Sweet and Spicy Boneless Chicken Thighs
These Sweet and Spicy boneless Chicken thighs are incredibly delicious and made on the stovetop. The dry spice rub is sweet-spicy and is a blend of brown sugar and other spices. This easy 15-minute recipe qualifies as a perfect midweek dinner.
Julie Downes says:
Without a doubt this is one I will make again and again. It was easy and the flavors were surprisingly wonderfully incorporated. Delicious!
This post has been updated with latest photos and improved recipe on 26th April’24.
Coated with an incredible sweet and spicy dry rub, these boneless, skinless chicken thighs taste delicious. The dry rub for the chicken is really simple and quick to make. A bit of butter and rosemary at the end only makes the sauce taste like a million bucks.
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This is one of my top chicken thigh recipes for good reasons
The chicken turns out crispy on the outside and has a juicy center. Another great thing about this recipe is the sauce. It has plenty of sauce to drizzle, not to mention all the brown caramelized bits in it, and the sauce keeps the thighs moist for a long time. Seeing the golden crust, what would surprise you is that these are made on the stovetop in less than 15 minutes on the stovetop.
To add to the convenience, the rub has regular pantry staples. For days when you don’t have your dinner planned or you are short on time, recipes like these come to the rescue.
Crispy skin-on chicken thighs are BAE. But crisping the skin on the skillet and then finishing it in the oven takes time. So I prefer to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs to speed up the cooking. And it is possible to get a golden, crispy crust on the stovetop.
Epic Sweet and Spicy Dry Rub
This spicy rub is everything in this recipe. It is a blend of Brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, chilli powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. The sweet and spiciness is well balanced.
Brown sugar doesn’t make the seasoning very sweet. Rather, it brings together all the flavors. Smoked paprika gives off a smokiness that is so delicious.
The best thing about this seasoning mix is that you can make a big batch and keep it in an airtight container. It comes in handy.
Ingredients
Along with the above-mentioned ingredients to make the dry rub, you will also need the following:
- Chicken thighs: I prefer skinless, boneless chicken thighs, which are ideal for this recipe and cook perfectly while the sauce is thickens.
- Butter and Oil: Oil to sear the chicken. Just a dollop of butter at the end for a delicious rich sauce.
- Garlic and onion powder
- Brown sugar: Brown sugar over white because the caramilzed flavor is more pronounced here. You could also use honey or maple syrup instead.
- Smoked paprika- you could use regular paprika too.
- Chilli powder- To balance the brown sugar. You could adjust the quantity as per your taste.
- Chicken stock: Gives a body to the sauces. It is optional if you don’t want too much sauce.
- Rosemary: Rosemary as a herb pairs well with both sweet and savory flavors.
- Garlic: I have used cloves of garlic sliced, which, when cooked along with the stock, infuses it with its flavor.
How to cook chicken thighs with dry rub
The entire process just takes 15 minutes and is very easy to follow.
- Prep – First thing to do is to make the dry rub ready. In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients required to make the dry rub seasoning. Next, pat the chicken pieces dry with a kitchen towel. Sprinkle the dry seasoning on all sides and gently rub them over.
- Sear the chicken – On a hot cast-iron or heavy bottom skillet, add oil. Place the seasoned chicken thigh pieces with their flat side down. Cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes. The top surface should have a golden crust now.
- Flip the thighs. Add sliced garlic and butter in the gaps.
- Cook the sauce – Now, pour in the stock along with rosemary. Scrap the bottom of the pan to free those scraps stuck to the bottom. They have flavor and we want that in the sauce. Cover with a lid and cook on high heat for 2 minutes.
- Reduce the sauce – If there is too much liquid, simmer and let it cook until the sauce has thickened a bit.
Serve and enjoy!
Cooking Tips
It is a good thing that cooking with chicken thighs is very forgiving. Unlike Chicken breasts, thighs don’t get rubbery and dry if cooked for a little longer.
To get the best out of skinless boneless chicken thighs, cook it right.
- A mix of butter and oil works always better. Butter gives richness to the sauce and oil prevents the butter from burning.
- Do not overcrowd the pan with too many thigh pieces. The chicken pieces will steam instead of getting a sear. If you have a small pan, sear the pieces in batches.
- I love garlic and always go a little overboard with it. It adds more flavor to the pan sauce. To prevent garlic from burning, add it after you seared the chicken thigh on one side and flip it.
