Italian Herb Chicken Thighs
An easy weeknight dinner that tastes great with any side dish.
Equipment
- 1 chef's knife
- 1 large cutting board
- 1 large plate
- 1 10" saute pan or 11" chicken fryer
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil or sunflower oil
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs fat trimmed off (about 7 to 8 thighs)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp dried Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Heat the pan on medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil or sunflower oil.
- Season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
- Place 4 to 5 chicken thighs spread out in the pan. Sear the chicken and DO NOT MOVE IT for 8 minutes. If you put all the chicken in the pan all at once, it will boil rather than sear.
- Flip the chicken thighs and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove chicken thighs from the pan.
- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and repeat steps 3 and 4 with the remaining chicken thighs.
- Serve with white rice, mashed potatoes, or noodles, and sauteed vegetables.
Video
Notes
Tips and Tricks
Can I use bone-in chicken thighs?
You can, but it will take much longer to cook in the pan, more than 10 minutes per side. If you are going to use bone-in chicken thighs, you’ll use your time better by lining a baking sheet with aluminum foil, spraying the foil with olive oil spray, then placing the seasoned chicken thighs on top. Bake in an oven preheated to 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 to 45 minutes until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit at the thickest part of the chicken close to the bone.
It is rare to find bone-in chicken thighs without skin in the grocery store. If you have time, remove the skin to keep this recipe on the healthier side.
What about frozen chicken thighs?
Defrost the frozen chicken thighs for at least 36 hours in the refrigerator and pat them dry before adding your seasoning. Very wet chicken thighs will result in you steaming your chicken rather than searing it and you won’t get that nice golden-brown color or the fond in the pan.
Many frozen chicken thighs have some amount of a salt solution that was used to brine the chicken before freezing. If using, cut down the salt to ¼ tsp per 2 pounds of chicken.
Can I use other seasonings besides Italian seasoning?
Yes! This is a very versatile recipe. Use any combination of basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, fennel, sage, cilantro (coriander). This recipe uses dried herbs so you can whip up this recipe any night of the week without much advance planning. However, you can opt to use fresh herbs if they are available to you. Use 6 tablespoons of fresh herbs in place of the 2 tablespoons of dried herbs.