Herbalicious Thai Chicken Thighs

Say that three times fast. Herbalicious Thai Chicken Thighs…. I know I say this a lot – but this is one of my favorite recipes and meals. And, this is a recipe that you put together / chop / prepare the night before, and put in the fridge to marinade overnight. Then ask your grill man (or woman) to grill it up for you. It’s great for a party or a BBQ or a regular family dinner.

The flavors are fresh and robust – having a TON of Basil (YUMMO) and Cilantro (OH YEAH!) and my mouth is watering after chopping the veg (Garlic, Spicy Chile, Ginger) and mixing the soy and fish sauce… It’s a HUGE explosion of flavors.

I will say in advance – ask your grill person to get these thighs a bit more on the well done side / crispier than normal. Not exactly sure why – but I really prefer these thighs to be more well done side… Take that for what it’s worth.

Why chicken thighs and not breasts ?

I literally just had this conversation with someone this past weekend and they said – “no one eats thighs”. Hmmmm… I knew that someone eats thighs (Me!) and I figured that I wasn’t alone and so I did some research. It’s coming in handy here – since these are … Herbalicious Thai Chicken Thighs…. 😀 So let’s get into it…

Why would you use Chicken Thighs:

• Flavor: Thighs have a richer, more savory flavor due to their higher fat content and darker meat.
• Juiciness: The fat in thighs helps keep them moist and juicy during grilling, making them less prone to drying out — having a wider margin for error.
• Texture: Thighs have a slightly firmer texture compared to breasts.
• Cost: Thighs are typically less expensive than breasts.
• Cooking Time: Thighs generally require a slightly shorter cooking time than breasts due to their higher fat content / thinner meat composition.

Why would you use Chicken Breasts:

• Flavor: Breasts have a milder flavor and are leaner than thighs.
• Juiciness: Breasts can dry out more easily on the grill if overcooked – having a slim margin for error on the grill.
• Texture: Breasts have a more tender texture compared to thighs.
• Cost: Breasts tend to be more expensive than thighs.
• Cooking Time: Breasts generally cook slower than thighs – because they are lean and typically thicker than thighs.

One additional important item that I have to add is that because we are grilling the thighs, I do not have to spend an inordinate amount of time cleaning up / removing the fat from the thighs, which was one of my original complaints about cooking thighs. Dave, my ultimate grill man, gets all the fat to basically melt off while cooking.

Summary : Chicken thighs are yummier, cheaper and easier to grill than chicken breasts – leaving juicy meat and significantly less fat on the chicken (than what you started with).

What does a marinade do for Chicken?

Marinating chicken overnight enhances the flavor and tenderness of the meat. The acid in the marinade helps break down the proteins, resulting in a more tender texture. The longer marinating time also allows the flavors to penetrate deeper into the meat.

What to serve with these thighs ?

My friend Jody makes the BOMB coconut rice. I looked back in my texts from her and she said :

• 3C Jasmine rice rinsed till water runs clear.
• 1 can full fat coconut milk + enough water to get 3C.
• 1 Tbl Coconut oil
• 1 Tsp Salt
• Pressure cooker : Manual Low Pressure 12 min. Natural release.

So as usual… I didn’t follow the ‘recipe’ and I added 2 C brown rice to my Rice Cooker and added the liquid as directed by the bag of rice (2.5C) -instead using Full Fat Coconut Milk + a bit of water. It worked out – it was delicious ! I also added some green onion and wha-la !

You can also add a green or vegetable of some sort – maybe steamed asparagus or EVOO roasted green beans with slivered almonds?

Thai Chicken Thighs

This recipe includes a TON of chopped Basil and Cilantro – mixed in with a serrano chile, some fish sauce, brown sugar and soy – providing the Thai flavoring for the chicken thighs. Be prepared to marinade the chicken overnight – ensuring the chicken has time to absorb the flavors.

No ratings yet

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Marindate 1 day d

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian

Servings 4 People

Calories 575 kcal

Ingredients

  

0.5x1x2x3x

• 12 Chicken Thighs – We prefer boneless / skinless, but sometimes cook skinless with bones…

Marinade Ingredients

• 2/3 C Cilantro – Chopped
• 2/3 C Basil – Chopped — Ideally Thai Basil if you can find it
• 2 Tbl Garlic – Minced
• 2 Tbl Ginger – Minced
• 2 Tbl Serrano Pepper – Minced
• 3 Tbl Soy Sauce
• 3 Tbl Olive Oil – EVOO
• 3 Tbl Fish Sauce
• 3 Tbl Brown Sugar – Packed

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

 

• Get out your refrigerated / pantry ingredients.
  
