These grilled chicken thighs in homemade Italian dressing are so easy to make. Marinate them overnight, get them on the grill, and 20 minutes later you will have an awesome meal!
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There’s truly nothing simpler or more foolproof than these grilled chicken thighs! The marinade uses simple ingredients, and since chicken thighs have more fat on them than chicken breasts, they’re almost impossible to overcook!
Serve these marinated grilled chicken thighs with your favorite summer salads, like Italian potato and green bean salad, tomato and mozzarella salad, or deli style macaroni salad.
How To Grill Boneless Chicken Thighs:
- Chop 1/2 cup of fresh parsley.
- Mince 8 cloves of garlic.
- To a bowl add the garlic, parsley, 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper, 3/4 cup pecorino cheese and 2 tsp dried oregano.
- Add the 1 cup of red wine vinegar and 1 1/2 cups of olive oil. Whisk aggressively and give it a taste. If it’s too vinegary add a little bit more olive oil. It’s nice to be on the vinegary side as the chicken thighs will absorb even more flavor.
- Boneless chicken thighs are real easy to work with. Trim away any large pieces of fat, but do not go crazy. The heat from the grill will take care of most of it.
- At this point reserve 3/4 cup of the Italian dressing marinade and set aside. Add the remaining marinade and all the chicken thighs to a zip lock bag. Mix the bag and marinade together and place in another container. I recommend this because you never know if the bag will develop a leak. For best flavor refrigerate the chicken overnight. At a minimum, try to marinate for at least 4 hours.
- Turn on a gas grill to medium heat. Lightly oil the racks and grill for approximately 7-8 minutes per side.
- Grill the chicken thighs until nicely charred. Before removing make sure the chicken is 165f. This is easy with an instant read thermometer. If you don’t have one, cut a piece open and check for doneness. The color will be dark and the texture will be firm.
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Grilled Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
Italian Dressing
- 1 cup red wine vinegar
- 1.5 cups olive oil
- 3/4 cup pecorino cheese
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp crushed hot red pepper flakes
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley
Chicken
- 4 pounds boneless chicken thighs
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Instructions
- Chop 1/2 cup of parsley and mince 8 cloves of garlic. Combine with 1.5 cups olive oil, 1 cup red wine vinegar, 3/4 cup pecorino cheese, 2 tsp dried oregano and 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper. Whisk well or blend.
- Reserve and set aside 3/4 cup of the Italian dressing marinade. Pour remaining Italian dressing in a zip lock bag with the boneless chicken thighs. Refrigerate overnight or a minimum of 4 hours.
- When ready for grilling remove chicken from bag and dispose of marinade.
- Preheat gas grill to medium heat. Lightly oil grates and grill thighs for 7-8 minutes per side until nicely charred. Cook until internal temperature of meat is minimum 165f.
- Plate and serve the chicken thighs with a drizzle of the remaining 3/4 cups of Italian dressing. Enjoy!
Notes
- Remove any large pieces of fat from the boneless thighs if present, but do not worry about small bits of fat.
- All grills are different so use the time as a general grilling guideline.
- For certainty use an instant read thermometer and cook to 165f minimum temperature.
- No salt was added due to the salt content of the pecorino cheese.
- 3/4 cup of the remaining Italian dressing can be used for a salad or drizzled on top of the chicken.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Do I grill with the lid up or down?
Hi Brenda, it doesn’t really matter.
The marinade sounds delish but was wondering if you could delete the cheese from the recipe.
Hi Joan, yes, you can omit the cheese. Hope you enjoy!
Hi James
I love your recipes. I get a little bit of Jersey here in Florida every time. I wish we could get all of the brands and cheeses here.
The deli salad recipes are great and really all of your recipes are delicious.
I enjoy watching your YouTube’s and getting the emails.
Thank you and your wife and son for the many entertaining moments. Your son is a funny kid/guy.
Ciao
Alison
Love your recipes and tried this one yesterday. The chicken thighs were so good and can’t wait to try it again on pork or chicken breasts. Thank you for your recipes I enjoy making them. Enjoy your day!
Hi Joanne, thanks for the comment and we’re so happy you enjoyed this one!
These are sooooo good! My whole family loved this. It’s amazing how good that marinade made that chicken taste. Even on my icky gas grill, this is a winner!
Hi Fran, I’m so happy you and the family enjoyed the chicken and really appreciate your comment!
Jim,
Love your recipes. Can I make this with bone in-skin on thighs? OR do you have a good recipe for bone in-skin on.
Thanks for your help.
Grace
Hi Grace, yes, you can use this recipe for bone-in/skin-on thighs. So happy you’re enjoying the recipes and appreciate the comment!
I’d like to know how long they cooked in the air fryer and at what temperature. Thank you love all your recipes.
Hi Elizabeth, I have not tested this recipe in an air fryer so I can’t say for sure. If you do happen to try it, let us know how it turns out.
Another fabulous recipe …cooked this in my air fryer. They were great and thsnkyou for sharing your cooking tips and knowledge! So appreciated!
Hi Glynis, thank you for the comment and I’m so happy you liked it!
I made this tonight for my family. We had Mac and cheese with it but it would be very good with a nice bread. I left the skins on on accident but it was a nice crispy touch. I only marinated for 4 hours and it was super good. I can only imagine after a longer period how much better. I think I’ll add just a little salt next time. Thank you sir your recipes. I enjoy making them.
Hi Shane, thanks for your comment and so happy you liked the recipe!
I have to give you a 5 star for all your videos and recipes. Can I bake these chicken thighs in the oven since I don’t have a grill?
Hi Ines, thank you for the 5 stars and your comment! Yes, you can bake the chicken thighs at 375-400 until they reach an internal temperature of 175f.
Great flavor! Delicious recipe
Thanks, Carol!
This was outstanding! Made it for my parents anniversary dinner. Needed to feed a crowd and was looking for a chicken thigh grill recipe. Followed it exactly and was only able to marinade for about 5 hours. It was a major hit! Everyone loved it! Prepping it now to throw in the grill tomorrow night for an easy Monday night dinner! This one is a keeper!
Hi Stacy! I’m pleased to hear it turned out well. Thanks very much for the nice comment.
We made these for a family gathering. I did the marinading and my husband did the grilling. They turned out AMAZING! We will definitely make again. Only marinaded for about 4.5 hours and I was worried it wasn’t enough. It was just fine!!! We used boneless thighs and followed the recipe exactly. Paired with Greek roasted potatoes and a couple different salads. Perfect al fresco dining!
Hi Stacy! Sounds great with roasted potatoes. I’m happy you enjoyed the recipe!
This looks soooo good! I’ve never been a fan of Italian as actual dressing but on chicken is amazing for some reason haha. Definitely saving this to try later.
Thanks, I agree it’s better on the chicken! Almost like an Italian chimichurri.