Grill Pan Chicken Thighs
Forget the barbecue and make these succulent grill pan chicken thighs right in your own kitchen in about 25 minutes. And they require only a few ingredients!
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Give me chicken slathered in a luscious barbecue sauce and grilled to perfection any time. These grill pan chicken thighs made with this spicy barbecue sauce recipe fit the bill with their finger-licking goodness.
They also take hardly any time to prepare, ensuring an easy weeknight meal, especially if you make the barbecue sauce beforehand.
If you’re like me and are skittish by a barbecue’s intense heat and rising flames, then this recipe is for you. My dad was an avid barbecue maven, and I remember watching him hover confidently over one when I was a kid, while I stood at a cautious distance every time he lifted the lid.
I do the same as an adult, so grilling anything means using a grill pan in the relative safety of my kitchen (while also using a splatter screen for extra protection, of course).
Why You’ll Love These Grill Pan Chicken Thighs
- Bold, tangy-sweet flavor: The homemade barbecue sauce blends hoisin sauce, lemon juice, Worcestershire, and spices for a rich, tangy-sweet punch that soaks into every bite—even under the skin.
- Juicy & crispy texture: Grilling the chicken skin-side down helps achieve that crispy exterior while locking in juicy, flavorful meat underneath.
- Easy yet impressive: The steps are simple, but the results taste like something from a backyard cookout.
Key Ingredients
- Hoisin Sauce: This flavorful sauce is ideal for grilled chicken.
- Worcestershire Sauce: This adds a deep umami flavor to the sauce.
- Bone-In, Skin-On Chicken Thighs: Keeping the skin on helps keep the chicken moist while grilling.
See the recipe card below for more information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make These Grill Pan Chicken Thighs
- Prepare barbecue sauce: Follow this spicy barbecue sauce recipe.
- Rest: Remove chicken from fridge and let it come to room temperature for 20 minutes before grilling.
- Oil: Rub 2 teaspoons neutral oil onto a grill pan.
- Grill: Heat the oiled grill pan over medium until hot enough that the chicken will sear immediately when added.
- Sear: Place the chicken thighs skin-side down and cook for 7 minutes total—4 minutes, then rotate (without flipping) and cook another 3 minutes.
- Flip: Flip the thighs and continue cooking until an instant-read thermometer reaches 165°F (13 to 18 minutes). Insert thermometer away from the bone for accuracy.
Pro Tips
- Use a splatter screen: If you’re a scaredy-cat like me or just want to keep your kitchen clean, a splatter screen is a lifesaver in keeping the chicken from spewing as it cooks.
- Trim excess skin: If excess skin hangs from any thighs, trim it with a knife or kitchen shears.
Variations & Substitutions
-Use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of bone-in, skin-on. They’ll cook in about half the time.
-Use any leftover barbecue sauce for pork chops, ribs, shrimp, and even salmon. You can also apply it to any kind of chicken, including drumsticks, and wings.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! The sauce can be made up to a week in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge and bring it to room temp or gently reheat it before using.
The safest way is to use a meat thermometer. Chicken thighs are done when they reach an internal temperature of 165°F. If you don’t have a thermometer, the juices should run clear and the meat should no longer be pink near the bone.
Storage
Refrigerator: Store the chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Store any remaining barbecue sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Freezer: Freeze the chicken for up to 1 month. Freeze any remaining sauce for up to 3 months.
Reheat: Defrost the chicken in the refrigerator and reheat in the microwave or on a pan in the oven until warmed through. Defrost the barbecue sauce in the refrigerator before using.
More Chicken Recipes
- Baked vinegar chicken thighs and potatoes
- Braised chicken thighs
- Ground chicken chili with black beans
If you’ve enjoyed this recipe, please take a moment to leave a five-star review below. You could also tag me on Instagram (@forcarbssake) with a picture of your finished dish!
Grill Pan Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
For the Barbecue Sauce
- ¾ cup Hoisin sauce
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil (Note 1)
- ½ lemon squeezed
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Red pepper flakes pinch
For the Chicken
- 4 chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt divided (⅛ teaspoon each side)
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil or any neutral oil
Instructions
For the Barbecue Sauce
- Add all the ingredients for the barbecue sauce to a small bowl and whisk together thoroughly.
- Pour the sauce into a small saucepan and cover partly with a lid. Turn the heat to medium-low, bring it to a gentle simmer, and cook for 10 minutes until the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat if it bubbles too much.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Allow the barbecue sauce to cool fully before using it, or store it in the refrigerator to chill.
For the Chicken Thighs
- Salt each side of the chicken with ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt (or more). Baste the chicken thighs generously with the barbecue sauce, slathering it onto the tops, bottoms, and under the skins as much as possible. You don't need to use it all.
- Cover the chicken with plastic wrap and allow it to marinate in the refrigerator for no more than a few hours. Remove the chicken from the fridge and bring it to room temperature for about 20 minutes before grilling it.
- Rub the vegetable oil onto a grill pan and heat it on medium.
- Make sure the pan is hot enough so that the chicken will immediately start to sear once you add it. Place the chicken thighs skin side down and cook for 7 minutes total (4 minutes, then rotate the thighs—do not turn them over—and cook for another 3 minutes). Note: You can baste the flesh side of the thighs with more barbecue sauce as the skin-side cooks.
- Turn the thighs over so the flesh side is now down and continue cooking until an instant-read thermometer indicates a temperature of 165°, 13 to 18 minutes. Make sure to insert the thermometer away from any bone to ensure an accurate reading.
- Turn off the heat and let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!