My recipes → Your inbox. Sign up today!

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Clean & Delicious logo

  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • Recipes
  • Cookbook
  • Shop
  • About Clean & Delicious
  • Contact
    • Work With Me

Home » Recipes » Dinner » Meat + Chicken » Cast-Iron Skillet Chicken Thigh Recipe

May 4, 2018(updated March 11, 2025)

Cast-Iron Skillet Chicken Thigh Recipe

5 from 4 votes
By Dani Spies
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links.
cast iron chicken thighs

Save this recipe?

Enter your name and email, and I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, you’ll get delicious new recipes every week.

Save Post

I’ve been loving cooking with my cast-iron skillet lately.  It’s naturally non-stick (when seasoned properly), extremely durable, and super easy to clean (I’ll be sharing a video on that soon!).

Oh! And you can make seriously delicious chicken in a cast iron skillet (remember this recipe?).

This chicken is less of a recipe and more of a technique.  Having techniques like this in your back pocket will make you feel like a professional healthy home cook, in no time (#promise).

I went with chicken thighs because they came in my last delivery from Butcher Box, so I had them on hand, but you can certainly use these techniques for chicken breasts as well (just be sure to adjust the cooking time).

This technique makes for some seriously crispy and delicious skin, but if you don’t want to eat the skin, I still encourage you to leave it on the chicken when you cook it because it will help to keep the meat nice and juicy.

I find a big, fat, crisp salad is the perfect partner to go with this chicken.  I mean, look a that!  #SoGood

chicken thighs cooked in a cast iron skillet


Interested in Having High-Quality Meat delivered right to your door?

Butcher Box delivers 100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef, free-range organic chicken, and heritage breed pork on your schedule for less than $6.00 per meal. The meat is flash-frozen at the peak of freshness and shipped directly to your door. Every box comes with 8 – 11 pounds of meat.

I love using Butcher Box and highly recommend them, especially if you live in an area where it is difficult to find good-quality meat.

[ytp_video source=”QtSMMp9CF64″]

cast iron seared skillet chicken thighs
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
5 from 4 votes

Iron-Skillet Chicken Thigh Recipe

Course: DIET, DINNER, meat + chicken
Cuisine: American, gluten free, low carb + keto
Author: Dani Spies
Prep Time5 minutes mins
Cook Time30 minutes mins
Total Time35 minutes mins
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 305kcal

Save this recipe?

Enter your name and email, and I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, you’ll get delicious new recipes every week.

Save Post

Ingredients

  • 4 bone-in skin-on, chicken thighs (about 6 ounces each)
  • 2 teaspoon coconut oil
  • kosher salt and pepper
  • garlic powder optional
  • smoked paprika optional

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425F.
  • Pat chicken dry with some paper towels to absorb excess moisture. Season skin side generously with salt and pepper. Flip and season the meat with salt and pepper and any additional spices you like (if you decide to stick to salt and pepper, your chicken will still be delicious).
  • Heat cast iron skillet over a medium heat. Add coconut oil to coat the bottom of the pan (if you have excess oil in the pan, carefully wipe it out with a paper towel).
  • Once the oil is hot, place chicken skin side down in the pan and set your timer for 6 minutes. You want to brown the skin to a golden brown color. The chicken will easily release from the pan when it is done.
  • Flip the chicken and pop into the oven for 20-25 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165F. Serve an enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 1piece | Calories: 305kcal | Carbohydrates: 0.02g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 117mg | Sodium: 93mg | Potassium: 581mg | Vitamin A: 10IU | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1mg

Share this post

Gluten Free, Low Carb + Keto, Meat + Chicken, Recipes, Video

About Dani Spies

Dani Spies is the founder and host of Clean & Delicious; a weekly cooking show on YouTube and a healthy eating blog that celebrates real, whole foods! She takes a holistic approach to health and wellness and is loved for her approachable, down to earth style both in and out of the kitchen.

Learn MoreWork With Me

Reader Interactions

Yum! I love this recipe.

    5 from 4 votes (3 ratings without comment)

    Leave a review Cancel reply

    If you loved this recipe please leave a comment and star rating below. Questions are also welcome. Cheers!

    Recipe Rating




    Comments

  1. Kimberly says

    June 19, 2018 at 7:30 am

    5 stars
    So many wonderful flavors going on in here!

    Reply
  2. Sharon McDonald says

    August 22, 2019 at 11:55 am

    Can the chicken thighs be cooked in a regular skillet being I don’t own an iron skillet? Oh and I already have skinless thighs in my freezer, do I do anything different with skinless thighs?

    Reply
    • Dani says

      August 22, 2019 at 5:20 pm

      You need to make sure you have a heavy skillet that can go in the oven at 425 degrees. Do your skinless thighs have a bone in them?

      Reply
  3. June Gallo says

    March 4, 2022 at 5:31 pm

    Can split chicken breasts be used in place of thighs

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I’m Dani.

I’m a Health, Wellness & Weight Loss Coach, Mom of two, and the Founder of Clean & Delicious®. I’ll show you how to make healthy eating CRAZY-easy and insanely DELICIOUS!

Learn more

Stay Connected

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Buy My Cookbook!

Enjoy over 100 simple, healthy, whole-ingredient recipes to support your health, wellness, and weight loss goals.

ORDER NOW!

Reader Faves

shrimp and green beans on small plate with fork

Roasted Shrimp and Green Beans

meatloaf muffins on plate

Turkey Meatloaf Muffins

Brussels Sprouts + Grapes

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Grapes

Turkey Stuffed Zucchini Boats - Clean & Delicious®

Turkey Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Chicken and potatoes in a glass baking dish near fresh rosemary.

Easy Baked Chicken and Potatoes with Onions

apple-protein-muffins

Apple Protein Muffins

Seasonal Picks

chopped sauteed cinnamon apples in a whit ebowl

Quick Chopped Stovetop Cinnamon Apples

spinach frittata in cast iron pan

Spinach Frittata

warm blueberry crisp with vanilla ice-cream

Healthy Blueberry Crisp (Gluten-Free Recipe!)

open-faced fish taco on white plate

Easy Fish Tacos

healthy foods

10 Healthy Fridge Staples

blueberry oatmeal muffin cup

Baked Blueberry Lemon Oatmeal Muffin Cups

My Ebooks

photo of salad and ice cream ebook

Search

As Featured On

Footer

Wholesome Breakfast Recipes

  • Healthy stovetop granola
  • Apple oatmeal muffins 
  • Peanut butter banana pancakes 
  • Scrambled eggs with hidden veggies 
  • Egg white and cottage cheese muffins
  • Fluffy oatmeal with egg whites
  • Green protein-packed smoothie
  • Spinach blender pancakes 

Nourishing Snacks

  • No-bake oatmeal energy balls 
  • Banana oatmeal cookies
  • Frozen banana snack bars
  • Healthy blondie bars
  • Banana oatmeal energy balls 
  • Chocolate covered raspberry bites 
  • Chocolate covered pomegranate seeds 
  • Easy stovetop popcorn

Satisfying Salads

  • Summer squash salad with feta
  • Warm German potato salad
  • Chopped detox salad
  • Kale pomegranate salad
  • Healthy pasta salad with mayo
  • Lemony kale salad
  • Mediterranean chickpea salad
  • Asparagus quinoa salad
  • Recipes
  • Food For Thought
  • Shop
  • About Clean & Delicious
  • Editorial Policies
  • Work With Me

© 2026 Clean & Delicious. Privacy Policy

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.