When it’s warm out, and you’re unsure what to make, my marinated Grilled Chicken Thighs are the way to go! Incredibly easy and loaded with flavor, this is the chicken recipe I turn to all summer long.
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Easy Summer chicken
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. This is why I use them in so many recipes, from my oven-baked barbecue chicken to my Mediterranean chicken and orzo.
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.
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below, and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Chicken. I’m using boneless skinless chicken thighs, but you can use bone-in thighs as well. And yes, you can use the marinade on chicken breasts, but be sure not to overcook them as they can dry out. Chicken breasts should be cooked to 160° and removed immediately.
- Marinade/Dressing. I’m using a combination of olive oil and neutral oil, red wine vinegar, Pecorino Romano, Dijon mustard, garlic, fresh parsley, dried oregano, and crushed hot red pepper flakes. You can use grated parmesan in place of the pecorino, but you may need to adjust the salt since parmesan has less salt than pecorino. Note: part of the dressing does not touch the raw chicken and gets reserved to drizzle on top of the chicken after it’s cooked, but can also be used for a salad.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
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How to grill chicken thighs with Italian dressing
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Trim the chicken thighs of any large pieces of fat.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oils, vinegar, parsley, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, Dijon, and cheese. Reserve 3/4 cup of the dressing/marinade for use later on.
- Place the chicken into a sealable bag or bowl and pour the marinade on top of the chicken. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight. Remove the chicken from the fridge when you’re ready to cook and discard the marinade that touched the raw chicken.
- Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to medium heat and lightly oil the grates. Grill the marinated chicken thighs for 7-8 minutes per side or until nicely charred.
- If the thighs start to burn, move them to a cool side of the grill for indirect cooking. Close the grill, leave the top vent open, and cook until the thighs reach 180°F when checked with a probe thermometer.
- Transfer the grilled chicken thighs to a plate and drizzle with the remaining 3/4 cup of Italian dressing, or save the dressing to use on your favorite salad.
Top tips
- The grill. You can use a charcoal or gas grill for this recipe. If using charcoal, I recommend leaving 1/3 of the grill free of charcoal as a “cool spot” that allows for indirect cooking. If using gas, leave one burner side of the grill off.
- Serving. Grilled chicken thighs are great on their own, but you can also use them to make sandwiches or slice them on top of salads.
More recipes you’ll love
Here are a few more great recipes to make on the grill!
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Grilled Chicken Thighs (Simple Italian Marinade)
Ingredients
Italian Dressing
- 1 cup red wine vinegar
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 3/4 cup neutral oil
- 3/4 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes
- 8 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup minced flat-leaf Italian parsley
Chicken
- 3 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
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Instructions
- Trim the chicken thighs of any large pieces of fat.
- In a large bowl, whisk together all of the Italian dressing ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Reserve and set aside 3/4 cup of the Italian dressing marinade. Pour the remainder into a zip lock bag with the boneless chicken thighs. Refrigerate overnight or a minimum of 4 hours.
- When ready for grilling remove the chicken from the bag and dispose of marinade.
- Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to medium heat. Lightly oil the grates and grill the thighs for 7-8 minutes per side or until nicely charred. Cook until internal temperature of meat reaches 180°F. Note: If the thighs start to burn, move them to the cool side of the grill for indirect cooking. Simply close the grill, leaving the top vent open and cook until the thighs reach 180°F.
- Plate and serve the chicken thighs with a drizzle of the remaining 3/4 cups of Italian dressing. The rest of the dressing can be saved or used for a salad. Enjoy!
Notes
- Type of chicken. You can also use bone-in chicken thighs or chicken breasts or cutlets. Bone-in thighs should be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 180°F and chicken breasts and cutlets 160°F.
- Fat removal. Remove any large pieces of fat from the boneless thighs if present, but do not worry about small bits of fat.
- Type of grill. All grills are different so use the time as a general grilling guideline making sure to cook to an internal temperature of 180°F. It’s a good practice to keep 1/3 of a charcoal kettle grill free of charcoal for indirect cooking or leaving one burner side of the gas grill off.
- Indirect cooking. If the thighs start to burn, move them to the cool side of the grill for indirect cooking. Simply close the grill, leaving the top vent open and cook until the thighs reach 180°F.
- Salt levels. No salt was added due to the salt content of the pecorino cheese. But taste test the marinade after whisking and more salt and pepper if required.
- Italian dressing. 3/4 cup of the remaining dressing can be used for a salad or drizzled on top of the chicken.
- Leftovers. The grilled chicken thighs can be saved in the fridge for up to 3 days and can be reheated in the microwave or oven.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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can u add something healthier then cheese
What happened to the “save” button that used to be on the right side? The heart shaped one?
It’s still there. Feel free to email me with a screen shot of what you’re seeing but it’s definitely still there.
I know this is a silly question.. can I use store bought italian dressing and doctor it up with your other ingredients?
Hi Elyce, you can use storebought if you’d like.
Thanks Tara for your quick response~
We love this marinade. It is also great on pork tenderloin.
I made your recipies at a special occasion. I did these thighs, newyorkdeli cole slaw, cucumber salad, green beans/potatoe/tomatoe salad. THEN for desert I made snickers doodles and peach/blueberry pie. (didn’t have blueberries but threw in a few marionberries). Everyone was stuffed, satiated and I was proud as punch. Thanks Jim n Tara for all your excellent work to being tons of great food to the America’s.
Hi Virginia, we’re so happy to hear you made so many of our recipes! We really appreciate your comment – thank you!
These were amazing! Thighs are my favorite part of the chicken so I’m always looking for new ways to use them. My whole family loved this. Even my little picky eater who I just omitted the extra dressing at the end for.
We’re so happy you and your family enjoyed, Gillian!
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!
I would like to make your recipe for 8 people.
Each person would likely eat 2-3 chicken thighs.
How do I adjust measurements for marinade?
Hi Lori – This recipe makes 8 servings (see the recipe card) so there is nothing to adjust.
Thank you, Tara! Is the perorino absolutely necessary? Is there a substitute? Thanks
You can use Parmigiano Reggiano or domestic parmesan in place of the pecorino.
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.