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Grilled Chicken Thighs with Sweet Bacon Glaze – Juicy, savory-sweet bacon glazed chicken thighs grilled to a tender perfection!
I wish I could say it’s time to crack open the grill, but it is mid-December here. Even though it was freezing out, I couldn’t resist these chicken thighs smothered in a sweet bacon glaze!
HOW TO GRILL CHICKEN THIGHS
The important steps to really juicy grilled chicken thighs include a really good marinade, trimmed fat, and a hot grill.
Getting the best grilled chicken thighs requires just a bit of preparation to make the best tasting thighs that you can make.
- First and foremost, trim the fat. Pockets of fat cause flare-ups when they hit the grill thus it’s best to trim away any excess fat pockets.
- Second most important, if not THE MOST important thing is the marinade and/or glaze. Our delicious chicken marinade, which is also used as a sweet glaze, consists of light brown sugar, soy sauce, hot sauce, garlic, seasonings and herbs.
- As little as 30 minutes of marinating helps get the best taste out of the chicken thighs, but it’s better to leave them in the marinade for up to 4 hours in the fridge. I make a bit extra on the side so that we can also use it as a glaze or even a dipping sauce.
- Third, prepare the grill by preheating it to a medium-high heat. I almost always grill the chicken thighs at around 400F to 425F.
- Before placing the chicken thighs on the grill, please grease the grates with cooking oil.
- Finally, chicken thighs will need at least 11 to 15 minutes on the grill, depending on their size, but I suggest using a meat thermometer to check for doneness. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are thoroughly cooked at 165F, but I do not remove them from the grill until they’ve reached a temperature of around 170F to 175F. It’s a personal preference because I find the dark meat to still be a bit tough when cooked to an internal temperature of 165F.
Grilled Bacon Chicken Thighs
Make sure to try these grilled chicken covered in a bacon paste and made to perfection! This is one meal that will satisfy the whole family!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
- 4 teaspoons coconut palm sugar
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 4 slices bacon
SAUCE:
- ½ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon coconut palm sugar
Instructions
- We prefer flavorful thigh meat for this recipe, but you can use white meat.
- Toss chicken and salt in large bowl; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
- While grill heats, pat chicken dry with paper towels. Combine sweet paprika, sugar, and smoked paprika in small bowl. Process bacon in food processor until smooth paste forms, 30 to 45 seconds, scraping down bowl twice during processing. Add bacon paste and spice mixture to chicken; mix with hands or rubber spatula until ingredients are thoroughly blended and chicken is completely coated.
- Place thighs over primary burner and grill, covered, turning every 2 to 2 1/2 minutes until well browned and slightly charred, 8 minutes for breasts or 10 minutes for thighs. Brush top surface of thighs with ¼ cup sauce; flip and cook until sauce is brown in spots, about 1 minute. Brush second side with remaining ¼ cup sauce; flip and continue to cook until brown in spots and instant-read thermometer inserted in center of meat registers 160 degrees for breasts and 175 degrees for thighs, about 1 minute longer. Remove thighs from grill and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve, passing reserved barbecue sauce separately.
SAUCE:
- Combine all ingredients together until smooth. Serve with chicken thighs.