Cast Iron Chicken Thighs Recipe

Paleo | Whole30 | Meats

This cast iron chicken thighs recipe is one of our absolute favorites because boneless, skinless chicken thighs are just so versatile.  I always have a package in my fridge, and when I find a good sale, I stock up the freezer too.  Personally, I think thighs are so much more flavorful and tend to be less dry than boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  It’s an added bonus that they’re usually less expensive too.  This chicken thigh recipe takes minimal prep work and once it goes in the oven, you can multitask and make your veggies and side dishes which means you can put together a complete, nourishing meal in less than an hour.

The beautiful thing about boneless, skinless thighs is that you don’t have to do any cleaning or trimming.  Just season those bad boys up and you’re good to go.  For this chicken thigh recipe I like to liberally season them with salt, sweet paprika, and onion powder.  This is one of the rare instances where I actually just eyeball the seasonings based on the size of the pieces of chicken, but I’d say that typically between seasoning both sides I use about 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of sweet paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon of onion powder.

I must admit, we purchased this cast iron skillet right after we got married, but it took me quite a while to realize how magical cooking in cast iron really is.  Nowadays, this skillet gets used so often that it’s almost always sitting on our stovetop. I really do think that part of the great flavor and secret of this chicken thigh recipe comes from the cast iron, so although you could technically make this dish in any oven safe skillet, I really would recommend you get a cast iron skillet, you won’t regret it!

This chicken thighs recipe pairs really well with our sautéed greens and roasted paprika potatoes (recipes coming soon).  If I’m doing a really quick side dish, sometimes while the chicken is in the oven I put together my breakfast and lunch for the following day to maximize my time in the kitchen.

Cast Iron Chicken Thighs Recipe

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Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 35-40 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
Sweet paprika (1/2 teaspoon-ish)
Onion powder (1/4 teaspoon-ish)
Salt (1 teaspoon-ish)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Heat a large cast iron skillet to medium high.

Place thighs on cutting board, “skin” side down, and liberally season with paprika, salt, and onion powder. 

Once the skillet is hot, place the chicken thighs into the pan, spiced sides down.  Cook for 6 minutes.  Meanwhile, season the second side of the thighs with paprika, salt, and onion powder.

After 6 minutes, turn them over and cook for an additional 6 minutes.  Remove the pan from the stove top, place in the oven, and continue to cook  for 20-25 minutes or until the meat registers 170 degrees with a meat thermometer. 

Serve with your favorite veggies.






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