Easy recipe guide with step by step photos on how long to boil chicken thighs so they are delicious, including boneless and frozen chicken thighs and how to make them soft for shredding.
Boiled chicken thighs are a great way to have a healthy weekday dinner or meal prep. It is super easy, just place the chicken and seasonings into a stockpot and wait.
It is also a great way to make soft chicken if you have a baby or for next day sandwiches.
We actually don't boil the chicken the whole time, but first boil and then simmer so the chicken thighs become flavorsome and soft. So you actually get some shredded chicken.
Why we love it:
- easy way to make lots of chicken for meal planning
- great for baby, toddler and kids because it is so soft
- great for baby-led weaning as you can make it without salt
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Ingredients
- Chicken thighs - you can use either boneless chicken thighs or bone in chicken thighs
- Salt
- Onion - peel and halve an onion for flavor
- Optional - you can add carrots, celery, thyme, kale leaf, parsnip or anything else you feel like you want. I actually prefer to boil chicken thighs or chicken halves with soup vegetables and then we have clear chicken soup and chicken thighs for shredding.
Step-by-step instructions
- Place the chicken thighs in a large stockpot and cover with water so the water is a few inches above the chicken. Add the seasonings - salt and onion and anything else you want and bring to a boil.
- Boil for about 5 minutes and then turn the heat down to medium low, cover the pot and simmer for about 40-50 minutes.
- The chicken is cooked when it has an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Optional oven bake or sear - you can now use a silicone brush and season then with some olive oil, salt, ground red pepper mixture or bbq sauce and place them on the grill, broil or fry for about 3-5 minutes.
How long to boil chicken thighs?
- boiling boneless chicken thighs - it will take about 15 minutes for 2lb (1kg) of chicken thighs. You can always simmer for longer and you will get tender chicken for shredding.
- how long to boil bone in chicken thighs - it will take about 20 minutes for 2lb (1kg). As with boneless you can simmer for longer and have tender thighs to shred.
- how long to boil frozen chicken thighs - add about 10-15 minutes of additional time - so about 30 minutes for frozen boneless chicken thighs and 35 minutes for frozen bone in chicken thighs.
- boiling chicken thighs for soup - this could take only an hour but to have flavorful clear chicken soup you want it to simmer as long as possible. I find that about 2-3 hours is perfect. If you are boiling the chicken for soup you need to remove the impurities that come to the top of the water when boiling. You can either do this with a strainer or spoon.
How to store and reheat?
- store in airtight container in the fridge for 3 days
- store in airtight container in freezer for 3 months
- reheat in microwave
- reheat in oven at 160°C / 380 °F for 10 minutes
Tips
- boneless chicken thighs are the fastest to cook, followed by bone-in chicken thighs, then frozen
- to defrost chicken thighs place them the night before in the fridge or place them in a cold water for an hour before boiling
Variations
- chicken soup flavor - use celery, carrots, onion, kale leaf and parsnip
- curry flavor - use curry powder, onion and garlic
- herby flavor - use thyme and peppercorns.
FAQ
There are different ways to know when the chicken thighs are done boiling - either when the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F; when the juices run clear if you put a butter knife through, or when the meat is shredding.
The longer the boil the better and softer they are. Anything over an hour should give you super soft chicken thighs for shredding.
The slower you simmer the chicken the more tender it will be.
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Recipe
How to boil chicken thighs
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs
- 1 onion peeled and halved
- 1 tbsp salt
Instructions
- Place the chicken thighs in a large stockpot and cover with water so the water is a few inches above the chicken. Add the seasonings - salt and onion and anything else you want and bring to a boi
- Boil for about 5 minutes and then turn the heat down to medium low, cover the pot and simmer for about 40-50 minutes.
- The chicken is cooked when it has an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Optional oven bake or sear - you can now use a silicone brush and season then with some olive oil, salt, ground red pepper mixture or bbq sauce and place them on the grill, broil or fry for about 3-5 minutes.
Notes
- boiling boneless chicken thighs - it will take about 15 minutes for 2lb (1kg) of chicken thighs.
- how long to boil bone in chicken thighs - it will take about 20 minutes for 2lb (1kg).
- how long to boil frozen chicken thighs - add about 10-15 minutes of additional time - so about 30 minutes for frozen boneless chicken thighs and 35 minutes for frozen bone in chicken thighs.
- boiling chicken thighs for soup - this could take only an hour but to have flavorful clear chicken soup you want it to simmer as long as possible, 2-3 hours.
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