This tutorial will teach you how to boil chicken thighs to use in your meals as needed. Boiled chicken can be shredded, fried, grilled, air fried, added to soup, or used as it is during the week as needed. This easy healthy recipe will yield a moist, tender, and flavorful chicken and rich chicken stock for other recipes. Let me show you how to make it in easy steps.
Boiling chicken thighs is easy and more importantly versatile, you can flavor the poultry however you like using your favorite seasoning. You can boil all edible parts of a chicken, including the thighs (skinless, boneless, or bone-in), drumsticks, breast meat, and chicken wings. Boiled chicken can be enjoyed just as any other poultry dish or used to make other recipes.
Should I wash chicken before cooking
This is debatable, however, it's not necessary to wash raw chicken before cooking it, as doing so won't make it any cleaner and may even spread bacteria such as salmonella. That said, some culture (including mine) washes chicken before cooking it, so if that's what you're used to, go ahead and give your chicken a rinse.
Raw chicken contains bacteria (salmonella and other bacterias) that are killed when the chicken is cooked to the right temperature. Washing chicken before cooking may actually increase your risk of food poisoning by spreading these bacteria from the chicken onto your hands, utensils, and work surfaces.
If you are confident that you can wash your chicken without contaminating anything else in your kitchen, go ahead and give it a quick rinse. Make sure to rinse the worktop and the sink and wipe it down with antibacterial spray without cross-contamination.
Related articles: how long can defrosted chicken stay in the fridge, how to boil chicken breast to shred and how to brine chicken breast.
What you will need
You will need the following ingredients to flavor the boiled chicken. Use this set of ingredients as a starting point and then tailor it to your taste.
Bone-in skin on chicken thighs: I used fresh ones but you can always use frozen chicken thighs as well.
Herbs de Provence
Chicken stock powder: this is completely optional but use it if you have it on hand as it gives the chicken an additional flavor.
Dried parsley
Fresh garlic: substitute with garlic powder or granules
salt and black pepper
How to boil chicken thighs
Carefully and safely rinse the chicken under cold running water, alternatively, soak in cold water for about 5 minutes. Drain and transfer to a pot large enough to fit the pieces of chicken.
Add chicken stock powder (if using), chopped garlic, herbs de Provence, parsley, salt, and black pepper. Cover the chicken with water about 1 inch above it. Gently stir to combine.
Place the pot on medium-high heat and partially cover the pot with a lid so that it doesn't boil over Bring to a boil for about 10 minutes, carefully remove the lid and check on the chicken, and top with more water if need be.
Reduce the heat and continue to boil the chicken until it is fully cooked. The internal temperature of the chicken should reach 165F/73C when checked with a meat thermometer.
Once done, remove the chicken from the pot with a slotted spoon and place it in a colander or on a kitchen paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool. Allow the chicken to cool before handling it further.
Save the chicken broth and use it to make gravy, soups, rice, quinoa, or any other recipe that calls for chicken broth.
How to tell if chicken is done boiling
The easiest way to tell if the chicken is done boiling is to use a meat thermometer. Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken thigh and make sure that the internal temperature has reached 165F/73C. Another way to tell if it is done is by checking the color of the juices that run out of it when pierced with a fork. The juices should be clear, not pink or red and the meat white and opaque.
How long to boil chicken thighs
This will depend on the size of your chicken thighs and whether it is boneless or bone-in. typically average-sized bone-in chicken thighs would boil between 18-20 minutes. That being said, you may need to reduce the cooking time for boneless chicken thighs.
You can also boil frozen chicken thighs, however, this will increase the cooking time and the chicken may cook unevenly if not handled properly. For frozen chicken thighs, you will need to boil for 30-35 minutes. Again, this will depend on the size of your chicken thighs.
How to store
Cooked chicken can be stored in the fridge for up to four days or in the freezer for up to six months. Make sure to store it in an airtight container or a Ziploc freezer bag.
What to do with boiled chicken thighs
There are many things that you can do with boiled chicken. You can shred it up and use it in salads or tacos, slice it and use it in sandwiches or wraps. You can also cut it into bite-sized pieces and use it in fried rice and many more.
Here are some recipes that you can make with boiled chicken thighs:
How To Boil Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 3 lb Bone-in skin on chicken thighs
- ½ Tablespoon herbs de Provence
- ½ Tablespoon chicken stock powder optional
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 2 large garlic cloves chopped
- Salt and black pepper to taste I used about 1 ½ teaspoon of pink salt
Instructions
- Carefully and safely rinse the chicken under cold running water, alternatively, soak in cold water for about 5 minutes. Drain and transfer to a pot large enough to fit the pieces of chicken.
- Add chicken stock powder (if using), chopped garlic, herbs de Provence, parsley, salt, and black pepper. Cover the chicken with water about 1 inch above it. Gently stir to combine.
- Place the pot on medium-high heat and partially cover the pot with a lid so that it doesn't boil over Bring to a boil for about 10 minutes, carefully remove the lid and check on the chicken, and top with more water if need be.
- Reduce the heat and continue to boil the chicken until it is fully cooked. The internal temperature of the chicken should reach 165F/73C when checked with a meat thermometer.
- Once done, remove the chicken from the pot with a slotted spoon and place it in a colander or on a kitchen paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool. Allow the chicken to cool before handling it further.
- Save the chicken broth and use it to make soups, rice, quinoa or any other recipe that calls for chicken broth.
More tutorials on how to boil
How to boil potatoes in a microwave
I hope you found this article helpful, Do you have any tips on how long to boil chicken thighs? Share them in the comments below! Don't forget to leave feedback and save it to your Pinterest.
Leave a Reply