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Fried chicken thighs in a frying pan

Pan-Fried Chicken Thighs

A simple, delicious, budget-friendly dish for any occasion! When you need to feed the family something quick and tasty, make these chicken thighs with fried onions. Juicy, golden, and fragrant, they'll be a hit with everyone. You can cook any part of the chicken this way.

Pearl

Recipe author

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Chicken thighs

Onion (large)

Garlic (large)

Salt

Pepper

Fresh herbs

Vegetable oil

Water

Butter (optional)

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 52 % 16 g

Fats 42 % 13 g

Carbohydrates 6 % 2 g

185 kcal

GI: 100 / 0 / 0

Cooking method

Cooking time: 40 min

Step 1:

How do you pan-fry chicken thighs? Gather all the ingredients in the recipe. If your thighs are frozen, thaw them first at room temperature. Singe off any leftover feathers and down, rinse the thighs under cold running water, and pat them dry with paper towels.
Step 2:

I had whole chicken leg quarters, so I separated the drumstick from the thigh. You can cook both parts or just one.
Step 3:

Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet. Add the thighs and fry until golden.
Step 4:

Flip each piece and cook until golden on the other side too.
Step 5:

Add a little water to the skillet, cover with a lid, turn the heat down to medium, and cook the chicken for 30–40 minutes. Lift the lid now and then to check that there's still some liquid and that the meat isn't burning. If there's little or no liquid, add just a splash of boiling water so the thighs braise. The amount of water needed varies a bit — just make sure nothing scorches.
Step 6:

While the chicken cooks, peel the onion and garlic. Slice the onions into thin rings or half-rings, and press the garlic or chop it with a knife.
Step 7:

Once the time is up and the thighs are fully cooked, uncover the pan. If there's a lot of liquid at this point, turn up the heat a little and cook off the excess. Add the butter (optional), onion, and garlic to the thighs. Season with salt to taste and add your favorite spices. Cook until the onion is done.
Step 8:

Sprinkle the finished dish with finely chopped fresh herbs — dill, parsley, green onion, or cilantro all work great.
Step 9:

Done! Serve hot.

Serve the chicken thighs with various sauces or fresh vegetables. Pickles and salads make great sides for the chicken. Enjoy!
You can use turkey or any other meat in place of chicken. Keep in mind, though, that the cooking time and calorie count will change.
Important! The wrong skillet can ruin even the best recipe. For all the details on choosing the perfect pan for different dishes, read here.
Any oil is only good up to a certain point — its smoke point, where it starts to burn and form toxic compounds, including carcinogens. To learn how to gauge frying temperature, which oils are best for frying, and which are better left out entirely, read here.