Lemon Chicken Thighs

These juicy and flavorful lemon chicken thighs are made with a homemade marinade and grilled to perfection. The perfect protein to serve as an easy weeknight meal, or as a tasty dinner when you're hosting guests!

Lemon Chicken Thighs Recipe

Grilled lemon chicken thighs are such a great meal in the spring and summer. There's just something so refreshing about cooking chicken in a lemon marinade.

This grilled chicken is a great way to throw together a healthy meal on a busy weeknight. But I'd also proudly cook it for dinner when we have guests over too! It's packed full of flavor and never turns out dry.

You can never go wrong with grilling chicken. Whether it's this recipe, grilled cilantro lime chicken, or grilled chicken fajitas, I'll never turn down some tasty grilled chicken.

Using a homemade marinade before throwing chicken on the grill has revolutionized these meals too! These juicy chicken thighs soak up all the flavor of the lemon marinade, it's just so tasty.

Why I Love this Recipe

• These tasty grilled lemon chicken thighs can be eaten on their own, or sliced up and eaten on a salad. There are so many uses for grilled chicken!
• This easy lemon chicken recipe is perfect for meal prep. Chicken stores well and reheats well, and you can pair it with so many easy-to-store side dishes.
• Prep this chicken ahead of time, let it marinade, and then it's ready to go on the grill for dinner! So quick and easy.

Lemon Chicken Marinade

This homemade lemon chicken marinade is so easy to make. It really is what makes this a top-notch recipe.

Boneless chicken can often turn out dry, but marinating it is the easiest way to ensure that it turns out juicy and tender. Plus, it's packed full of flavor! It's truly one of my favorite methods to use in order to cook the most delicious and flavorful chicken.

You can make this marinade really easily in a mason jar. Just throw all the ingredients into one jar and shake it up... that's it, it's ready to go! You can either use the marinade right away, or store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days to use later.

Hot Tip: When zesting a lemon, be sure you only get the yellow part of the peel. The white part is really bitter and can affect the flavor of this homemade marinade.

Ingredients

You probably have most of these ingredients in your pantry already! Write down what you're missing and pick it up on your next grocery run.

• olive oil
• lemon juice
• zest from one lemon
• honey
• salt
• pepper
• parsley leaves
• red pepper flakes
• boneless chicken thighs

Substitutions and Variations

You can use chicken breast, chicken drumsticks, or bone-in skin-on chicken thighs as a replacement for boneless chicken thighs.

If you don't have lemons on hand, feel free to use limes! It will obviously change the flavor profile, but will still be quite tasty.

Want to make this chicken thigh recipe, but don't have a grill? Heat a large skillet over medium heat with a little bit of oil or butter. Cook each chicken thigh in the hot skillet just like you would on a grill! This cast iron chicken is another great method!

How to Make Lemon Chicken Thighs

Place all of your simple marinade ingredients into a jar. Cover and shake until it is thoroughly combined. You can also put all of the ingredients into a bowl and whisk until combined.

Clean the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Then, place them in a zip-top bag or a bowl and pour the marinade over the chicken.

Toss the chicken in the marinade using tongs until each piece is coated well.

Allow the chicken thighs to marinate for at least one hour.

Remove the chicken from the bowl or bag and grill over medium-high heat on each side until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF. The outside should be a nice golden brown.

Allow the chicken to cool slightly, slice if desired, and then serve!

Tips for Success

• Allow these tender chicken thighs to rest for for 5-10 minutes before cutting into them. This will help the meat to remain juicy and retain a lot of the flavor from the marinade.
• Use an instant-read thermometer to check the temp of your chicken. The internal temperature should reach 165°F.
• Garnish each cooked chicken thigh with fresh herbs and lemon zest for an extra splash of zesty flavor!

You can also cook them in the oven at 350°F for about 20 minutes. You can also cook them in a hot skillet. Just be sure they are cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).

What to Serve with Lemon Chicken Thighs

Serve up this tasty protein with a side of vegetables like garlic green beans or oven roasted broccoli.

These roasted potatoes made with fresh rosemary are also a great side dish to serve with lemon chicken! If your family loves bread, try these 2 Ingredient Biscuits!

You can also simply pair this juicy chicken with risotto, brown rice or angel hair pasta. Feel free to make and set aside extra marinade to drizzle over the top of the cooked chicken.

Check out even more side dishes for lemon chicken.

You can also slice up each thigh and serve it on a spinach salad or a basic chopped salad.

How to Store Leftovers

Store leftover lemon chicken thighs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze grilled chicken for up to 3 months.

This lemon chicken thighs recipe is perfect for meal prepping. You can cook the chicken and store it until you need it later in the week. Just pop it in the oven or microwave and heat it until it reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF.

FAQ

More Chicken Recipes

• Creamy Lemon Chicken
• Chicken Broccoli Orzo
• Chicken Enchilada Sliders
• Chicken Wild Rice Casserole