Several years so, I shared a recipe for our family’s favorite Easy Baked Chicken on the blog and it ended up being one of the most popular recipes I’ve shared on PBF to date. The recipe centered around a simple marinade that delivers a ton of flavor and while I still love that recipe, in the 4+ years that have passed since I initially shared it, I’ve tweaked it over and over again. The end result is the recipe I’m sharing with you guys today for my absolute favorite way to prepare chicken thighs. (I’m not just saying that. This chicken marinade is easily the blog recipe we make most often in our house for dinner!) Once again a tasty marinade is at the center of the recipe but thanks to a few simple changes, I think this recipe for marinated chicken thighs is even more delicious than the initial recipe I shared years ago.
So what kind of changes are we talking about? First, I swapped chicken breasts for skinless chicken thighs because they are waaay tastier. They’re also cheaper, soak up this marinade well and taste fantastic whether they’re baked, grilled or cooked in the air fryer. A worthwhile swap for sure!
More changes:
- Swapping out the canola oil for olive oil
- Swapping out the soy sauce for coconut aminos (but I’ll still occasionally use soy sauce — coconut aminos just makes it gluten-free, paleo and Whole-30 friendly)
- Adding dried rosemary because rosemary is the BEST and kicks the flavor up a notch
The recipe includes ingredients I almost always have on hand in the fridge and pantry so it’s a perfect go-to recipe for me when I don’t have a weeknight dinner planned and want to throw something together I know our family will enjoy. It’s also the recipe I turn to time and time again in the warmer months when we have friends over to grill out because these chicken thighs always get rave reviews. There’s almost a 100 percent guarantee people will ask for this chicken thighs recipe when we make it, so it’s a crowd pleaser for sure. Keep this one in your back pocket for summertime barbeques, friends!
Here’s everything you need to make this paleo chicken thigh marinade:
- Chicken thighs (I prefer boneless and skinless chicken thighs because they’re less work but do your thang if you like bone-in or prefer chicken breasts. Just note that cooking time will increase if you are not using boneless skinless chicken thighs.)
- Coconut aminos (again, feel free to substitute soy sauce here but this is the ingredient that adds that perfect punch of umami flavor)
- Spices: Garlic salt, rosemary, oregano (I’ve also added onion powder and it’s fantastic in this recipe, too!)
- Juice of one lemon (this brightens the marinade with a little punch of citrus)
- Olive oil (avocado oil works well in this recipe, too)
One thing you may have noticed when glancing at the above ingredients if you’re a lazy cook like me? There’s NO chopping in this marinade recipe. No peeling garlic. No tedious slicing and dicing (other than slicing a lemon in half). I’m telling you this chicken thigh marinade is as easy as it is delicious, which is probably half the reason I find myself making it on repeat year after year.
It’s also why I turn to this recipe when we’re hosting friends and family in our home because the chicken thighs could not be any easier to make and I’m all about stress-free cooking when we’re hosting a crowd. If you’re considering making these chicken thighs to serve at a barbeque, we love pairing them with this simple summer pasta salad (a great one to prep ahead!), this edamame black bean salad, this broccoli and brussels sprouts salad and this quinoa tabbouleh salad.
For those who like to food prep or prepare meals ahead of time on Sundays, this one is a personal favorite. More recently, I’ve been trying to get back in the swing of Sunday afternoon meal prep and have LOVED prepping this recipe over the weekend. I marinate the chicken thighs on Saturday or first thing in the morning on Sunday and then a few hours later, I’ll throw the chicken thighs in the air fryer (at 400 degrees — high heat seems to add an outer layer of crispiness I adore) and then I’ll reheat the chicken thighs throughout the week for lunch because they pair well with just about any side dish. Lately my favorite lunchtime combination looks like two chopped chicken thighs mixed up in a big bowl with roasted acorn squash, roasted okra and brown rice. Another combination I love? Marinated chicken thighs with roasted brussels sprouts, roasted delicata squash and farro. It’s so good and I never seem to get sick of it!
If you give this recipe a try, please let me know! It’s truly my favorite way to prepare chicken thighs and I’d love to know what you think. Enjoy!
Best Chicken Thigh Marinade Recipe
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Best Chicken Thigh Marinade
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 30 min + overnight
- Total Time: 30 min + overnight
- Cuisine: American
Description
A simple and delicious marinade for grilled or baked chicken thighs. Paleo friendly and Whole30 compliant!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a large zip-top bag and allow chicken thighs to marinate for at least four hours or ideally overnight.
- Remove chicken from marinade and grill chicken thighs or bake in the oven at 400 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. If you’d like to cook the chicken thighs in an air fryer (they’re amazing this way), set the air fryer to 400 degrees and cook for approximately 12-14 minutes, or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- Allow chicken to rest for approximately 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Cooking times mentioned are for boneless skinless chicken thighs. If using chicken breasts or bone-in chicken thighs, cooking times will be longer.
