I may receive a commission if you purchase something mentioned in this post. See more details here.
My husband and I found a huge package of chicken thighs on sale at Cub. Like 9-10 thighs huge. Yes, they are conventional and far from ideal from food quality, but they were a great option for our budget. So we bought it. Because affordable meat!
No matter what your rules are for food sourcing, chicken thighs are a great budget-friendly options. When you purchase bone-in, skin-on, thighs are much cheaper than the coveted boneless, skinless breasts. However, I found it really hard to find a recipe to cook them!
Me wading through the internet: Nightshades, gluten, eggs, boneless chicken thighs? WTF? That’s too much work. Wow that looks awesome, but we don’t have any of those ingredients. It definitely took longer than that last time. My goodness, I just want easy AIP chicken thighs! I just need to be able to cook them!
We had already had an uncooked chicken disaster when we tried to use whole thighs in a soup recipe that called for cut up chunks of chicken. I’m not doing that again.
*sigh* Fine. I’ll figure it out on my own. And thus an easy, AIP chicken thighs recipe is born! No muss, no fuss, just fully-cooked chicken goodness.
Easy AIP Chicken Thighs
A simple chicken thigh recipe for the whole family
Ingredients
- 4 Fully thawed, bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- Salt
- Herbs - see notes
- Coconut oil, bacon fat, lard, or other good fat, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Pat chicken dry with a paper towel. Lay the chicken thighs in the dish, meaty side up. It is okay if they are touching, but do not crowd them too much.
- Sprinkle the salt and herbs over the thighs. Don't worry about exact measurements. Just coat the chicken evenly. If you like heavy seasoning, put a lot on! If you aren't sure, start small and you can add more when it's done.
- Grease the bottom of your pan with the melted fat. Place the chicken in the pan.
- Bake chicken until skin in crispy, juices run clear, and a meat thermometer reads 165 F, about an hour.
- Serve with whatever sides and veggies you want! I enjoyed mine with homemade sauerkraut and broccoli.
Notes
Herbs and spices - These can be whatever you want! Experiment with different herbs and spices to find what you love. A simple blend that we used for this recipe: 1 part onion powder, 1 part garlic powder, 2 parts Italian seasoning, and then a bit a turmeric because, hey, it's anti-inflammatory and doesn't have a strong taste in small amounts. Save any leftover for future meals.
Like what you see? Please support this blog and help me keep it running by signing up for my newsletter, purchasing products, or donating through the links below:
DISCLOSURE: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. The information contained in this post is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only. You assume full responsibility for how you choose to use this information. For more information, click here.
Rachel Ball (@grokgrub) says
This is exactly the type of recipe I like! Plenty of room for experimentation…
How We Flourish says
Glad you think so! It’s my favorite, too.
Susanne Runion says
This looks delicious and so easy. Thanks!
Tina T. says
I love simple recipes like this! Thanks for sharing!
Jennifer Margulis, Ph.D., author of The Business of Baby says
Great recipe. I’m always looking for good ideas on how to cook chicken.
lindaspiker says
I ama chicken thigh lover and this recipe looks delicious!
The Food Hunter says
this is super easy!
Eva@Whole Food Mom on a Budget says
Easy and yummy. My favorite!
Anni says
Simple and delicious. That’s a winner.
How We Flourish says
Glad you think so!
reneekohley says
Sounds delicious – I know AIP can be rough without being able to use all those yummy peppery spices but the herbs you mentioned work just as well!
How We Flourish says
It is, but I have been nightshade free for over a year now, so I’m used to it. Finding a recipe that doesn’t rely on them is the trick!
Eileen @ Phoenix Helix says
I love easy recipes! Thanks for sharing it at the AIP Recipe Roundtable, Chloe.
Mindy says
I know the size of the thighs and the type of oven will vary for every person, but for a ballpark, how long did it take for them to cook for you?
How We Flourish says
It took an hour for me. I’ll add that in.
jcard21 says
What does AIP stand for?
How We Flourish says
Autoimmune Paleo. It is a very strict elimination diet designed to help people with autoimmune and other conditions – no grains, legumes, dairy, nuts, nightshades, eggs. It means that this recipe is extremely allergy friendly.
jcard21 says
Thank you!
anne hoflord says
the recipe has an ingredient you didn’t use – coconut oil, fat, melted……where does that go?
How We Flourish says
Oops! Thanks for letting me know! Add that into the pan before the chicken in order to grease the pan.
Kelly West says
I had tahe same question about what to do with the fat. The recipe above still leaves that part out. Looks delicious-baking it tonight! Thanks.