Tired of making bland dinners that do not satisfy your taste buds. You’re not alone. Everyone wants to make something superb in a very short amount of time and exchange of a little energy. Don’t worry, today’s delicious southern chicken thigh recipe is super simple yet tasty, contains super juicy and tender chicken thighs, and pairs well with basic side dishes like rice or mashed potatoes.
This recipe consists of deliciously cooked bone-in thighs dipped in a rich gravy and stewed to perfection. At least, this doesn’t give you a complicated, long prep list after the day’s work, family, and general life. This dish was made for a busy evening and hungry people. One pot. No fancy magic. Just simple ingredients and a southern-style comfort food with it.
Whether you’re a new cook or an experienced one, this can be a perfect fit for you. So, without wasting a single minute, let’s dive in!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs skinless chicken thighs (boneless or bone-in)
- 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped or processed
- 1 small bell pepper, chopped or processed
- 1 stalk of celery (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon of Badia complete seasoning
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream.
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of onion powder
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon of seasoned salt
- 1 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme
So, that’s all the ingredients you will need to make this recipe. Once you have all of them, let’s move on to the next part.
Instruction
Here are all the instructions you will need to follow to make this delicious southern chicken thigh recipe:
- First of all, take a bowl and put all of your chicken thighs in there. Add 1 tablespoon of onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon seasoned salt, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme, and mix them well with the chicken thighs. Make sure that the thighs are well coated with all these seasonings.
- Heat a pot over medium-high heat and add 1/4 cup of vegetable or canola oil to it. Wait a few minutes until the oil gets hot enough.
- When the oil is hot, put the seasoned chicken thighs in it until they are browned on both sides. From my experience of cooking Dutch oven chicken thighs recipe, garlic chicken thigh parmesan recipe, and frozen chicken thighs recipe, I can confidently say that you will not need more than 2 to 4 minutes to sear each side. After 2 to 4 minutes, flip the chicken thighs.
- When you’re done searing, remove that from the pot and set it aside for later.
- Now, add a tablespoon of butter to the pot, 1 medium yellow onion (chopped), 1 small bell pepper (chopped), and 1 stalk of celery. Now stir these ingredients for around 1 to 2 minutes to properly mix them. Make sure these ingredients don’t get burnt.
- Now add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, and mix it well.
- Thereafter, add 4 cups of low-sodium chicken broth. This broth will deglaze the pot. Now stir a little and add the chicken thighs to the liquid. Make sure they are almost submerged in the liquid. This will help the chicken thighs to absorb even more flavor.
- Now add the heavy cream and stir a little. We are adding this just to brighten and thicken the sauce. Add black pepper to taste and 1 teaspoon of Badia complete seasoning. Also, 1 add 2 bay leaves to the pan.
- At this point, cook the whole mixture covered for 20 minutes and uncovered for another 20 minutes. When you are switching from covered to uncovered, stir the mixture occasionally to avoid sticking and add 1/2 cup of water.
- After doing all these steps, you should have a proper thick gravy.
- Now plate it with rice or mashed potatoes and you’re done.
So, that’s all the steps you will need to follow to make this amazingly delicious recipe. Now, below are some of my personal tips that can take your cooking to the next level.
Tips For Cooking
If you are a new cook or people call you so, then don’t worry. If you apply all of these tips properly, then no one will be able to call you that. So, let’s begin:
- Sear for flavor, not to cook through: When you are searing the chicken thighs, don’t worry about them being fully cooked. Because, when you sear them, you only sear for flavor, not to cook fully. The main feature of this recipe is that the chicken thighs get fully cooked when stewed or boiled, not when seared.
- Marinate for deeper flavor: Marination is an essential step for all chicken-related recipes. But to shorten the time, we usually skip it. Marination helps the chicken to soak all the spices and flavors properly, making every bit more and more flavorful. That’s why, if you have time, don’t forget to marinate.
- Use bone-in thighs for extra juiciness: I have already talked about it thousands of times in my cream of mushroom chicken thighs recipe, coconut chicken thighs recipe, and many more. I have described why we should use bone-in chicken thighs. If you want in-depth information regarding this, you can check out this article: Benefits of Bone-In Chicken. But be careful. If you are using bone-in chicken thighs, you might need to put a little bit more time in searing and stewing, while you can cut the time a little if you are using boneless cuts of thighs. I have used bone-in thighs here, so the timing is also set accordingly.
- Let it rest: After cooking, you should always let the chicken rest in the gravy for at least 5 minutes before serving. This not only cools the dish down, but also gives time for the other meat to soak up more of that flavorful sauce.
Recipe Card
Southern Chicken Thigh Recipes [One-pot Meal]
Description
Looking for a simple, hearty southern chicken thigh recipe? This one-pot dish will deliver flavorful, tender, and juicy thighs with no stress.
Ingredients
Instructions
- First of all, take a bowl and put all of your chicken thighs in there. Add 1 tablespoon of onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon seasoned salt, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme, and mix them well with the chicken thighs. Make sure that the thighs are well coated with all these seasonings.
- Heat a pot over medium-high heat and add 1/4 cup of vegetable or canola oil to it. Wait a few minutes until the oil gets hot enough.
- When the oil is hot, put the seasoned chicken thighs in it until they are browned on both sides. From my experience, I can confidently say that you will not need more than 2 to 4 minutes to sear each side. After 2 to 4 minutes, flip the chicken thighs.
- When you’re done searing, remove that from the pot and set it aside for later.
- Now, add a tablespoon of butter to the pot, 1 medium yellow onion (chopped), 1 small bell pepper (chopped), and 1 stalk of celery. Now stir these ingredients for around 1 to 2 minutes to properly mix them. Make sure these ingredients don’t get burnt.
- Now add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, and mix it well.
- Thereafter, add 4 cups of low-sodium chicken broth. This broth will deglaze the pot. Now stir a little and add the chicken thighs to the liquid. Make sure they are almost submerged in the liquid. This will help the chicken thighs to absorb even more flavor.
- Now add the heavy cream and stir a little. We are adding this just to brighten and thicken the sauce. Add black pepper to taste and 1 teaspoon of Badia complete seasoning. Also, 1 add 2 bay leaves to the pan.
- At this point, cook the whole mixture covered for 20 minutes and uncovered for another 20 minutes. When you are switching from covered to uncovered, stir the mixture occasionally to avoid sticking and add 1/2 cup of water.
- After doing all these steps, you should have a proper thick gravy.
- Now plate it with rice or mashed potatoes and you’re done.
Conclusion
So, now you know how you cook this delicious southern chicken thigh recipe. If you are tired or have any questions regarding this, you can tell me about it in the comments. Also, if you have any suggestions or have tried something different, then don’t forget to comment on it. I would love to hear from you.
For today, thanks for reading and happy cooking!
