This easy grilled chicken recipe involves marinating boneless skinless chicken thighs in a simple marinade with turmeric that creates a bright beautiful color and wonderful taste!
Chicken thighs are one of my favorite cuts of chicken because they’re super flavorful and hard to dry out. I always used to swear by the skin on, bone in version. Well, my love has shifted to the boneless skinless chicken thighs for a few reasons. Number one, I don’t have to peel the skin off and eat around the bone. Number two, the skinless boneless thighs soak up a lot of marinade and are hard to dry out because it’s mostly dark meat. Chicken thighs with the skin are very forgiving because of how much fat there is, but when you marinate the boneless skinless thighs, you pretty much ensure they aren’t going to dry out on the grill. This recipe calls for a minimum of 30 minutes marinating but marinating them all night will make for a really moist end product.
When I made this recipe for the first time, I had to keep making it because it was so delicious!! Turmeric, which is an amazing anti-inflammatory, gives this chicken a bright beautiful yellow color. The yellow really pops if you sprinkle some fresh green herbs on top for presentation. You can also serve this chicken on top of a green salad which will have the same eye-popping effect. There isn’t just turmeric though: smoked paprika, ginger, and cumin are the other Moroccan inspired spices in the marinade. There are also dried herbs in this recipe, which I used instead of fresh herbs to make it easier, however, you can use fresh herbs if you want to.
I would serve this with a salad and either Israeli couscous or rice pilaf. My family eats this chicken throughout the week as leftovers on a salad for lunch, or on a sandwich. Please rate this recipe and leave a comment on how you liked it or if you have any questions! Enjoy!
Grilled Turmeric Chicken
Ingredients
- 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 3 lbs)
- 2 lemons, juiced
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 4 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
- 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tbsp dried dill
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Combine chicken and rest of ingredients in a large bowl. Mix with hands well. Cover and let marinate for at least 30 minutes but up to overnight.
- Heat grill to medium-high heat.
- Once the grill is hot, grill thighs for 5-7 minutes per side. To check if the chicken is done, either use a thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh to read 165 F, or cut one thigh in the thickest part and make sure there isn't any pink.
Nutrition
About the Author: George Zikos
Can you use already cooked skinless, bone in breasts? If yes, how long should it be grilled for?
I don’t think I would use already cooked for this recipe unless you just put it on for a few minutes on each side to warm it up and get some grill flavor. Bill
AMAZING! I’ll double the recipe next time to make sure we have tons of leftovers! Best grilled chicken I’ve ever had!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
One of our favorite recipes. This chicken is so flavorful. I am going to try it with chicken breast as well.
I find baking this recipe gives much better result than grilling.
Thanks Emre! I have never tried baking it, but am curious to try it that way as I have always loved it grilled.
A boneless, skinless chicken breast is about 120 calories for a four ounce serving. How does this chicken wind up being 521kcal? Sure, the olive oil has some calories but if the point is to use animal protein as a component of a dish rather than the star, where are the extra calories coming from?
Three pounds of boneless skinless chicken is about 2000-2100 calories. Even divided by six servings, that is still around 300-325 calories per serving. What am I missing?
Thank you for the comment. We updated this to reflect what the correct numbers should be. It was about half the amount of calories that were originally listed. One thing to note: It is chicken thighs and not chicken breast so somewhat higher in calories, but part of what makes the dish so delicious!
please tell me what you mean by 2 lemon juice. I used 2 tablespoons and the recipe is excellent, but I am wondering what it would be like with the juice of 2 lemons. How much red wine vinegar did the person above use as a substitution?
Hi Diane,
We meant it to be 2 lemons, juiced. We changed it! Thanks for seeing the error. -Bill
I did these with chicken breasts instead because that’s my preference, and they were still really good. They go well with rice pilaf.
What is the heat level on this recipe? Similar to Chicken Curry? Our Indian neighbor made chicken curry that was wicked hot. Our family likes the spice flavors mentioned here, but not the heat. Thank you.
This recipe is not hot at all. Flavorful, but not hot. Bill
I don’t have a grill, but would love to do this recipe in my oven. Would you suggest bake or broil; and at what temp and time?
I would suggest broiling these on high for about 5-7 minutes per side just like on the grill. I would just keep a good watch on them to make sure they don’t burn. I haven’t tried broiling them but I think it would work great!
What can I substitute for the lemon juice? My husband is allergic to citrus.
I have used red wine vinegar a few times for this recipe and it works great! You can use pretty much any vinegar if you don’t like red wine vinegar. Let me know how it comes out!