Grilled Chicken Thighs (with Lemon and Za’atar)

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Grilled Hen Thighs with Lemon and Za’atar are excellent for a straightforward summer season dinner with Center Japanese flavors. And the grilled hen thighs with lemon will nonetheless be completely scrumptious even should you don’t have Za’atar!

Pin the Grilled Hen Thighs recipe to strive it later!

Grilled Chicken with Lemon and Za'atar final shot with finished chicken on serving plate

For recipes on this weblog I attempt to stroll a high quality line between making an attempt attention-grabbing issues that catch my eye and utilizing substances individuals may have, so if anybody simply wrinkled their nostril up on the point out of Za’atar on this recipe for Grilled Hen Thighs (with Lemon and Za’atar), let me begin by emphasizing you can make this grilled hen with lemon even should you don’t have the middle-eastern Za’atar spice combine!

If you wish to strive it, you may make your individual Za’atar, particularly if you have already got Sumac, which is my different favourite center japanese spice! And there’s little question that the mix of spices in Za’atar actually give this hen superb flavors. However completely you may make this hen with lemon juice, olive oil, and simply use whichever of the Za’atar seasoning substances you do have available, and it’ll nonetheless be scrumptious, I promise!

And I’m recognized for my technique for juicy grilled hen breasts, so that you may be shocked to see me making grilled hen thighs with pores and skin, however the hen thighs have been on sale, the pores and skin obtained crispy and engaging on the grill, and these center japanese grilled hen thighs have been actually scrumptious, so this was a enjoyable experiment.

What substances do you want for this recipe?

(That is solely a listing of substances; please scroll down for full printable recipe. Or should you use the JUMP TO RECIPE hyperlink on the prime of the web page, it’s going to take you on to the entire recipe.)

What’s Za’atar

Za’atar Spice Combine (affiliate hyperlink) is a center japanese spice mix of recent or dried thyme, sesame seeds, Sumac (affiliate hyperlink), and salt. Lemon and Za’atar are a basic center japanese mixture, and the opposite recipe I completely love that makes use of this spice mix is Effie’s Cottage Cheese Salad with Za’atar.

Are you able to make the grilled hen thighs with out Za’atar?

You may make your individual Za’atar for this recipe, and should you don’t have all these substances, simply use whichever of these substances you’ve got available within the hen marinade.

Are grilled hen thighs arduous to cook dinner?

Bone-in hen takes a bit longer to cook dinner than hen breasts, and for this recipe you want a grill the place you may flip down the temperature (or make it decrease warmth on one aspect than the opposite), however in any other case, that is as straightforward because it will get for scrumptious grilled hen!

How low in carbs are the grilled hen thighs?

This recipe for grilled hen with center japanese flavors solely has about 3 internet carbs per serving and eight grams of protein!

Extra tasty recipes with hen thighs:

In the event you do discover a good purchase on hen thighs like we did, you may prefer to strive a few of these different favourite recipes:

How one can make Grilled Hen Thighs (with Lemon and Za’atar):

(That is solely a abstract of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for full printable recipe. Or should you use the JUMP TO RECIPE hyperlink on the prime of the web page, it’s going to take you on to the entire recipe.)

If you will discover pretty pre-trimmed hen thighs like these I purchased on sale at Harmons Grocery in Utah, that can save time. (Harmons has no thought I’m giving a shout-out to their hen and have definitely by no means paid me to do it, simply in case anybody is questioning!) In any other case you’ll must trim the hen and take away a number of the pores and skin.
Zest the lemon pores and skin after which squeeze the juice. You’ll most likely want 2 lemons to get this a lot juice except you’ve got lemon juice within the freezer.
Combine collectively marinade substances.
Put trimmed hen and marinade in a big Ziploc bag or plastic container with a snap-tight lid.
Let hen marinate within the fridge all day should you can, and even in a single day.
When it’s time to cook dinner, drain hen and let it come to room temperature whilst you preheat the grill to medium excessive and spray with non-stick grill spray or brush with oil. (In the event you can, preheat a distinct part to medium, or on a charcoal grill put together one aspect with much less charcoal so it’s not as sizzling.)
Lay hen pores and skin aspect down on an angle to grill grates and cook dinner with out shifting about 4 minutes.
Then rotate on the reverse angle to make criss-cross marks and cook dinner about 4 minutes extra.
Flip hen over and switch the grill right down to medium (or transfer hen to a cooler a part of the grill should you can) and cook dinner 20-25 minutes extra, or till the hen temperature is at the least 165F/75C if you take a look at the thickest half with an instant-read meat thermometer (affiliate hyperlink).
Serve sizzling, with lemon to squeeze on on the desk if desired.

