Kitchen Tips How To You Can Cook That 8 Easy Ways To Make Budget-Friendly Chicken Thighs Get out of your same old chicken thigh recipe rut by making one of these easy dishes. By Vanessa Greaves Vanessa Greaves Vanessa Greaves is a Senior Editor at Allrecipes with nearly two decades of experience helping home cooks gain confidence in the kitchen. A self-taught cook who grew up reading cookbooks for fun, Vanessa lives and breathes the challenges faced by busy everyday cooks to get dinner on the table. Allrecipes' editorial guidelines Published on April 6, 2021 Whether you prefer them bone-in or boneless, skin-on or skinless, chicken thighs are versatile, easy to cook, and less expensive than chicken breasts — and they don't dry out when you cook them the way chicken breasts can. Nicole McLaughlin, aka NicoleMcmom, shows you eight ways to make budget-friendly chicken thighs that are anything but boring. A Complete Guide To Cooking Chicken Thighs 1. Slow cooker While this recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Tinga originally calls for chicken breasts, Nicole likes to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead. Serve it up on crispy tostada shells and top with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. Allrecipes 2. Grill Grilled chicken thighs are so easy to make but can flare up over the flames as the skin cooks. To prevent this, Nicole prefers to remove the skin from bone-in chicken thighs before marinating and grilling. Try this recipe for Rusty Chicken Thighs. Allrecipes 30 Grilled Chicken Thigh Recipes 3. Sheet pan This whole recipe for Sheet Pan Chicken and Veggies with Mustard Vinaigrette can be prepped in minutes and has minimal cleanup afterward. Nicole uses Brussels sprouts, onions, and sweet potatoes for her recipe, but you can use whatever vegetable combination you like. Allrecipes Favorite Chicken Thigh Sheet Pan Dinner Recipes 4. Instant Pot Instant Pot Indian Chicken Curry is another instance where you can use chicken thighs instead of chicken breast to prevent the meat from drying out as it cooks — something that can easily happen in the Instant Pot. Allrecipes How To Cook Chicken Thighs in the Instant Pot 5. Baked Nicole removes the skin from bone-in chicken thighs to make this recipe for Baked Teriyaki Chicken with an easy homemade teriyaki sauce. After the chicken is cooked, she removes the chicken from the baking dish and tosses in some lightly cooked vegetables to coat with the sauce for an easy side dish. Allrecipes Best Bone-In Chicken Thigh Recipes 6. Stir-Fry It takes just a few inexpensive boneless, skinless chicken thighs and some fresh vegetables to make a hearty meal to feed a family. Try this recipe for Chicken Stir-Fry using chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts, and substituting your choice of vegetables. Allrecipes 7. One-pot meal Need an economic meal for a big family? Try this easy comfort food recipe for One-Pot Crispy Chicken and Rice. Allrecipes 9 Delicious Ways To Do Baked Chicken Thighs and Rice 8. Deep-fry Boneless chicken thighs make the perfect serving size for a sandwich, and one of our favorites is this recipe for Nashville Hot Chicken and Waffle Sandwich. Allrecipes Browse All Chicken Thigh Recipes You can connect with Nicole as NicoleMcmom on Allrecipes and on Instagram @nicolemcmom. More tips, tricks, and ideas from Nicole: How To Make Perfect Deviled Eggs How To Use and Care for a Cast Iron Skillet Create Easy One-Pot Meals With This Simple Formula 12 Surprising Ways To Use Your Food Processor Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit