grilling chicken thighs gas grill indirect heat

Grilling chicken thighs on gas grill indirect heat

Have you ever tried to grill up some moist, evenly cooked chicken on the bone with crispy golden skin, but instead ended up with a burned-on-the-outside and raw-inside, barely recognizable piece of meat? Indirect grilling would have been your solution. Indirect grilling is effective for large cuts of meat (thick steaks, roasts or even entire chickens) that need long, slow heat, or foods (like pizza) that need to be seared, then finished slowly.

  • If cooking with charcoal, heat the coals as usual in the chimney starter. When the coals have a fine, grey ash, pour them into the grill. To set up layers of heat, bank the coals to one side, or lay them heavily on two sides with a light layer of coals (or none at all) in the center, or spread them just around the perimeter.
  • If using a gas grill with multiple burners, turn on the outside two burners and leave the center burner off or on low.

During cooking, the food is seared over high heat, then moved to a cooler spot to finish cooking. A lid is placed over the food to create an oven-like environment. On gas grills, it's fine to use the attached lid, but when using charcoal, disposable aluminum containers are best, as they help avoid a resinous taste.

Grilling vs. BBQ
Barbecue and grilling are two different things.

  • As a verb, 'barbecue' refers to many styles of outdoor cookery. But actual barbecue (as a noun) is a very specific style: it's a slow cooking technique where meat — usually a lot of it — is cooked over coals at a low temperature (somewhere between 212 and 300 degrees F) for a long time. The low temperature makes the meat tender and juicy, and the long hours over burning coals lend a smokiness you just can't get any other way.
  • Barbecue isn't exactly quick, after-work weeknight cooking. It's an event. It's party food: it's bound to attract every neighbor within smelling distance, which is why it's almost always cooked in large volume.
  • Grilling, on the other hand, is fast food in the best possible sense: it's quick cooking over high heat (just enough time to get a good char and an infusion of woodsmoke). You can do it over direct or indirect flame, with the cover on or cover off, but as long as the fire's hot, you're grilling.
  • Grilling's versatile — just about everything tastes better on the grill: vegetables, fruit, even desserts, not just meat, fish and fowl.

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When thinking of how to cook grilled chicken thighs, it does not have to be too complicated. Today we will be discussing Grilled chicken on a charcoal grill.

This recipe is easy to do and will give a crispy outer skin and a tender juicy inside. These Outstanding Chicken thighs do not require any fancy ingredients and are a great way to barbecue for the novice or the expert in barbecue.

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Grilled chicken thighs are perfect for the Novice pitmaster. They are forgiving and easy to do. If you make a mistake and overcook they will still come out great.

Helpful Equipment for Grilling

I have included some of the items I used for grilling these Chicken thighs. They are not required but helpful.

  • Charcoal Grill. I use a Weber Original Kettle for this recipe any chacoal grill will work
  • Cutting Board. A good cutting board makes it nice for trimming and slicing of your Chicken while saving the blade of your knife.
  • Sharp Knife. A good sharp knife is always needed but makes it nice for trimming . I use a SAWKIT Boning Butcher Knife. My only problem with it has been getting it away from my wife so I can use it.:)
  • Meat Themometor. Other than having a cooking method A meat themometor is a must, so you know when you are at the right internal temp of what you are Cooking. I have been using Lavatools Javelin PRO and have been very happy with it.
  • Half sheet and Cooling Rack. I use a Nordic Ware Half Sheet and cooling rack for almost all my grilling.

How Long Do You Cook Grilled Chicken

For this recipe, the Grilled chicken thighs will take roughly 30-40 minutes. We will be using what is known as  Two-Zone Cooking.

We will start the chicken thighs over the indirect heat side of the grill for 20-30 minutes to slowly raise the temperature to 155°-160 °F

Once the chicken reaches 155°-160°F, we will move the chick thighs to the direct heat side of the grill to help crisp the skin and add a little extra char flavor to the chicken thighs. This will take roughly 3 mins per side depending on how much char you prefer.

Then we will move the chicken thighs back to the indirect heat side and add the BBQ sauce and continue to cook for 5-10 minutes until the chicken reaches 170°- 175° F. This also allows the sauce to set.

The main thing to remember is your particular chicken thighs will vary in how long they take to cook. The main thing to remember is you, ALWAYS cook to temperature and not to time, You want to use time as a guide only, internal temp is the main thing when it comes to any form of Barbecue. You will want a good internal meat thermometer to help you gauge the temperature of the meat while it is cooking so you can remove it the second it’s ready.

