not a fan of ck thighs change my mind

[Motorboat40]

My wife picked up some chicken thighs for a good price. They are boneless skinless so I was thinking just keep it simple rub and sauce when they are near done . Going to use trader Joe's bbq rub with coffee grounds in it, its pretty good and picked up some dukes hickory moonshine bbq sauce from walmart. Usually like the breast but this is what I'm have to work with so I'll make the best of it. Any tips are appreciated. Also when I cook a whole chicken I get the thigh to 180deg internal. Do I need to do that with these or will the 165 be ok since there is no bones in them?

 

[Fueling Around]

It will be cooked at 165°
Some recommend going to 180°, but I feel that only applies to bone in
I usually take all chicken to the 170's and no problem with over cooked & dry or undercooked at the bone.

I buy my thighs with bone and skin. I usually de-bone, but leave the skin partially attached, but scrape the excess fat. Skin crisps so nice. Learned that trick from @disco

I keep chicken be it thigh, breast, or whole (spatchcock) pretty basic. Sometimes just an avocado oil rub with salt & pepper.

 

[tallbm]

My wife picked up some chicken thighs for a good price. They are boneless skinless so I was thinking just keep it simple rub and sauce when they are near done . Going to use trader Joe's bbq rub with coffee grounds in it, its pretty good and picked up some dukes hickory moonshine bbq sauce from walmart. Usually like the breast but this is what I'm have to work with so I'll make the best of it. Any tips are appreciated. Also when I cook a whole chicken I get the thigh to 180deg internal. Do I need to do that with these or will the 165 be ok since there is no bones in them?

Thighs are my favorite part of the chicken!

Take the the thighs to 180F or maybe even a little higher.
As mentioned they are cooked at 165F but going 180F or a little higher the texture firms up more which is desirable in the dark meat.

Season em up and smoke em. No fuss.

If you like to sauce them, do so like 20 min before u plan to pull them off.
I personally never sauce anything in the smoker and return it but that's a me thing so do whatever you desire for your thing.

By the way, if you have ever had really good chicken stir fry that uses chunks of chicken over the super pale white thin sliced meat, that amazing chicken is all thigh meat :)
Mmmm kung pow chicken!

Let us know how it turns out :)

 

[sawhorseray]

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs? Dip them in a egg wash, then coat with Italian bread crumbs, then pan fry in olive oil until cooked thru. You can also pound them out and fry them up the same way, spoon on some marinara sauce, put on some mozzarella cheese, and then bake them in a 350º oven for 12-15 minutes, chicken parmesan. Marinate in teriyaki and grill over hot coals while basting often making sure to not overcook or they'll dry out. Chicken skin is chicken fat, fat equals flavor. Being skinless, you need to do something to add flavor, like frying in fatty oil, or introducing a marinade. Just my 2¢

 

[gmc2003]

This was done with chicken breasts, but you could substitute thighs(if they are the larger ones).

Chicken Parmesan on the kettle

Well this may be kind of a boring/bland post after seeing so many great meals added to the site this week. But in my quest to eliminate the use of oil to fry foods. I wanted to give this a try and see how it compares. First the fix'ens: parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, onion and gralic...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[SmokinAl]

We love chicken thighs, and as said above they need to be cooked to a higher IT. 180 is where we take them, and they are tender & juicy!
Al

 

[Steve H]

I've done skin on boneless. And skin on with the bone. Same here, take to IT of 180. I think they're the best for fried chicken. Especially with the bone in. I only use boneless skinless thighs for casseroles, rice, and noodle dishes. Never had them on their own.

 

[flatbroke]

We love chicken thighs, and as said above they need to be cooked to a higher IT. 180 is where we take them, and they are tender & juicy!
Al

good to know. Is that preference or food safety requirement?

 

[Steve H]

good to know. Is that preference or food safety requirement?

With bone in I believe it is both.

 

[smokin peachey]

good to know. Is that preference or food safety requirement?

Safe minimum temp for all poultry is 165 ground, bone in and boneless.

Cook to a Safe Minimum Internal Temperature

Follow these guidelines from FoodSafety.gov for safe minimum internal temperatures and rest times for meat, poultry, seafood, and other cooked foods.

www.foodsafety.gov

 

[flatbroke]

With bone in I believe it is both.

thanks. Been doing a lot of thighs lately. Don’t want to get sick

 

[chopsaw]

simple rub and sauce when they are near done

I do thighs a lot . For skinless / boneless , I like the gas grill . Salt and pepper , then dip in sauce . I take thighs ( bone in ) north of 180 . Never temp boneless . I just go by feel .

 

[drunkenmeatfist]

I like to throw boneless thighs in a bag with Mojo Crillo marinade for a few hours. Then I put some fajita seasoning on them and grill them directly over coals until they are cooked through and have some burnt crispy parts. Cut them up and you have some good taco meat.

 

[D.W.]

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs... We buy them all the time, they are always in the freezer, and cook them at least once a week! They are the best and extremely versatile. As Al said, you can take them to 180 IT and they are still tender and juicy, I usually shoot for mid170s. Marinade, rub, or whatever you want. Pasta, sandwich, gyros, nachos, tacos etc. or just plain you can't go wrong.
Pics won't attach right now for some reason.....

 

[jlozo21]

We looooove chicken legs and thighs. "Chicken on the bone" is one of the top answers if you ask my little ones their favorite food! Normally we do whole leg quarters since they are cheapest, but a couple weeks ago we scored a case of boneless skinless thighs for $.99/lb. Smoked up 10 pounds with a couple of different rubs. Took them to about 170 and they were juicy with good texture. Also just threw some on the Weber for a quick and easy meal.

sounds like you'll be all set with the rub and sauce plan. As said above, they are great for stirfry, breading, and taco meat....the best for those options IMO. Let us know how they turn out!

Keep Calm and Smoke On
j

 

[D.W.]

I've done skin on boneless. And skin on with the bone. Same here, take to IT of 180. I think they're the best for fried chicken. Especially with the bone in. I only use boneless skinless thighs for casseroles, rice, and noodle dishes. Never had them on their own.

I'll second that skin on bone in are hands down the best for fried chicken.

 

[JC in GB]

Love cooking with chicken thighs. Try Myron Mixon's cupcake chicken or his chicken done in a broth and butter bath. Not sure what method he calls that one. Both produce fantastic chicken thighs.

JC

 

[zwiller]

We absolutely love drums cured with Pop's low salt and I imagine thighs could work well but have not done them. Honestly, not really into thighs either and more of breast guy but still have not found a smoking method I like. Grilled seem to work better and adding some wood chips can work but a long smoke on the MES seems to overpower the chicken IMO.

 

[SmokinAl]

good to know. Is that preference or food safety requirement?

It is a preference, it is safe at 165. But dark meat needs to go higher to be tender & juicy. Thighs at 165 will be chewy. At 180 they melt in your mouth.
Al

 

[Bearcarver]

IMHO---Those Thighs are way better than Breasts.
I like to make them without breading, in my #360 Air Fryer, and I take them anywhere between 165° and 185°---All Great !!
The last ones I did with some "Kelchner's Pineapple Teriyaki" on them---AWESOME!!!

Bear