Grilled Chicken Thighs
"Juicy, charred, impossibly flavorful thighs that stay moist even if you get distracted at the grill — the most forgiving cut of chicken you can buy."
The Game Plan
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Whisk together olive oil, garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, onion powder, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. It should look like a rust-colored slurry. That's correct.
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Toss the chicken thighs in the marinade until every piece is well coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 4 hours if you're a planner.
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When ready to cook, pull the chicken out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Cold meat on a hot grill is a recipe for uneven cooking.
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Heat your grill to medium-high. Oil the grates generously with avocado oil — it handles the heat better than olive oil and won't smoke you out of your backyard.
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Place thighs on the grill. Don't crowd them — leave an inch between pieces so they sear instead of steam.
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Grill 5–6 minutes per side until you get good char marks and the internal temperature hits 165°F. Use an instant-read thermometer if you have one.
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Pull the thighs off the grill and let them rest for 5 minutes on a cutting board. Resting is not optional — it lets the juices redistribute so they don't run all over the plate.
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Slice against the grain if serving on plates, or leave whole if people are grabbing and going.