- Chicken and rosemary is a fantastic combination. It gives a freshness to the dish. You can substitute it with thyme or parsley if you prefer.
Frequently Asked Questions
For a crispy crust, sear seasoned chicken thighs in butter for about 2-3 minutes. Press with the back of the spatula, so that the boneless chicken thighs are almost flat on the skillet.
This ensures the chicken is seared evenly. Then lower the heat and cook slowly for another couple of minutes for the chicken to cook through.
Chicken breast is the widely preferred cut. It is leaner and comparatively inexpensive. Yes, we can use chicken breast instead.
Cut chicken breast lengthwise to get a thinner uniform fillet and also adjust the cooking time accordingly.
For thicker cuts of chicken breast, you will have to pound them to form a softer and thinner slice.
Also, reduce the amount of chicken stock as the breast pieces cook much faster than the sauce can reduce to your desired consistency.
Note that bone-in chicken requires more time to cook and by that time there is a chance for the sauce to burn. If using bone-in chicken thighs, then after adding stock, finish it off in the oven until the thighs are cooked through. Also add 1/2 cup of chicken stock instead of 1/4th.
Serve With
These sweet and spicy chicken thighs are very versatile and go with a variety of sides.
- Mashed potatoes: Creamy mashed potatoes are the perfect side to soak up the sauce.
- Rice, or quinoa: Serve the chicken thighs and flavorful sauce over a bed of fluffy white, brown rice, jasmine rice or mushroom rice, or even quinoa for a satisfying meal.
- Roasted vegetables: Add a pop of color and a healthy touch with a side of roasted vegetables, such as Airfryer Roasted Broccoli, Oven Roasted Carrots With Parmesan, or Brussels sprouts.
- Green salad – Cucumber Strawberry Salad, Italian Chopped Salad, Pesto Pasta Salad, or Creamy Broccoli Salad are some refreshing salads to compliment the saucy chicken dish.
Store
You may store the cooked chicken thighs as it is in either the refrigerator or freeze them. Always use an air-tight container or zip-lock to store them.
Reheating
While taking them out from the refrigerator, just warm them in the microwave or on a pan for 5 minutes.
If you have frozen them, then let them thaw on the refrigerator. Microwave or heat it on a pan.
More Chicken Thigh Recipes
Have a look at some of the awesome dishes that you can make with chicken thighs –
- Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs – A sweet, sticky, and savory honey garlic sauce with seared thighs.
- Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Thighs – Tender, fall-off-the-bone chicken thighs slow-cooked to perfection, topped with a flavorful creamy sundried tomato sauce.
- Garlic Butter Chicken Thighs – Deliciously juicy boneless skinless chicken thighs in a buttery garlic sauce – a quick and easy stovetop dinner ready in 30 minutes.
- Oven-Baked Creamy Chicken Thighs – Try our oven-baked Crispy Parmesan Chicken Thighs recipe, featuring perfectly seasoned juicy chicken with crispy skin, making it an ideal choice for a quick and satisfying weeknight family dinner.
- Chicken Paprikash – Discover the authentic flavors of Chicken Paprikash, a comforting Hungarian stew featuring tender chicken pieces braised in a creamy and flavorful paprika sauce.
- Peri Peri Chicken Thighs– Bone in chicken thighs marinated in a spicy zesty homemade peri peri sauce. and baked until juicy and perfectly caramelized skin.
Sweet & Spicy Boneless Chicken Thighs Recipe
Ingredients
- 6-7 Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
- 1 tablespoon Butter
- 2 tablespoon Oil
- 2 Garlic Cloves sliced
- ¼ cup Chicken Stock
- 2-3 sprigs Fresh Rosemary
For Spice Rub
- ¼ cup Light Brown Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- ½ teaspoon Chili Powder (ref note 3)
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
Preparation
- In a bowl mix all dry ingredients mentioned under spice rub.
- Pat dry Chicken thighs with a kitchen towel.
- Sprinkle the dry seasoning mix generously on both sides.
Sear the chicken thighs
- Heat a heavy cast iron skillet. Add oil.
- One oil is hot, place the seasoned chicken thighs skin side down.Cook on medium-high heat for about 3-4 minutes, until it is crispy and golden.
- Flip chicken thighs. In between the gal add sliced garlic. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes.
Make sauce
- Slowly pour 1/4 cup stock to the side of the pan. Add rosemary sprig. Scrap the bottom of the pan to release any brown caramelized bits. Add butter to the pan.
- Cover the pan with a lid and cook on medium heat for another 5 minutes for the sauce to thicken and chicken to be cooked.
Serve
- Serve along with rice, mashed potatoes, or roasted veggies with the sauce drizzled on top.
Video
Notes
- Don’t overcrowd the pan, or else the chicken will not crisp up and will start to steam instead. If the pan is small, sear it in 2 batches. Then add all the chicken back to the pan and add stock and rosemary.
- Substitute Chili powder with paprika or adjust the quantity of chili powder as per taste.
Hi there! This may be a silly question, but do you leave the garlic cloves whole, or chop them up? I feel they should be chopped or minced …
Thank you! Very excited to make this!!
You can chop the garlic, not mince I would suggest.
I use smashed garlic for this type of recipe. Place the broad side of a knife on top of the garlic clove and smash down. The peel will fall right off and the clove will split open and you just drop it in the pan. At the end you can easily pull the pieces out.
What if you dont have a cast iron skillet?
You can use a regular skillet. Cast iron gives a better caramelization and a crispy exterior sooner.
Fantastic!
Thank you 🙂
I’m putting together a food truck and looking for quick and easy stuff to add to the menu this looks great over rice.
Lovely, easy recipe with a great flavor payoff! I added chopped garlic a little later, once I flipped the chicken, as garlic can be bitter if overcooked. Removed the chicken at the end and boiled the sauce a bit to reduce it, and not overcook the chicken. One pan, fast, flavorful, looks very pretty on a platter with the sauce drizzled over the pieces. A very good mid-week dinner recipe.
Can this be made in the oven? If so, what would the temperature and cook time be?
A coworker steered me to this recipe and I’m now forever grateful! Definitely a keeper. Easy and delicious.
Just enjoyed this flavorful dish. Will definitely make again!
I used skin on, bone in, thighs. Tucked the spices under the skin, finished in the oven. Be sure to taste the spice mixture, then adjust to your liking. Most paprika, smoked out not, is not spicy. Same for chili powder. But hey, it’s cooking. It’s an art, not a science. Have fun with it.
We made this tonight and it was delicious and quick! Thanks!!
Love this recipe! Fast and delicious! Thank you for sharing, always looking for good chicken recipes, this is definitely a keeper!
This recipe was a winner with the kids. It was delicious. I’ll definitely make it again. Thank you for this recipe
Yay! Thanks for letting me know Sagrario. Recipes shared here are always ones that my family enjoys including my six-year-old daughter.
Absolutely delicious chicken dish, thank you for sharing it.
This was a very easy recipe. Whole family loved it. Prep time was more than two min though, cutting fat of thighs, cutting garlic….And I would all a little more time to getting the source thick. Also, I didn’t have smoked paprika, just used paprika so not very spicy. Delicious though!
Yay!! So happy to know your feedback on this.
Used chicken breast and were bigger so ended up having to throw in the oven and bake smells good though will be eating soon thanks for the great recipe
Hi, can i put the chicken in the oven cover up, whit foil whit the rosemary? Thanks
Yes!! You can finish it off in the oven.
Can I use bone in chicken thighs?
Sure, Meredith. Adjust the cooking time to 10 more minutes as bone-in pieces need a little more time to cook and bring out their flavours.
This is delicious! Perfect balance of sweet and spicy!
Thank you!
When I made this and added the stock it seemed to wash off the lovely coating on the chicken
You can slowly pour the stock on the sides. When the stock reduces and thickens it beautifully coats the chicken, so don’t worry 🙂
Same here…I wish I had not added the broth. I removed the thighs and let the sauce caramelize and pored Over the chicken.
My boyfriend and I (oh and our dog) absolutely loved this recipe! Very easy and super-duper flavorful. Will def be making again, and again, and again!
It is feedback like this that makes all this effort worthwhile. Chuffed to know all of you loved this. Thanks, Amanda.
^ to Amanda: if you use garlic in the recipe, please don’t let your dog eat this! Garlic is poisonous to dogs.
Depends on what you feed your dog
I feed mine raw food and give her 3 garlic supplements daily! Recommend dad by my breeder . Springtime has the caplets . Check it out
My husband and I loved this recipe! Will definitely make again soon!
Delighted to know both of you loved it. Thanks, Cydney.