocoder,
Cobol on IBM 1460, 1410. 7740. Thanks for all the effort you put in on the website. Looking forward to
many more good meals.
DrDan says
Hi Ron,
Welcome to the site. Glad your colon CA is doing better. Another old programmer but I trained on an IBM 360-65 so I was after you a few years. Lots of machine language, assembler, Fortran and some Cobol. And then I ruined it all by going to med school.
We have been in Spring Lake/Grand Haven for almost 40 years and we are staying for retirement. The blog is my retirement toy. Some computer, photography, and lots of cooking. All enjoyable for me.
Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions. And have a great day.
Dan
Mary says
Hi and thank you for the grilling tips! I have a super easy recipe for what I call a Fiesta Cole Slaw. Everyone loves it. I cheat, though. I use a bag of slaw ready to go. I add a half red pepper chopped on the small side, about 1/3 cup of finely chopped red onion, about a cup of either canned or fresh corn, about a half cup of dried cranberries, add a cup of shelled edamame if you have it (don't need it) I just mix it all with Marzettis Slaw Dressing and it really is yummy!
DrDan says
Hi Mary,
Thanks so much for the recipe. I will give it a try soon. "Cheating" with the bag of slaw is fine. I don't want to buy a large head. We are cooking for two.
Dan
John Lansdown says
Hey Doc
Don't remember how I got to your website. Have
you and your recipes stored on my phone along
with a thousand or so other recipes I like or want to
try. I really have learned a lot from you on grilling
chicken. Dark meat like legs and thighs ARE really
better at 185 +. 7-2-2 is all you need. You want
more, add your Memphis Sauce (very good). I've
always wanted to come up with a method to get
crispy skin on chicken as a matter of pride as a
griller. I have about one of each of every Weber
gas or charcoal grill they ever made, so I have to
be good or my reputation would suffer. I prep
my dark meat chicken after trimming per your
method and sprinkle with 7-2-2. I then sprinkle
Rumford baking powder (Al free) on the chicken,
and put it in the fridge overnite. Heat the grill to
450 at the grates, oil up, then use your method of
flipping every 5-6 min to get to 180-190+. I then
don't cover with foil (to keep moisture from
forming), and serve. Your first bite thru a thigh
prepared like this is like biting through a potato
chip. No burnt chicken skin. Serious success and
a bragging point. Thanks to you for your helpful
info.
I've also made 3-4 of your pork butt on Al foil balls.
Again, really good as pulled pork is one of my
favorite sandwiches. Add your Memphis sauce,
Really good.
I am 66 yrs old, build hotels, and in Liberal KS
building a hotel and a Convention Ctr. next to it.
If I was home in OKC, I would be smoking butts at
home. Your crockpot method is pretty good and I use
it on the road. Gotta use Wright's Liquid Smoke. I'll
send you a good Bobby Flay coleslaw recipe
to go with it if you want.
As a side note, I have a pork tenderloin in your
brine right now that I'm going to grill in a couple
hrs. Not going to use the olive oil garlic, but a rub
for a tenderloin BBQ sandwich.
Again, thanks
John Lansdown
DrDan says
Hi John,
First, YES I need a good coleslaw recipe (email at the bottom of the site). I have tried many and I'm very picky. You will notice that I have a hole in my site with no coleslaw. There has just been no worthy recipe. I have only had great coleslaw a few times, the last at Marlowe’s of Memphis. You must go there if you get close, it is almost worth my drive from Michigan.
It is so hard to get people out of the 165 habit for chicken. 165 for breasts and not a bit more but for thighs and drummies 185+ is it. And they will never let it rest.
Next, the baking powder. While ATK will use the overnight timing, I find that even with almost no rest, you get most of the effect. I believe that during the first 15-20 minutes of cooking, it is pulling moisture out and it evaporates rapidly in the heat of the oven. Just my feelings.
The crockpot butt is just using the pot as a miniature oven and elevating out of the drainage. Just a take off on my oven version. I like them both so much, I rarely do the grill method anymore. It is so easy to just toss them in and go do other things.
You mentioned some of my favorite recipes. I do love the Memphis BBQ sauce.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Matt says
Works great thanks a lot
Penny says
Making this right now! Tucked fresh basil leaves under the skin for some interest! It smells amazing!! Thank you for the uneven grilling info... I didn't know. Serving wirh fresh summer squash, zuc, and tomatoes from the garden... sauted with onion and a jalapeno pepper! I'm so hungry!!!