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a top down shot of grilled Mexican boneless chicken thighs on a white cutting board surrounding by cilantro and cut up limes.
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Grilled Mexican Chicken Thighs

Grilled Mexican Chicken Thighs are a delicious and flavorful option for your next cookout. Using a tangy lime marinade, the meat turns out juicy and tender, bursting with vibrant, Mexican-inspired flavors. Whether you are serving a crowd or simply feeding your family, these boneless skinless chicken thighs are sure to become a hit.
Cuisine American
Diet Gluten Free
Keyword #chickenthighs, #grilling, #mexican, #paleo, whole30
Prep Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Resting Time 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings 8

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • ¼ cup fresh lime juice from 1 large or 2 small limes
  • 2 tbsp high heat oil avocado oil
  • 2 tbsp coconut aminos
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 3 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • ½ tsp ground coriander
  • 5-6 mediums-sized garlic cloves pressed or minced

Instructions

  • Measure out the marinade ingredients and place them in a container that has a lid (like a mason jar). Secure the lid onto the jar and shake it with your hand(s) until the ingredients are combined. Set the jar aside for a moment.
  • Place the raw boneless skinless chicken thighs in a sealable plastic bag and pour the marinade in it. Press any air as best you can out of the plastic bag, then seal it. Squish everything together in the bag to help cover the chicken with the marinade, then place in the fridge for 40 minutes, flipping it over halfway through to help distribute the marinade.
  • After the 40 minutes are up, remove the bag with the chicken thighs from the fridge and place on the counter to warm slightly for 20 minutes. When the chicken has been warming on the counter for 10 or so minutes, turn your grill on to a medium heat and let it get to a temperature of around 375 to 400 degrees F.
  • Once the 20 minutes of resting on the counter are up and the grill is up to temperature, use a pair of tongs to remove each chicken thigh from the bag and place all of them on the grill grates. Seal the bag, keeping the marinade inside – don’t throw it away. Close the lid and let the thighs cook for 5 minutes.
  • While the chicken thighs are cooking, turn the used marinade into a glaze. Take out a small saucepan and pour the used marinade from the plastic bag into it. Set it on the stove and turn the burner to high heat. Let the marinade come to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and let it cook at a low boil for at least 5 minutes while stirring it often with a small whisk to prevent burning.
  • When the chicken thighs have cooked on the grill for 5 minutes, open the lid and flip them over with a pair of tongs. Let them cook another 3 to 5 minutes.
  • The marinade mixture likely won’t be done cooking before you need to flip the chicken breasts. Just remove the sauce pan from the burner, turn the burner off, go flip the chicken breasts on the grill, then come back and turn the burner back on and continue cooking the marinade. It should start to boil again very quickly as it will only be off the heat for a minute.
  • Once your marinade has cooked for 5 minutes, take it off the heat and out to the grill. Open the lid and use a basting brush to spread the glaze on the surface of each chicken thigh. You may not use all the glaze and that’s fine.
  • Close the lid and continue cooking the chicken thighs until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Once they are done cooking, open the grill lid and use tongs to remove the meat from the grill. Set the grilled chicken thighs on a platter or cutting board and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes then slice and serve! You can also brush on a little additional of the reserved marinade if desired.

Notes

*Note: If the chicken thighs finish cooking before the marinade has boiled for 5 minutes, don’t worry. You can just brush the glaze on once you remove them from the grill.