Pan fried boneless chicken thighs come to the rescue for an easy weeknight meal. Boneless, skinless thighs cooked stove-top turn crispy, tender and juicy and ready in about 30 minutes. Add an easy creamy lemon sauce for a special feel meal.
And don’t miss this easy chicken dinner recipe for Spinach Chicken Mushroom Skillet. A meal in one pan.
Pan fried Boneless skinless chicken thighs are not only easy to cook, but an inexpensive dinner option. Fried stove top, they are easy to crisp and with that dark meat flavor, a very tasty option over chicken breasts.
This one pot, easy clean up pan fried chicken thigh recipe is one to keep in your back pocket for those hectic weeknight dinner options.
Pan fried boneless chicken thighs are easier to cook than breasts, tastier than breasts because they’re less likely to dry out. This one pot chicken dinner is simply mouthwatering and delicious.
And did I mention they have lots of dark meat flavor? If you’re stuck in a chicken breast rut, it’s time to get on board with chicken thighs. I think they’re the best part of the bird.
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs.
- Chicken Broth.
- Fresh Parsley.
- Lemon.
- Butter.
- Flour.
- Cream.
- Garlic.
- Red Pepper Flakes.
How To Pan Fry Chicken Thighs
Be sure to see the recipe card below for complete ingredients and instructions.
- Step 1: A quick pounding with a meat mallet will even out the chicken thighs for more uniform cooking.slight dusting with flour and the rest was tender flavorful history.
- Step 2: Sprinkle the chicken thighs with all purpose flour. Shake off any access flour. Season with salt and pepper.
- Step 3: Heat a large heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil until hot and then add chicken thighs. Cook on both sides until nicely browned. About 4-5 minutes per side. Remove thighs to a plate and cover with the lid or foil to keep warm.
- Step 4: In a bowl, combine chicken broth, garlic, red pepper flakes and lemon juice, Add to the hot pan, scraping pan to collect all of the browned chicken bits that have collected on the pan. Simmer for 8-10 minutes.
- Step 5: Remove pan from heat and stir in butter and cream.
- Step 6: When the butter has melted add the chicken back into the pot. Stir well to coat the chicken with the sauce. Serve immediately.
Pro Tip; Hot pan, cold oil. The reason we heat the pan and then add the oil, is to quickly get the oil nice and hot before adding food. Once food hits that oil, you want to immediately hear it sizzle. If the oil isn’t hot enough to sizzle, the food will soak up the oil, which will compromise taste and texture. How to tell if the oil is hot enough? It should appear to “shimmer”. You should be able to see a finger like texture.
Tips For Success
- Don’t overcrowd the pan. Leaving some space and air between the chicken pieces will result in a crispier fried chicken thigh. If the pan is stuffed full of chicken, it will create steam which hampers the frying process.
- Don’t make a big fuss over turning the chicken. With any meat, once the chicken has browned on one side, it will effortlessly release from the pan. That means it’s ready to turn and will be golden browned on one side.
Substitutions
- Gluten Free: Dust the chicken with an all purpose gluten free flour to make this a gluten free recipe.
- Chicken Cutlets: Use chicken breast cutlets in place of chicken thighs.
Equipment Needed
- Good quality skillet. Use a seasoned cast iron skillet or a French Carbon Steel Pan. These pans are designed to sear hot and sear quick without sticking. A non-stick skillet will simply not get hot enough to produce a good browning sear.
Storage
Store any leftovers in an air tight container in the refrigerator. These pan fried chicken thighs will keep for 3 – 4 days. To reheat, use an air fryer or oven to keep the thighs crispy. To reheat in an air fryer, preheat to 370 degrees. Cook the thighs for 5 – 7 minutes. To reheat in an oven, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the thighs in an oven proof pan, a small sheet pan works great here. Heat for about 10 minutes or until warmed.
Pan Fried Boneless Chicken Thighs with Lemon Cream Sauce
What To Serve With It
Make this easy meal even easier by serving these fried boneless chicken thighs with white canned white beans seasoned with rosemary. Or sour cream mashed potatoes would be a good choice here. Sprinkle with chopped parsley for presentation.
More Easy Chicken Dinner Recipes
If you’re looking for more Chicken Recipes, don’t miss my Chicken Category. You’ll find lots of great ideas, including the most popular chicken recipe on my site for Chicken Mushroom Spinach Skillet. A crowd pleasing recipe easy enough for a weeknight meal and impressive enough for entertaining.
Looking for more chicken thigh recipe ideas? Check out my post for the Best Braised Chicken Thigh Recipes
If you liked this recipe, please leave a star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I always appreciate your feedback and hearing how everything went.
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Pan Fried Boneless Chicken Thighs With Lemon Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs slightly pounded to even out thickness
- 2 tablespoons flour
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- chopped parsley for garnish.
Instructions
- Place chicken thighs on a cutting board. With a kitchen mallet, slightly pound the thighs to even out the thickness so they'll cook evenly. Sprinkle both sides with flour and salt and pepper to taste.