Soy sauce may be used in place of coconut aminos if you have trouble finding coconut aminos, though more and more grocery stores seem to be carrying coconut aminos these days. I can almost always find coconut aminos well-stocked at Whole Foods, though I typically prefer to order my coconut aminos from Thrive Market to save a bit of money.
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Sounds awesome! I’m vegan, I wonder if swapping the chicken for tofu would turn out just as tasty? I’ll have to try it out and report back. Thanks for sharing!
Oh please let me know what you think if you try it!! My parents are trying to eat a primarily plant-based diet right now and that sounds like a great idea — I’d love to let them know if this works well!
Oh my Heavens!! I will have to try this marinade. This looks divine. I am always looking for different spices and way to cook things. Thank you! 😀
Really hope you love it! It’s one of those recipes that you don’t really have to measure once you get the hang of it which makes it even easier. A definite go-to in our house!
Do you buy the chicken thighs boneless? Or do you have to debone your self?
Also what is that delicious looking orange drink in the the photos??
Looks delicious, and I agree rosemary really boosts the flavor. Can’t wait to try it!
This looks amazing! Have you ever tried making this in the Instant Pot? I’m an Instant Pot newbie and looking for more recipes. 🙂 This seems like it would be great for a quick weeknight dinner! Thanks!
This marinade sounds so delicious! I’m definitely going to try it soon. I love roasting chicken thighs over chopped veggies in the oven – it makes the veggies so flavorful and I bet with this marinade they would be killer.
I made this last night and I love it! Leftovers are great too. Thank you for sharing!
I’m so happy you liked it! Thank you for taking the time to let me know, too!
Have you found a garlic salt that doesn’t have soy in it? I always use Lawry’s but recently noticed it has soy :/
Yes!! I used to use that one as well but have since switched to Simply Organic Garlic Salt (you can find it at Whole Foods!) or Himalasalt Organic Garlic Himalayan Sea Salt which I buy on Thrive Market!
We LOVE this recipe in our house but my husband has a really hard time with the rosemary consistency. Just curious, have you tried the recipe without? Does it lose all the good flavor?!
you can absolutely make it without rosemary! it’s also wonderful with italian seasoning in place of the rosemary and oregano!
Finally tried this marinade this week after seeing it come up several times on your page and others….and the whole family loved it!! It was SO flavorful and tender! Thank you so much for sharing, it will definitely be the go to chicken marinade from now on!
Hooray!! So glad the whole family gave it a thumbs up!! <3 Thanks for letting me know!
I need a lot of meat during this period of self-quarantined and this recipe is definitely a must-add to my diet. Affordable, healthy and more importantly, easy-to-make.
Thanks for sharing. Hope it turns out as good as it looks!
I love the simple ingredient list—I had everything on hand already when I found this recipe. My husband and I both loved the flavor! I foresee lots of grilled chicken dinners this summer.
Question – We usually grill but am considering baking them instead, do they still get any crisp in oven?? We’ve been spoiled with this marinade grilled but we don’t always feel like grilling but love this marinade lol
SO good! We make this all the time. It’s very good after marinating for 8 hours, but it’s amazing if you marinate it overnight. Definitely try it! We make it in the air fryer when we want a quick but delicious and nutritious meal.
So appreciate the review AND the air fryer tip!! I need to try that!
After seeing you share this recipe the past few years I am FINALLY trying it! Literally whipped up the marinade and had my chicken cleaned and marinating in it all within 10 minutes. SO easy! Confession: I used Italian seasoning instead of oregano because I was all out. I love DIY marinades since they tend to be much cleaner than the ones sold in grocery stores. I’m so excited to try this one and add it to my arsenal when we host/attend cookouts with friends who are gluten-free
YESSS to Italian Seasonings!! I do this often as well! And so glad you like the marinade! 🙂
This is the second time I’m doing this recipe. Today I’m doing it with chicken breast using a gallon stash your bag I got from prime day. Hoping it will maximize the marinating experience = )
Hope you enjoy it! Love stasher bags!!
My wife tried this marinade yesterday, so i had to ask where she got the all idea.
Was special. Thank you for sharing.
So delicious! As a foodie I was slightly suspect by the ingredient list but it is truly fabulous. It’s great for family dinners or having company over – marinade warrants prework!
I love these chicken thighs. I’m new to the air fryer. How long do you cook them for and at what temperature? Sorry if I missed that somewhere.
Hi Barb! If you’re making them in the air fryer, I like to took them at 400 degrees for 12-14 minutes. (Cooking time is for boneless skinless chicken thighs — if you’re doing breasts or regular chicken thighs, cooking time will be a little longer.)
This was delicious and so easy! I used Italian seasoning because I didn’t have rosemary. The whole family loved it.
Oh I love that idea — making it even easier!
WHY did I wait so long to try this recipe? Made it for company who came to visit us last weekend and every single person thought it was great. Solid recipe.
such an easy recipe but also very good
I’ve made this recipe a few times on the grill, baked and in the air fryer and it always turns out great.