How Long To Boil Chicken Thighs? 3 Delicious Chicken thighs recipe

If you’re someone who loves to devour dark meat with a richer, and more flavorful taste, chicken thighs can be a healthy and delicious addition to your diet.

Chicken thighs are also an excellent source of protein in many dishes—soups, stews, curries, and steaks. Sadly, many people love eating boil chicken thighs but have no idea of how long to boil chicken thighs. As a result, they always end up overcooking or undercooking the chicken thighs which taste… just awful! Boiling is very different than other cooking techniques like BBQing or cooking chicken in a crock pot but can be delicious.

In this article, I’ll discuss the prep time of chicken thighs to make them more tender and flavorful. Also, I’ll share three delicious chicken thighs recipes you won’t resist trying!

Let’s get cookin’!

How Long To Boil Chicken Thighs?

The answer to this question depends on many factors such as the size of meat and thickness of the meat combined with your desired degree of doneness.

Generally, we boil chicken thighs until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Therefore, a meat thermometer is critical in determining the right cooking time for your chicken thighs.

Secondly, to boil chicken thighs, the type of chicken matters the most. For example, the prep time of boneless skinless chicken thighs is different than that of chicken thighs with bones.

How long to boil boneless chicken thighs

Again, the boiling time depends on the overall size and thickness of the chicken meat pieces. However, as a general rule of thumb, you should boil boneless chicken thighs for approx. 20 to 25 minutes and when the internal temperature of chicken thighs reaches 165°F.

Here’s the proper procedure to boil boneless skinless chicken thighs:

1. Fill a large pot of water enough to cover the chicken thighs evenly.
2. You can add your desired seasonings including salt, herbs, pepper, garlic powder, bay leaves, etc.
3. Bring the water to a boil over high heat and after a few minutes, reduce the heat to simmer and cover the pot.
4. Let the chicken thighs cook evenly on medium heat for approx. 15 to 20 minutes. The internal temperature of chicken thighs should be 165°F.

Note: The cooked chicken thighs should be firm and no longer pink in the center.

1. After it is fully cooked, remove the chicken thighs from the water with the help of tongs or a spoon and let it rest before slicing or shredding.

How long to boil bone in chicken thighs

So the cooking time of bone in chicken thighs is relatively longer than that of boneless chicken thighs. That’s because bone in thighs are larger and thicker than boneless and skinless chicken. Also, they have higher fat content that takes longer to cook through.

I always recommend using a meat thermometer to monitor the temperature and give chicken thighs their due time to cook evenly. The bone in chicken thighs should be boiled for at least 25 to 30 minutes so they cook evenly and until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.

Once you’re sure the chicken is cooked completely, turn off the heat and let it rest for a few minutes at room temperature before serving. Here’s a quick way to tell if chicken is undercooked.

3 Quick and easy boiled chicken thighs recipes

Now, you know how long to boil chicken thighs. It’s time to learn how to cook flavorful chicken thighs in three easiest ways.

Chicken thighs with fish sauce, herbs, spices, and Thai ingredients

This recipe is my personal favorite melts-in-your-mouth chicken thighs and rich chicken broth made with traditional seasonings. It can be hard to know how much chicken per person to prepare so check out this handy guide.

Things you need:

• 21 oz. of chicken thighs
• Fish sauce, 4 tbsp
• A half-tbsp of dark soy sauce
• Light soy sauce, two tbsp
• Palm sugar, 1.5 tablespoons
• 5 sliced galangal
• 2 pieces lemongrass
• Five garlic cloves
• 3 roots of coriander
• one tsp white pepper
• 1 liter of water, or enough to just barely cover the chicken.

How to cook:

1. Add garlic, coriander root, lemongrass, and galangal to a pot of water. Put a cover on it and boil it on low to medium heat.
2. Add palm sugar, white pepper, dark and light soy sauce, and fish sauces. Stir the sugar until it is completely dissolved.
3. Carefully add the chicken thighs in a single layer and cover the pot when the stock has returned to a boil. A little bit more than halfway should be covered with water.
4. Turn the heat down low, cover, and cook the chicken for 45 minutes. Flip the chicken gently halfway through cooking. Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes before serving so the meat can absorb the juices.

This chicken thighs recipe is best served with white rice or any other sauce of your choice.

Orange Thyme Cumin Sauce on the Chicken Thighs

For a more flavorful chicken thighs dish, follow my all-time favorite recipe of chicken thighs glazed with orange thyme and cumin sauce. Oh-so-tender-and-yummy!