• Clean and organize your fresh ingredients.
  
• Chop your basil and your cilantro. See notes.
• Smash and remove skins from garlic. Chop finely.
• Peel and grate your ginger. See notes.
• Wash and chop the serrano fairly finely.
  
• Measure and add remaining ingredients to your marinade container. You can use a bowl, a marinade container (Tupperware for the win!) or a zip lock bag…
  
• Stir up the marinade ingredients.
  
• Add the chicken / Smoosh up the chicken / flip around your marinade container and ensure the chicken is well mixed. Place in the fridge. Occasionally flip or smoosh up the chicken ensuring the marinade is flowing around and getting into all the folds of the chicken. Marinade ~24 hours.
  
• Grill the chicken after 24 hours: Dave likes to grill marinaded meat on the big green egg. This allows the marinade to more easily burn off because it drips onto the charcoal. If you don't have a charcoal grill or a big green egg – grill on the indirect portion of your gas / propane grill.
  
• All grills : Medium High heat. Somewhere between 8-10 minutes total time. (All grills / temps are different). Get a meat thermometer and target 140 – 150 degrees. After you take the chicken off the grill it will continue to cook a bit – especially if you tent it for a few minutes with tin foil.

  On the egg / charcoal – Dave would start on direct heat for about 1.5 min per side (get me some crispy bits) and then move the chicken to indirect for the next 5-7 minutes.

  For propane / gas grill cook indirect – use your thermometer and target the proper internal temp – it will probably take a little longer as it's indirect heat the whole cooking time.

  See NOTE on cooking temperature.
  

Notes

When you buy a bunch of cilantro – you can chop off the top portion that includes all the leaves – and exclude the portion of the stem that does not include many leaves.  I typically cut just above the twisty tie / rubber band / binder and then toss the bottom 1/3.  Do not worry about the fine stems that are included in the top 2/3 of the cilantro that you use. 

True Story:  I used to sit and pick off the cilantro leaves off each and every stem.  That took me two weeks and 4 days to get enough cilantro for this recipe.  <joke>  I went to a cooking class – my old neighbor in Chicago was a professional chef – and he said just chop up the delicate stems on the top – especially if you are making a marinade or a chimichurri.  Don’t use the thicker stems… 

For the basil all my stems were very thick – so I removed them and just used the leaves. 

For the Ginger:  I like to buy the biggest ‘stem’ I can see.  I chop off the ‘arms’ or bumps – as I’ve found ginger to be cheap and messing with those arms or stems, if small are not worth my time.  I use a spoon to pull off the skin from the ginger.  Then I essentially have one large piece that I grate over a hand held zester.

For the Serrano:  Careful with the heat.  I did two Serranos for 8 thighs and every other bite was SPICY.  I like Spicy.  These are Thai Chicken Thighs.  Careful if you are feeding heat sensitive people or children… You could sub a Jalapeño and/or remove some of the ribs and seeds for less spice.  

This chicken is awesome.  I said 12 thighs serves 4 people… Consider who you are serving and how much they might eat and use the multiplier buttons on the recipe to get where you need to be… 

The USDA suggests that chicken ought to be cooked to 165 degrees internal temp.  Sometimes people find chicken to be overcooked, or in general, tough.  If you cook chicken to 140 / 150 degrees you may find the chicken to be juicier and more tender.  Please be safe when cooking chicken for your friends and family.  

Last note:  In the pics I only had 8 thighs…That’s all I made based on package sizes at my grocery. I had to do math and adjust the measurements, as it was 2/3 of a full recipe. 

This recipe was adapted from a Food.com recipe (Thai Chicken Thighs) that was adapted from an Epicurious recipe… (that was probably adapted from a different recipe…. ha) 

Nutrition

Calories: 575kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 68gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 322mgSodium: 1579mgPotassium: 1025mgFiber: 1gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 544IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 72mgIron: 3mg

Keyword Basil, Brown Sugar, Chicken, Chicken Thighs, Cilantro, Fish Sauce, Garlic, Ginger, Soy Sauce

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!