Go Back Email Link
Seared perfectly, these Grilled Boneless Chicken Thighs are tender and flavorful. Our chicken marinade brings the right balance of sweet and savory in every bite. The marinade is easy to make and best of all you can have the thighs marinate overnight to just a few hours before grilling. I bet you have the brown sugar and soy sauce in the house right now. Let's get grilling.

Grilled Boneless Chicken Thighs

Karina
Yup! I can BBQ too. But I have Sean load up the charcoal while I do the marinade, teamwork all the way. You are going to love these BBQed Chicken Thighs. Prep them the day before for even more Sweet & Savory Flavors.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Marinade 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 18 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, BBQ
Servings 4 People

Ingredients
  

  • ⅓ cup light brown sugar (packed)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon celery seed (I have learned that the celery seed allows all the flavors to combine.)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ¼ cup olive oil (or vegetable oil)
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard (You can use any mustard you prefer. We have found that the Dijon has a bit higher vinegar content for the marinating and we like the flavor.)
  • 3 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs (Sean trims them up, so we don’t get any flare-ups.)

Instructions
 

Marinade

  • Add light brown sugar, garlic powder, celery seed, salt, and ground pepper in a reusable bag or zip-top bag. Close the bag and mix the spices.
    Optional: Mix the spices then add the wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl, if you prefer.
  • Add the olive oil, soy sauce, and Dijon mustard to the spice mixture and combine to form the chicken marinade.
  • Unpack the chicken thighs and trim off any extra fat and small pieces. This will help prevent flare-ups.
  • Place each piece into your marinade and coat them.
    NOTE: Keep a hand securely on the closure. You don’t want to lose all that marinade and chicken on the floor or counter. With your free hand massage the thighs to aid the marinating.
    If you did the bowl method, just use a fork to coat the thighs. To increase the marinade’s flavor poke some holes in the chicken.
  • Ensure the bag is closed and put it in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight.
    Bowl option, cover with plastic wrap.

BBQ or Hibachi grill time

  • Clean the grill grate and coat it with olive oil (or vegetable oil).
  • Preheat the BBQ to 400 degrees F.
  • Bring the thighs right out of the fridge to the BBQ once the temperature is at 400 degrees F. and stable.
  • Place the thighs on the grill.
  • This is a fast cook for just 3 minutes on each side before you close the lid to get the internal temperature of the thighs to 175 degrees F.
    NOTE: If you have thicker thighs you may need a minute or two more to get the desired crispiness.
  • Close the lid and cook for an additional 2-5 minutes depending on the thickness or until the internal temperature has reached 175 degrees F. It’s ok to peek.
    NOTE: The chicken thighs we had were on the small side. So if you luck out with larger ones this part of the cook will be on the longer side of the time range.
  • Remove from the BBQ.
  • Rest for about 5 minutes.
  • Now it is time to Enjoy your BBQ Chicken Thighs!
Keyword BBQ, Boneless, Chicken marinade, Chicken Thighs, Grilling, Hibachi, homemade, Skinless
QR Code linking back to recipe