10 chicken thigh recipes for tender, juicy and forgiving mains

Arroz con Pollo. (Stacy Zarin Goldberg for The Washington Post/food styling by Bonnie Benwick/The Washington Post)

I love chicken thighs. They’re affordable, flavorful and extremely forgiving. Oh, and let’s not forget versatile. Below, I’ve gathered 10 recipes from our archives that are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what this cut can do. Want more ideas? Head to our Recipe Finder to search for more dishes starring chicken thighs.

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Baked Chicken Thighs With Butter and Onions

Requiring only 10 minutes of prep time, these baked chicken thighs are a lifesaver for busy weeknights. It’s great served with rice to sop up the delightful mix of butter, onions and chicken drippings created in the roasting pan. Get the recipe.

Akoho Misy Sakamalao

“Chicken thighs are rubbed with salt, garlic and ginger and then cooked in hot coconut oil in a cast-iron skillet until nicely browned,” recipe editor Ann Maloney wrote of this dish from “In Bibi’s Kitchen” by Hawa Hassan with co-author Julia Turshen. “That’s it.” Could it get any easier? Get the recipe.

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Chicken Quintiliano

This is “a saucy, one-pan dish that’s slightly sweet with caramelized garlic and deeply tangy from balsamic and red wine vinegars,” staff writer Daniela Galarza shared of this dish from “Colu Cooks: Easy Fancy Food” by Colu Henry. Get the recipe.

Sheet Pan Maple-Mustard Chicken Thighs and Red Cabbage

This simple sheet pan supper from Nourish columnist Ellie Krieger features bone-in chicken thighs slathered with a sweet-and-tangy mix of grainy mustard and maple syrup roasted on a bed of cabbage. Get the recipe.

There’s a wide world of mustard out there. Here’s a spicy taste.

Masala Chicken

This recipe from “Chetna’s 30 Minute Indian” by Chetna Makan features boneless, skinless chicken thighs tossed in toasted chickpea flour, spices and yogurt and “then pan-fried in just a bit of oil until a golden, crunchy crust forms on the outside,” Maloney wrote. Get the recipe.

Chipotle Mayo Brick Chicken

Chicken thighs are slathered with a chipotle-lime mayo before getting cooked under a brick (or other heavy object) until the skin is “unabashedly crisp” in the recipe from cookbook author Ali Slagle. Get the recipe.

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Wine-Braised Chicken With Mushrooms

This braised chicken recipe from staff writer Becky Krystal is an adaptation of a family favorite. “It’s light enough to enjoy even on a warm day but hearty enough to please in cool weather, too,” she wrote. Get the recipe.

Cuban-Style Chicken and Rice (Arroz con Pollo)

This version of arroz con pollo is a comforting one-pot meal that’s full of flavor. A pinch of saffron threads adds a lovely yellow hue to the rice that gets cooked with rendered chicken fat, stock, beer and tomato sauce (among other things). Get the recipe.

Instant Pot arroz con pollo reconnects me to my Puerto Rican roots

Chicken With Apricots and Pistachios

“In her cookbook, ‘Claudia Roden’s Mediterranean,’ the author writes that meat and fruit dishes are ‘a legacy of ancient Persia that spread through the Arab world,’” food writer Mayukh Sen stated. This dish is based on the translation of a 13th-century Arab culinary manual. “The chicken fat renders as the chicken cooks, creating a rich onion-and-apricot flavored sauce.” Get the recipe.

Red Wine-Braised Chicken Thighs With Root Vegetables

“Braised with chicken thighs and pearl onions (another root wonder) in a red wine, garlic and thyme-infused broth, then finished with a bright splash of vinegar, those humble [root] vegetables shine in this rustically elegant meal,” Krieger wrote. Get the recipe.

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