We cook so many breasts and tenderloins over here. But THIGHS. You guys. Where have I been? It is one of those cuts of meat that is foolproof. So juicy and hard to mess up. Of course the fat is higher than breasts, but NOT BY MUCH! My boneless thighs were labeled just 4.5 fat for 4 oz. EASY.
And let me confirm that yes, FAT IS GOOD for us. Crucial for hormonal health. Animal fat in particular can be helpful to heal gut issues. I just know sometimes we like to spend our fats where we know we’ll appreciate it, since there are so many delicious ways to get them! I’m just suggesting: this recipe for soy ginger chicken thighs should make the cut. Mmm hmm.
Made this tonight. Apartment life = cast iron skillet, but it was soooo good. It got so crispy and charred and between the flavors of the marinade and the sauce we all agreed it was like something we would have ordered from a restaurant. Thank you for this!
How to Make BBQ Soy Ginger Chicken Thighs
Trim the skinless thighs of any excess fat, and set meat aside in a bowl or large resealable bag so that you can whisk up the marinade. I like to use ziplock bag so I can really work the marinade around and pop in the fridge until I’m ready to cook it.
What You’ll Need to make your Macro-Friendly Chicken Thighs:
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs
- Soy Sauce
- Low Sugar BBQ Sauce
- Rice Vinegar
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Brown Sugar
- Sriracha
- Chives
- Kosher Salt
- Pepper
Whisk soy sauce, low sugar BBQ sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, sriracha, and chives together. The ginger takes a while to dissolve so if you’re in a hurry, try microwaving those for 30 seconds first! Also, if you need to avoid gluten like me, you can substitute the soy sauce for coconut aminos. Once your marinade is mixed together, pour it over the chicken.
At this point, I like to pound the chicken for even thickness. This will just help them cook faster and more consistently. I just pound it in the ziplock with my fist like a cavewoman, but you can also use a mallet or even a rolling pin. Marinate chicken thighs for at least 30 minutes and as long as overnight. If you decide to marinate longer, and the meat is cold from the fridge, let the chicken thighs sit on the counter for 30 minutes to reach room temperature for better cooking.
Remove chicken from the marinade and sprinkle each side with a generous pinch of kosher salt and a little pepper. Cook on a preheated grill, indoor grill pan, or just a hot skillet over medium/high heat for about 5-7 minutes per side, or until the internal temp reaches 165°. You can also air fry at 400° for about 15 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Let rest for a few minutes, sprinkle with extra chopped chives, and enjoy! So GOOD!
How to serve your BBQ Chicken Thighs
In our house, we love this in an Asian-style salad or rice bowl. You could add the chicken to the Asian Edamame Salad, Asian Chopped Salad, or Asian Slaw. Build a big bowl of greens, BBQ Soy Ginger Chicken Thighs, and all the fixings. You could also hollow out your favorite ciabatta roll and make a tasty chicken sandwich.
Other Macro-Friendly Chicken Recipes
Crispy Garlic and Thyme Chicken
Honey Chipotle Grilled Chicken
Herby Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Tenderloins
Are you following me on Instagram? Be sure to check there for my latest recipes, snack ideas, and more. You can also check out my macro-friendly cookbooks for even more recipes.
BBQ Soy Ginger Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 6 boneless, skinless, chicken thighs (819g)
- 2 TBS Soy Sauce (30g)
- 2 TBS low sugar BBQ sauce *I use no sugar Kinder (30g)
- 2 TBS rice vinegar (30g)
- 4 frozen garlic cubes, or minced cloves
- 4 frozen ginger cubes, or 4 tsp minced ginger
- 1/2 TBS brown sugar (7g)
- 1 TBS Sriracha (15g)
- 1/2 cup cup chives, finely chopped (20g)
- Kosher salt and pepper (just before cooking)
Instructions
- Trim your chicken thighs of any extra fat and set aside in a bowl or large resealable bag.
- Whisk all the marinade ingredients together well. The ginger takes a while to dissolve so if you’re in a hurry, you can microwave those for 30 seconds first! Pour marinade over chicken. I also like to pound the chicken a little at this point for even thickness. I just pound it in the ziplock with my fist like a cavewoman. Marinate for at least 30 minutes and as long as overnight. If you go longer and it’s cold from the fridge, let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes before you cook to let it come closer to room temperature for better cooking.
- Remove chicken from the marinade and sprinkle each side with a generous pinch of kosher salt and a little pepper.Cook on a preheated grill, indoor grill pan, or skillet over medium/high heat for about 5-7 minutes per side, or until internal temp reaches 165°. You can also air fry at 400° for about 15-18 minutes, flipping half-way through
- Let rest for a few minutes, sprinkle with extra chopped chives and enjoy! We love this in any asian style salad or rice bowl.
Notes
- ¼ cup rice vinegar (60 g)
- ¼ cup So delicious dairy-free plain coconut yogurt, or nonfat Greek yogurt (60 g)
- 2 Tbsp natural peanut butter (30 g)
- 4 frozen ginger cubes, or 4 tsp minced ginger
- 2 frozen garlic cube, or minced cloves
- 2 Tbsp sriracha (30 g)
- 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup, or honey (13 g )
- Squeeze of lime (10 g)
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
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Yum! Can’t wait to make this! Even better, I already have all the ingredients at home!
This looks delicious…is there another bbq sauce you recommend, I can’t find the one you referenced anywhere. I’m
I used the Primal Kitchen unsweetened barbecue sauce and it turned out really good!
Came out wonderful! Served it with a green salad along with bell pepper, carrots, cucumbers & edamame, drizzling the vinaigrette over the top. First time cooking chicken thighs in the air fryer and they turned out very similar to grilling them. Thanks so much for the recipe!
This was by far one of my and my family’s favorite recipes of yours! I have an extremely picky husband and he loved it! I made cauliflower fried rice as a side. Zero leftovers for the first time in forever! 😋
My family LOVED this chicken. It’s a new staple!
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These were so good! We paired with some brown rice pasta noodles, veggies, tossed in the spicy peanut ginger vinaigrette 🤤
As always, AMAZING!!! “Lillie never steers us wrong” is what we say in this house. I made last Sunday (just x1) and I’m doubling it this week so I have for lunches.
It seems like a lot of chives in the marinade, but it was delicious! 💓
This was so good! Will definitely make again!
My husband said it was restaurant quality! It was just SO spicy! I double checked both recipes whether it was TBSP or TSP of sriracha and knew I should have gone with less. We can handle spicy but this was almost too much!
I used chicken tenderloins and put in the air fryer, the flavor were great!
Oh no! I wonder if you have a spicier sriracha! I didn’t feel like ours were very spicy! so sorry!
This was amazing! I’ve never cooked with chicken thighs before but it was amazing! We did it in our ninja foodi grill at 400 degrees. SO amazing!
We really enjoyed this marinade that the chicken had. Was delicious over rice and served w asparagus. We’ll def make this chicken again.
Would you put this over a bed of green leaf lettuce or cabbage? How would you convert this to a salad?
Made this tonight. Apartment life = cast iron skillet, but it was soooo good. It got so crispy and charred and between the flavors of the marinade and the sauce we all agreed it was like something we would have ordered from a restaurant. Thank you for this!
What is your sauce?
It’s a spicy peanut vinaigrette— I added the recipe to the notes section!