This is a super easy recipe that will give you great tasting chicken. This will be a brief guide. Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe.

Prepping your chicken

To start off with we will want to trim off any excess fat and pat the chicken as dry as possible. Then we will place the chicken on a cooling rack and place it in the fridge for 3 hours to help dehydrate the skin.

Season Your Chicken

For this recipe use your favorite dry rub. apply a light coat of olive oil and season to your liking with your favorite dry rub

Grilling

With your preferred grill (I used my Weber Kettle Grill for this recipe), and it preheated to around 350° F for two-zone cooking, cook the chicken over indirect heat until the internal temp reaches 160°-165° F.

A little Crispy Skin

Then we will move the chicken to the direct heat side for about 3 mins per side. Up to you on how much char you prefer.

Sauce

Next, we will move back to the indirect heat side and add our favorite BBQ sauce, and let it finish for 5-10 mins.

Time to Remove

Once the temp is between 170°-175°F closer to 175° normally time to remove from the grill. Let rest for 5 mins and serve.

Grilled Chicken Thighs Tips

A few tips to help your chick thighs come out great.

Chicken is safe to eat at an internal temp of 165°F. When it comes to Chicken thighs though I prefer to take them to an internal temp of 170°-175°F. They can handle it and actually seem to be tastier the closer you get them to 175°F.

It is not required but I like to place the chicken thighs on a cooling rack in the refrigerator for 3 hours before grilling. This helps dehydrate the skin and it comes out crispier.

Two-zone cooking is key to getting perfect chicken thighs. It enables you to get to the proper temps without burning your chicken.

Easy Recipe For How To Cook grilled Chicken Thighs

Chicken Thighs are a great way for the novice griller to get started and a staple in many households for their simply outstanding taste.

How To Cook Grilled Chicken Thighs Grilled Chicken On A Charcoal Grill

This is a great easy Grilled chicken thigh recipe that will have grilled chicken on the main menu favorite in your household

Prep Time 3 hrs 10 mins

Cook Time 40 mins

Resting time 5 mins

Total Time 3 hrs 55 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 3 people

Calories 290 kcal

  • Charcoal grill/gas grill

  • 1 lbs Chicken Thighs
  • ⅛ cup Olive Oil
  • 2 tbsp Favorite dry rub I used Super Bird 50/50 salt pepper mix works great too
  • 1 cup favorite BBQ sauce. I used Stubs original BBQ sauce Optional

  • Trim off acess fat and pat Chicken thighs Dry

  • Place on cooling rack and place in fridge for 3 hours

  • After 3 hours remove from the fridge. Apply light coat of olive oil.

  • Apply Favorite dry rub (seasoning) I am using a dry rub called Super Bird for this cook

  • Preheat grill to around 350°F. Set up for 2 zone cooking

  • Place Chicken thighs on inderect heat side for 20-25 mins or until internal temp of 160°F

  • Once Chicken thighs reach 160°F move to direct heat side for 3 mins per side. Or until you get desired char level.

  • Move Chicken thighs back to Indirect heat side and apply (optional) favorite BBQ sauce. For 5-10 mins. I used Stubbs Original BBQ sauce

  • Once Chicken thighs reach an internal temp of 170°-175°F. Remove from Grill

  • Let rest for 5 mins and Serve

If you don’t have a favorite Dry Rub and don’t feel like trying Super Bird. Use a 50/50 Kosher salt and ground Black pepper and maybe throw in a little paprika for color

Keyword How to cook grilled chicken thighs

Do you cook chicken thighs on direct or indirect heat?

For Boneless Chicken Thighs, Direct Heat Is Best While bone-in chicken parts do best over indirect heat, "boneless thighs benefit from a quick cook over direct high heat for 8 to 10 minutes," Perry says.

How long does it take to grill chicken over indirect heat?

Grill the chicken pieces, skin side down first, over indirect medium heat, with the lid closed, until fully cooked, turning once or twice. The breasts and wing pieces will take 30 to 40 minutes and the whole legs will take 40 to 50 minutes.

Can you grill chicken with indirect heat?

Indirect grilling is effective for large cuts of meat (thick steaks, roasts or even entire chickens) that need long, slow heat, or foods (like pizza) that need to be seared, then finished slowly.

How do you grill chicken breast on a gas grill with indirect heat?

Place chicken skin side down on indirect-heat area; close lid on gas grill. Cook 15 minutes. Turn chicken over, close lid on gas grill, and cook another 10 minutes. Move chicken over direct heat and cook, turning once, until skin is well browned and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes.

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