Jo Eats

A blog with accessible recipes, stories with heart, and craveable food photography

  • Home
  • Holiday Recipes
  • Easy Dinners
  • Healthy meals
  • All Recipes
  • About Me
  • Privacy Policy
August 20, 2019

Crispy Chicken Thighs

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
303 shares
  • Share
  • Yummly
  • Email
crispy chicken thighs close up

Quick enough for any weeknight dinner but delicious enough to entertain a crowd – these crispy chicken thighs are simply seasoned and criminally easy.

crispy chicken thighs close up

Hello Tuesday! It’s time for the second installment of my carefree summer dinner party (check out the first post here) and this one’s a well loved dinner fave. It might actually rise above the level of your run of the mill favoritism and march right into heart palpitating love territory to be honest. It’s so simple it may sound downright boring, but I promise you that this is the recipe you will turn to time and time again because well, it’s damn delicious.

Crispy Chicken Thighs

These golden brown beauties rely mostly on method to make them so finger licking good. They start astonishingly enough in a cold pan – letting the fat slowly render and sizzle into a crackly, golden crust. It takes time and a little good faith, but once you’ve mastered this method you’ll be on top of the world, the crispy chicken world that is.

How to Make Crispy Pan Fried Chicken Thighs

Because it’s still summer there’s no way I’m turning my oven on for even the most delicious of chicken thighs, so this recipe is all accomplished on the stove top. Of course if you’re making a whole slew of these (say for an epic end of summer party) and don’t mind cranking the AC then feel free to use to the alternative oven roasting directions included in the recipe below.

crispy pan fried chicken thigh close up

Why Chicken Thighs are the Obvious Choice

Before we dive into how we’re going to make these juicy jewels of the poultry world really shine, let’s talk about the bird first and foremost. I’ve always been a fan of chicken. It’s the OG white meat after all. But of all the chicken in all the land the fairest must be the chicken thigh.

I realize this seems overblown and a little silly but hear me out. Chicken thighs are cheap, more flavorful than their popular cousin the breast, and have the perfect ratio of juicy meat to crunchy, golden skin. Even better, because they’ve got a higher proportion of fat they are incredibly forgiving. Meaning that seriously overcooking them would take many hours and possibly a blow torch.

Make sure to buy skin on, bone in thighs. The skin is kind of obvious, as it’s the real star of the show. But cooking proteins with the bone in is a tried and true trick to real flavor.

color dinner party plate with chicken, naan, salad

How to Make Crispy Chicken Thighs

This recipe is more about method than anything else. And even though there are very few ingredients (three to be exact) their preparation is key to dinnertime success.

First we’ll start by prepping our chicken. Grab yourself a paper towel and pat each chicken thigh as dry as you can, because moisture is the enemy of crispy chicken far and wide. Then liberally season both sides with salt and pepper because nothing is worse than bland chicken.

raw chicken thigh with salt and pepper

Now take a skillet and set it over a cold burner. Wait what? Yes, that’s right. We start this over absolutely no heat at all. The reason is that if you allow the chicken skin to slowly render as the pan comes up to temperature, then you’ll end up with shatteringly crisp skin instead of a floppy, flabby mess.

Lay the chicken skin side down in a cold pan and turn the heat to medium low. The important part now is to wait. It will seem like nothing is happening but just be patient. In a few minutes you’ll hear a slight sizzle which will build over the next 20 or so minutes and result in a crispy, golden brown crust.

Try to resist your urge to peek and let time do its thing. As long as you keep the heat moderately low then you won’t risk burning anything. And when you do pull up a corner to check on the progress, know that it will budge when it’s good and ready. So if the skin is threatening to tear, give it a few more minutes and then try flipping again.

crispy chicken thighs in a skillet

Fair warning, for as simple as this is recipe is, it does create a bit of mess. But honestly, your stove top could use a wipe down anyway, right?

How to Serve Your Crispy Chicken Thighs

Of course these make an excellent dinner any old weeknight. A little salad, some crispy potatoes, and a vibrant sauce are the perfect complements (try this one maybe). But where they really shine is as the effortlessly gorgeous dish at your next summer party.

Oh, and last week I posted this sunshiney peach and quinoa tabbouleh as part of this six part dinner party spread that’s as easy to pull off as it is fun to host. Check it out and stay tuned for the next recipe – it’s coming soon my friends!

colorful summer dinner party spread

Print

Crispy Chicken Thighs

crispy chicken thighs close up
Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

These crispy pan fried chicken thighs are a weeknight staple in our house, but they also make a killer dinner party dish that will take everyone by surprise.

  • Author: Jo
  • Prep Time: 5 Minutes
  • Cook Time: 35 Minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 4 Servings 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

4 bone in, skin on chicken thighs
1 T kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels and season both sides liberally with salt and pepper. Lay each thigh, skin side down in a large skillet. Place pan over medium low heat and let chicken cook, undisturbed for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy on the skin side. Flip and cook on the other side for 10 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 170°F.

Serve immediately, or keep warm in a 250 oven for up to 30 minutes.

*If you want to make these in the oven, pat chicken dry and place on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet. Mix 1/2 tsp baking powder into salt and pepper and season chicken thoroughly. Bake in a preheated 450°F oven for 30-35 minutes or until the skin is golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 170°F.

Notes

Make sure to start this skin side down in a cold skillet. The gradual heat will render the fat in the skin and create a crispy, golden crust.

If when you try to flip these over you’re met with some resistance, let the chicken cook a little longer. They will release when they’re ready, although if you’re using a stainless steel skillet you may have to tug just a little bit to flip them over – but not hard enough to rip the skin.

Keywords: crispy chicken thighs, pan fried chicken thighs, easy chicken recipes, joeats

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @jo_eats_ on Instagram and hashtag it #joeats

Post navigation

Peach Quinoa Tabbouleh
Spicy Garlic Naan

Related posts

Dark Chocolate Loaf Cake
April 19, 2019

Dark Chocolate Loaf Cake

Detroit Style Pizza
November 12, 2019

Detroit Style Pizza

Asparagus Mushroom Stir Fry
April 16, 2019

Asparagus Mushroom Stir Fry

6 comments

  • Stephanie
    August 20, 2019

    Jo, the skin on these look INCREDIBLE! I can hear that delicious crunch through the computer screen. Have to try these soon!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Jo
      September 28, 2019

      Crunchy chicken skin is my total weakness. Hope you love them!

      Reply
  • Mary
    September 23, 2019

    Omg absolutely delicious chicken

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Jo
      September 23, 2019

      Thanks Mary! Crispy chicken is one of my (many) weaknesses.

      Reply
  • Courtney
    December 19, 2019

    Does this not use any oil? The picture looks like it has oil but the recipe/description doesn’t mention.

    Reply
    • Jo
      December 19, 2019

      Courtney,

      No oil is necessary because the chicken thighs has so much fat in them naturally. Just make sure you use skin on thighs. If using skinless, you will need a thin layer of oil. Enjoy!

      Reply

Share your thoughts Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Jo Eats

Hi, I'm Jo!
I'm a self-taught, home cook who loves pretty much all things food. I am obsessed with creating, photographing, and sharing beautiful and accessible recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by!
Read more...

Featured in

Pick a category

Recent Posts

  • Roast Chicken with Artichoke and Citrus Salad
  • Green Coconut Curry Chickpeas
  • Gochujang Ginger Chicken Thighs
  • Everything Bagel Pasta

Find a recipe

  • Elara Pro by LyraThemes.com
  • COPYRIGHT © 2019 Jo Eats
303 shares