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Chicken thighs in a pot with stock, herbs, and lemon wedges.

Boiled Chicken Thighs Recipe

Contributor: Christine Pittman

Boiling chicken thighs, whether boneless, bone-in, fresh, or frozen is so easy and can result in delicious chicken if you follow my advice.

  • Author: Christine Pittman
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10-26 minutes
  • Total Time: 0 hours
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Entrée
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 6 chicken thighs (boneless or bone-in, with or without skin, not frozen)*
  • Water or chicken stock
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • Other seasonings, optional

Instructions

  1. Arrange the chicken in a saucepan or skillet that is large enough for them to fit in a single layer. Add enough water or stock so that the chicken pieces have 2 inches of water above them. Sprinkle with the salt and any other seasonings you’d like.
  2. Bring to a boil over high heat. Flip the chicken pieces over. Cover and reduce heat to a low simmer.
  3. Cook until chicken has reached 165°F internally or is no longer pink inside, about 10-12 minutes for boneless chicken thighs and about 15-18 minutes for bone in. Whether or not they have skin does not affect the cooking times.**
  4. Remove chicken from the water and place on a cutting board or plate to rest for 5 minutes before shredding, slicing, or serving.

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Notes

*Cooking Times:
10-12 minutes for boneless chicken thighs
15-18 minutes for bone-in chicken thighs
12-14 minutes for frozen boneless chicken thighs (frozen individually and unrolled)
15-17 minutes for frozen boneless chicken thighs (frozen individually and rolled)
22-26 minutes frozen bone-in chicken thighs (frozen individually)
See post above for advice on thighs that are frozen together.

**If your chicken thighs have skin, it will be rubbery after boiling it. You will want to remove it by simply pulling it off. If the chicken is still hot, use tongs to do this. Alternatively, you can sear the chicken after boiling it. Heat a pan over medium-high heat until very hot. Add cooking oil. Put the chicken in, skin-side-down, and cook until browned, 4-6 minutes.