Learn how to pan fry chicken thighs on the stovetop in easy steps. Cooking bone-in or boneless chicken thighs on the stovetop works is easy and quick for when time is of the essence.
The chicken comes out moist and tender at all times with delicious pan sauce you can spoon over your main dish. With a handful of ingredients and 20 minutes, you can have dinner from the kitchen to the table.
Let me show you how to make it with my step-by-step guide.
Pan fried chicken thighs recipe
Pan frying is a simple and quick technique for cooking boneless or bone-in skinless chicken thighs. The chicken browns nicely without the use of excess oil as you would if you deep-fried it.
You can also pan-fry boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken breast on the stovetop and it cooks a lot faster than when you use bone-in chicken thighs. Boneless chicken thighs will typically cook on the stovetop in about 15 minutes, so what is not to love. It is finger-licking good!
The Benefits of Cooking Chicken Thighs on The Stove Top
- It cooks faster than any other method
- Budget-friendly
- You can serve the chicken with anything, everything
- No marinating needed
- It is healthy, low-carb, and needed very little oil to cook
Ingredients
Bone-in chicken thighs: substitute with boneless skinless chicken thighs
Smoked paprika
Garlic granules
Onion granules
Cayenne pepper optional
Chicken broth
Salt and black pepper
Olive oil: substitute with any other flavorless cooking oil of choice.
How to cook chicken thighs in a pan
Prep the chicken: trim off excess fat and skin from the chicken thighs and pat dry with a kitchen towel
Make the simple chicken seasoning: to a small bowl add smoked paprika, garlic granules, onion granules and mix to combine.
Season the chicken on both sides with salt and black pepper. Sprinkle the season all over the chicken and give it a good rub to combine.
Heat up olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the seasoned chicken thighs skins down in the hot oil and leave undisturbed for approximately 5 minutes, or until you can flip the chicken without it sticking to the pan.
Flip and continue to cook for another 4 - 6 minutes, add the chicken broth to the bottom of the skillet. stir the chicken around and deglaze the pan at the same time. cover the skillet with a lid and cook for additional 3 -5 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.
Take it off the heat and serve as desired with the pan juice.
How to serve chicken thighs
Pan fried chicken thighs is delicious and versatile, so it works great with your favorite main dish. I like to serve it with mashed potatoes, rice, and steamed vegetables such as green beans, carrots, or boiled mushrooms.
Simple seasoned roasted vegetables work awesome as well. You can also serve the chicken with pasta or baked potatoes if you prefer.
How to store cooked chicken?
Pan fried chicken thighs work great for meal prep and it stores pretty well too. Leftover cooked chicken can be stored in the fridge for up 4 days or longer at your discretion. Make sure it cools completely and store it in an airtight container.
Freezer: store in an airtight container or a freezer-safe bag making sure you take out as much air as you can from the bag to avoid freezer burn. Label it with the date and freeze for up to 3 months.
How to use leftover chicken?
Chicken is great for adding to your salads, making sandwiches, or wraps with them. Use the cooked chicken in pasta like spaghetti carbonara and lasagna.
Tips
- Customize the seasoning used to taste, why not try Cajun, taco, or fajita seasoning.
- Make sure to use similar sized thighs so that is cooked evenly
- When the chicken is properly cooked, it should register 165F/74C when tested with a meat thermometer.
FAQs
How long to pan-fry chicken thighs
How long you pan-fry chicken thighs will be dependent on the size and the type of chicken used, boneless chicken thighs will typically cook at a lesser time than the bone-in chicken thighs will.
Bone-in chicken thighs will pan fry until fully cooked around 15 -20 minutes
boneless skinless chicken thighs will cook between 15 -18 minutes.
How do you tell if your chicken is done?
Use a meat thermometer and check that the internal temp is at least 165 degrees F or 75 degrees C to ensure it's safe to eat.
How To Pan Fry Chicken Thighs (Pan fried chicken thighs)
Ingredients
- 6 Bone-in chicken thighs substitute with boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 Tablespoon olive oil
- ½ Tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic granules
- 1 teaspoon onion granules
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- ½ cup chicken broth
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Chopped fresh parsley to serve
Instructions
- Trim off excess fat and skin from the chicken thighs and pat dry with a kitchen paper towel
- To a small bowl, add smoked paprika, garlic granules, onion granules and mix to combine.
- Season the chicken on both sides with salt and black pepper. Sprinkle the seasoning all over the chicken and give it a good rub to combine.
- Heat up olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the seasoned chicken thighs skins down in the hot oil and leave undisturbed for approximately 5 minutes, or until you can flip the chicken without it sticking to the pan.
- Flip and continue to cook for another 4 - 6 minutes, add the chicken broth to the bottom of the skillet. Stir the chicken around and deglaze the pan at the same time. cover the skillet with a lid and cook for additional 3 -5 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked. Spoon some of the pan sauce over the chicken.
- Take it off the heat and serve as desired with the pan juice.
Notes
Pan fried chicken thighs work great for meal prep and it stores pretty well too. Leftover cooked chicken can be stored in the fridge for up 4 days or longer at your discretion. Make sure it cools completely and store in an airtight container. Freezer: store in an airtight container oe a freezer-safe bag making sure you take out as much air as you can from the bag o avoid freezer burn. Label it with date and freeze for up 3 months.
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