Put together a restaurant-worthy meal right in the comforts of your kitchen with this pan-fried chicken thighs recipe. It offers the enticing essence of a fine-dining dish while barely requiring anything lavish, just pantry staples and simple cooking steps. Keep reading to learn about this captivating main course that will effortlessly elevate your dinners.
Why We Love These Pan-Fried Chicken Thighs
- They’re so simple to make: With a short list of ingredients and straightforward steps, these chicken thighs can be cooked in a breeze. Even better, they only take 35 minutes to make, so you can have a few mouthwatering dishes on the table in no time.
- They taste exquisite: Don’t let the simple ingredients fool you; these pan-fried chicken thighs are actually filled with extraordinary flavors. The tender and succulent meat is infused with savory and garlicky aromas. Coupled with the buttery and creamy pan sauce, each bite is nothing short of heavenly.
- They’re incredibly versatile: Other than serving these chicken thighs as a stunning main course, you can also shred the meat and use it in salads, soups, sandwiches, burritos, tacos, etc. It’s a quick and easy way to make the most of the leftovers while creating other exciting, budget-friendly dishes.
If you’re looking for other pan-fried dishes that are just as amazing as this one, check out our Pan Fried Salmon Recipe and Pan Fried Shrimp Recipe.
Ingredients You Will Need
We kept things as simple as can be so the dish could easily be made on a whim. Here’s everything we used:
- Chicken: We went with bone-in chicken thighs for this recipe to achieve the most flavorful and juiciest result. Go with the skin-on if you want a crispy exterior. You can also use boneless thighs; note that the cooking time will need to be reduced.
- Spices: A blend of paprika and garlic powder may seem simple, but it works wonders in enhancing the meat’s naturally savory taste as well as infusing it with aromatic undertones.
- Heavy cream: This gives the sauce a slightly thick consistency and creamy flavor that pairs marvelously with the chicken’s savory taste.
- Flour: We used all-purpose flour to thicken the sauce’s texture.
- Vegetables: We served the chicken with roasted potatoes and green beans. Feel free to use any other veggies that you prefer.
- Other ingredients: Olive oil and butter (for pan-frying and creating the delectable pan sauce), water, and parsley (for garnishing).
Tips for Cooking
- Don’t Overcrowd the Pan
Make sure you use a pan large enough to fit all the pieces of chicken. They should neatly fit on the pan's surface with a bit of space between them, not stacked on top of one another. This will ensure that everything is cooked evenly.
- Pat the Exterior Dry
Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels before cooking. This will remove any excess moisture that hinders the browning process, giving you chicken thighs with perfectly browned and crispy exteriors.
- Cook the Skin-side First
If you use skin-on chicken thighs, start pan-frying with the skin side down first. Leave them alone for a few minutes, so the fat has time to release and help the meat become more flavorful and juicy. This will also ensure that the skin crisps up nicely and has that irresistible glossy brown hue.
- Let the Meat Rest
Once you’re done, don’t cut into the meat right away. Let it rest on the pan or the plate a little so the juice has time to distribute evenly throughout the insides and ensure the texture is succulent and tender.
FAQs
- Are these Pan-fried Chicken Thighs healthy?
Certainly. Chicken is a well-known and high-quality source of protein, along with other essential nutrients such as heme iron, zinc, choline, and vitamin B12. Other ingredients were also kept within acceptable limits following our nutrition guidelines, resulting in moderate amounts of vital dietary components—around 462 calories, 8.7 g saturated fat, and 608 mg sodium.
- How do you know when chicken is done pan-frying?
The most accurate way is sticking an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. For poultry, the USDA recommends a minimum internal temperature of 165 °F.
If you don’t have a thermometer, you can rely on certain physical indicators. Properly cooked chicken has white meat and clear juices, which you can see upon cutting into the meat. Undercooked meat is usually red or tinted pink, and so is the liquid that runs out.
- What oil is best for pan-frying chicken?
We recommend oils with medium to high smoke points and a relatively neutral taste. Our recipe uses olive oil, but you can also use canola oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, or other vegetable oils.
How to Store and Reheat
You can keep the leftovers in airtight containers in the fridge for 2 or 3 days. When frozen, they can last for up to 3 months. Tightly wrap them in freezer bags and write the dates outside to keep track of the time. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Warm the chicken on the pan over medium-low heat with the lid on. You can also reheat it in the oven at 350 °F for 10 - 15 minutes or in the microwave for 1 - 2 minutes until thoroughly heated.
What to Serve With Pan-Fried Chicken Thighs
This dish already comes with a hefty side of potatoes and green beans, so a simple and light side dish should be more than enough. In true fine dining spirit, a creamy soup like this simple potato soup or tomato basil soup is an excellent choice. If you're in the mood for something fresh, however, then our Greek salad is the one to make.
More Chicken Thighs Recipes
- Air Fryer Chicken Thighs Recipe
- Instant Pot Chicken Thighs Recipe
- Easy Baked Chicken Thighs Recipe
- Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe
How to make Pan Fried Chicken Thighs
Put together a restaurant-worthy meal right in the comforts of your kitchen with this pan-fried chicken thighs recipe. It offers the enticing essence of a fine-dining dish while barely requiring anything lavish, just pantry staples and simple cooking steps.
- cook TIME 30 mins
- prep TIME 5 mins
- total TIME 35 mins
- COURSE Main dish
- CUISINE American
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 462 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 26 oz bone-in chicken thighs
- 24 oz potato (sliced into large cubes)
- 8 oz green bean (ends removed)
- 1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp parsley (chopped)
INSTRUCTIONS
Prep
Slice the potatoes: Peel the skin, then slice the potatoes lengthwise into thick wedges. Gather the wedges, stack them up, and cut them crosswise into medium-sized cubes.
Chop the parsley: Gather the leaves and thinly slice them. Rock the knife over the cut pile a few times until the pieces are finely chopped.
Cook
Season the chicken: Dry rub 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and 3/4 tsp salt onto 26 oz bone-in chicken thighs until fully covered.
Roast the potatoes: Preheat the oven to 425 °F. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spread out 24 oz potatoes and bake in the middle rack of the oven for 20 - 25 minutes.
Pan-fry the chicken thighs: In a pan over medium heat, add 2 tbsp olive oil and wait for it to heat up (but not smoking). Then, add the seasoned chicken thighs and cook the chicken for around 5 - 7 minutes on each side.
Make the pan sauce: Remove the chicken thighs from the pan but leave the dark yellow pan sauce; add 2 tbsp unsalted butter and wait for it to melt.
Add other ingredients: Then, add 1/2 cup water, 1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour, and 3 tbsp heavy cream and stir until the texture slightly thickens and the color turns pale yellow.
Roast the green beans: On the same baking sheet that roasted the potatoes, add 8 oz green beans and put them back in the oven. Roast at 425 °F for 10 minutes.
Garnish and serve: Transfer the pan-fried chicken thighs onto serving plates along with the roasted potatoes and green beans. Add some pan sauce in the corner, garnish with 2 tbsp parsley, and serve hot.
NUTRITION
Luna Regina
Writer, Author