Things you need:

• Half a cup of dry white wine
• Red wine vinegar, 1/4 cup
• fresh orange juice, 1/4 cup
• 2 tbsp of lime juice, fresh
• 3 tbsp of low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp minced fresh thyme leaves
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 1 tbsp of honey
• 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
• 1 tsp of cumin, ground
• 1 minced jalapeño pepper; seeded
• 8 chicken thighs without skin

How to cook:

1. Remove the skin and fat on the surface of the chicken thighs. Rinse well. Towel dry.
2. Combine the sauce ingredients, including the jalapeño, in a large nonstick skillet.
3. Bring the ingredients to a boil over medium-high heat before adding the chicken (bones up).
4. For 15 minutes, simmer with the heat down to low and the lid on.
5. Remove the lid and turn the chicken pieces over.
6. Increase the heat to medium heat and cook the chicken until the liquid has disappeared and the chicken is glazed fully.
7. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes and adjust the heat as necessary.

This is the best recipe for chicken thighs that you can enjoy with bbq sauce or buffalo sauce.

Chicken Thighs Marengo Recipe

Things you need:

• 6 chicken thighs, each weighing 2 pounds.
• Salt, 1/2 tsp.
• Pepper, 1/4 tsp.
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• Sliced fresh mushrooms, 1 cup
• 4 sliced green onions
• 1 minced clove of garlic
• 1/2 cup dry white wine or chablis
• Whole dried thyme, 1/4 teaspoon
• Wedges cut from two medium tomatoes
• 1 tb Fresh parsley, minced

How to cook:

1. Remove extra chicken fat and rinse the chicken thighs in cold water. Pat dry.
2. In a shallow container, put the chicken thighs and add salt and pepper as per your liking.
3. Take a big skillet and apply frying spray. Add olive oil.
4. Heat up the oil by placing it over medium high heat.
5. For 2 to 3 minutes, cook chicken in the skillet on each side.
6. Take out the cooked chicken and place it on paper towels.
7. Dry off the skillet with a paper towel. Reapply cooking spray and heat it up over medium-high heat until hot.
8. Add mushrooms and stir continuously for 2 minutes
9. Remove mushrooms from the pan and place them aside.
10. Recoat skillet with Pam and heat up by placing over medium-high heat.
11. Add garlic and green onions. Cook for 1 minute
12. Add wine and herbs. Stir gently.
13. Add the chicken thighs and bring everything to a boil.
14. Cover the pan and simmer for 25 minutes on low heat.
15. Add the mushrooms and tomato edges. Cook for 2 minutes until fully heated.
16. Sprinkle with parsley and serve hot.

For extra flavor, devour it with white rice and your favorite sauces! Be sure to check out our handy recipe on baked chicken also.

FAQs

How long does it take boil chicken thighs?

The cooking time of chicken thighs depends on the thickness and size of your meat. Also, it largely depends on whether you have boneless chicken thighs or bone in chicken thighs.

For boneless chicken, the cooking time is around 20 to 25 minutes. However, for bone in chicken thighs, the time is approx. 25 to 30 minutes.

Is 30 minutes enough to boil chicken?

Yes, 30 minutes are enough to boil chicken thighs. Especially if you’re cooking boneless chicken meat, consider it overdone in 30 minutes. However, for bone in chicken thighs, 30 minutes is the recommended boil time for the most flavorful chicken.

How long does it take a frozen chicken to boil?

It takes around 50% longer time to boil frozen chicken thighs as compared to thawed chicken. Therefore, frozen boneless chicken breast or thighs will take around 25 minutes to boil. Whereas, bone in chicken takes approx. 30 minutes to boil.

How long does it take to boil 2 chicken tenderloins?

Generally, it takes around 8 to 10 minutes to boil 2 chicken tenders.

How long does it take to boil a 5 pound chicken?

Boiling a fresh whole chicken weighing approx. 3–4 pounds takes around 1 1/2 hours. The overall cooking time must be increased by 15 minutes per pound if the chicken weighs more than 4 pounds.

Final Thoughts

“How long to boil chicken thighs” is one of the frequently asked questions, and the answer to this question depends on two variables; the size and thickness of chicken thighs.

Boiling chicken thighs is not a difficult task, but keeping track of the boiling time is surely a challenging part. Therefore, I recommend investing in a high-quality meat thermometer to monitor the internal temperature of chicken thighs.

On average, the recommended time to boil chicken thighs is 20 to 25 minutes for boneless meat and 30 minutes for bone in chicken meat. So, next time when you’re boiling chicken thighs, boil them until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F and cook chicken for a good 25 minutes to get the flavorful meat and super tender chicken.