Make it a Low-Carb Meal:

Proven with the grilled hen thighs within the picture is Chickpea Salad with Tomatoes, Olives, and Herbs, however if you would like a low-carb meal I’d serve it with one thing like Fattoush Lebanese Salad, Center Japanese Tomato Salad, or Straightforward Grilled Greens.

Weekend Meals Prep:

This recipe for Grilled Hen Thighs with center japanese flavors has been added to a class known as Weekend Meals Prep that can assist you discover recipes you may prep or cook dinner on the weekend and eat through the week!

Elements

8 bone-in, pores and skin on hen thighs, effectively trimmed with solely the highest piece of pores and skin remaining (see notes)
6 T recent squeezed (or fresh-frozen) lemon juice (see notes)
2 tsp. lemon zest
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 T Za’atar (see notes)
1/2 tsp. salt (or extra to style)
1/2 tsp. recent floor black pepper (or extra to style)
1/4 cup olive oil
recent lemon items to squeeze on on the desk (non-obligatory)

Directions

In the event you don’t discover pre-trimmed hen thighs, trim extra fats and pores and skin from every bit of hen, leaving solely the highest flap of pores and skin on every hen thigh. (I don’t fear about inside fats for hen thighs cooked on the grill as a result of it retains the hen moist, and plenty of fats drips out.)
Combine collectively the lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic powder, Za’atar (affiliate hyperlink), salt, and pepper, after which whisk within the olive oil to make the marinade.
Put the trimmed hen right into a Ziploc bag or plastic container with a snap-tight lid, add the marinade, and let hen marinate within the fridge all day if attainable. (Or put hen within the fridge to marinate if you go to mattress at night time and cook dinner after work the subsequent day.)
When it’s time to cook dinner, drain the hen in a colander positioned within the sink and let it come to room temperature earlier than you cook dinner it.
Preheat a fuel grill to medium-high warmth, spraying the grill with olive oil or brushing with a high-smoke level oil. In the event you’re getting ready a charcoal grill, or a fuel grill the place you may have totally different temperatures on either side, make one aspect medium-high warmth and the opposite aspect medium warmth.
When the hen has reached room temperature, lay every bit skin-side-down at an angle to grill grates and let it cook dinner with out shifting for about 4 minutes (or till you see good grill marks on the pores and skin if you raise up the sting of 1 piece.)
When you’ve got good grill marks, rotate every bit of hen so it’s on the reverse angle to the grill grates to create criss-cross marks, and cook dinner about 4 minutes extra.
Flip hen so pores and skin aspect is up and switch down warmth to medium or transfer hen to a cooler a part of the grill.
Cook dinner about 25 minutes extra relying on how thick your hen is.)
For bone-in hen I’d positively use an instant-read meat thermometer to verify the hen has reached the secure inside temperature of 165F/75C. (All of the juices must be clear and never pink if you reduce into a bit of hen.)
Serve sizzling, with piece of lemon to squeeze on on the desk if desired.

Notes

If you should purchase pre-trimmed hen thighs, I extremely advocate it.

Vitamin Data

Yield

Serving Measurement

1

Quantity Per Serving
Energy 208Complete Fats 19gSaturated Fats 3gTrans Fats 0gUnsaturated Fats 14.7gLdl cholesterol 42mgSodium 437mgCarbohydrates 4gFiber .9gSugar 0.7gProtein 8.3g

Vitamin info is routinely calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I’m utilizing. I’m not a nutritionist and can’t assure 100% accuracy, since many variables have an effect on these calculations.

Low-Carb Eating regimen / Low-Glycemic Eating regimen / South Seashore Eating regimen Ideas:
This recipe for grilled hen thighs can be nice for low-carb or Keto weight loss plan plans. Hen thighs aren’t beneficial for the unique South Seashore Eating regimen due to the restrictions on saturated fats, but when the hen was well-trimmed I’d eat this for any section of South Seashore. I really feel like a number of the inside fats within the thighs will drip out on the grill (and it retains the hen moist) however should you want you may take away all of the pores and skin and use kitchen shears to trim as a lot fats as attainable.

Discover Extra Recipes Like This One:
Use Grilling Recipes to seek out extra recipes like this one. Use the Eating regimen Sort Index to seek out recipes appropriate for a selected consuming plan. You may additionally prefer to observe Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Fb, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the great recipes I’m sharing there.

Historic Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe for grilled hen thighs was first posted in 2016. It was final up to date with extra info in 2024.

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