- Heat a medium to large heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil until hot and then add chicken thighs. Cook on both sides until nicely browned. About 4-5 minutes per side. Remove thighs to a plate and cover with the lid or foil to keep warm.
- In a bowl, combine chicken broth, garlic, red pepper flakes and lemon juice, Add to the hot pan, scraping pan to collect all of the browned chicken bits that have collected on the pan. Simmer for 8-10 minutes.
- Remove pan from heat and stir in butter and cream. When the butter has melted add the chicken back into the pot. Stir well to coat the chicken with the sauce. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Pan Fried Boneless Chicken Thighs …It’s what’s for Dinner.
Why Trust These Recipes? Lea Ann Brown has lived, worked and played in Colorado for 45 years. She has immersed herself in the Colorado Culinary space, is a Culinary School Graduate and publishes her Colorado food Blog, Cooking On The Ranch.
My husband would agree with you about thighs being the best part of the chicken. Lovely meal.
The chicken looks delicious especially with the sauce. It would have gotten my attention if it were “buffalo chips with lemon cream sauce.”
Chicken thighs, particularly the boneless, have become my “usual” cut of chicken. Loads of flavor, and not so ridiculously large as chicken breasts seem to be these days. Better flavor, too. Anyway, this is a wonderful recipe for them — really nice. Thanks.
I, too, try to keep boneless chicken thighs for these quick & easy meals as well. This one looks not only easy, but very tasty. Love the creamy lemon sauce. This is a keeper. Thanks Lea Anne!
It is a delecious meal…..great post Lea Ann…
Love this recipe, however I’m not sure of what kind of cream you refer too, can you please clarify for me? Thanks a lot!
I’ve sent you an email, but you can use heavy whipping cream or half and half, however rich you’d like the recipe to be. I used heavy.
Sooooo, I don’t have a dutch oven… sniff.. I know, it’s a travesty. With that confession finally off my chest, and no time to get one before dinner, I was thinking, what are your thoughts of using a cast iron skillet until said dutch oven could be acquired? Is it just not gonna work? Should I consider a different option for chicken tonight? Thoughts???
This sounds too good and easy to be true. Will send the recipe to my best friend, too – a thigh lover. Bob and I like Salt Lake. It’s an easy and safe city to walk. Also have had some good meals there.
Please share…and this chicken dish, too! Sounds fabulous-and that lake! And that music!
I’ve only been to SLC once when a college friend married and moved there. Toured the Copper mines and did a little skiing at Snow Bird many years ago! It must have been a great conference and hope you came back with loads of new ideas. I’m with you on chicken thighs! This recipe looks delicious.
I saw the Copper Mine, but didn’t realize tours were available. Wouldn’t have had time anyway. Thanks Susan. Always good to hear from you.
How great that you had the opportunity to hear not only the choir but the symphony as well. I always preferred the breast until I discovered boneless, skinless thighs. Your recipe with the lemon cream sauce sounds delicious.
It was a great experience Karen and how lucky we were to be there on a Thursday night.
This sounds divine and quick! Win win. Love the photos and that you went to such a great conference. I’m going to need your autograph when you’re rich and famous.
P.s. When do you add the lemon and how much?
Thank you so much for that observation. Fixed the recipe. whew – you’re the best. 🙂
Rich and famous? Your pen may dry up before that. tee hee
Hi Lea Ann, oh this lemon cream sauce looks delicious, love one pot meals.
Thank you Cheri. This was definitely a good one.
Lea Ann, this looks wonderful! I’ll be making it soon. Wish I could’ve been at that conference with you. BTW, just this morning I added Cooking on the Ranch to my “Sites I Visit” page (something I thought I’d done long ago!). Oh and “great minds think alike,” I just posted a one-pan dish.
Jean, thank you so much for adding me. I deleted my blog roll almost a year ago with intentions of doing something similar to what you’ve done. Heading over to take a look.
I’m jealous as I’ve always wanted to see the choir – glad you got to go. The chicken dish looks delicious especially with that sauce.
It was a great experience Larry. So glad we were lucky to be there on a Thursday night. This chicken is delicious! Just ask Bob! 🙂
What a lovely dish. I can see the sauce on fish too. We’ve been to Salt Lake City to visit friends who live a short distance away. It’s very nice. We were impressed by the flags that were available to pedestrians to use when they wished to cross the street. Tres cool.
Sam
Love that fish idea Sam. I didn’t notice flags. And we did cross some streets. Lots of walking. 🙂
Wow! Good stuff! Looks delish, you had me at lemon cream sauce! 🙂
Thanks Heather.
Sounds delicious. Thank you.
Lemon cream sauce? Sold! And I agree about chicken thighs — much better flavor than the breast. Usually quite a bit cheaper, too. Nice recipe, fun read — thanks.
I agree with that lemon cream sauce “sold” business. And so glad you agree with that thigh thing. 🙂