Super Easy Sautéed Chicken Thighs

I first made these Super Easy Sautéed Chicken Thighs a few weeks ago. The beauty of the recipe is how super simple it is to make - hence the name! It's ready in just about 30 minutes and calls for very few simple ingredients.

It was meant to be eaten within a few days for the four of us.   I was hoping for leftovers to make my Leftover Turkey Salad (with Gnocchi) with the chicken, but that was definitely not the case!  I'm glad the family enjoyed it, of course, and thankfully, I had some more chicken thighs in the freezer :), so I made the Stir-Fried Chicken Thighs.

Learning my lesson, when my daughter's friend came over for a play date I made sure to make more. It was a hit the second time around as well! My daughter's friend loved it!  So, naturally, I had to share the recipe with everyone.

The Ingredients - Super Easy Sauteed Chicken Thighs:

• Chicken Thighs:  boneless, skinless.
  
• Seasonings: smoked paprika and ground black pepper are all you need.  No need for salt because the soy sauce contains plenty.
  
• Mushrooms: I used button mushrooms, but really any mushroom will be great.  Or, you can leave them out altogether.  These are completely optional.
  
• Soy sauce:  regular soy sauce is perfect.  I use Kikkoman.

Variations:

You may also want to add:

• sautéed onions:  You can use a separate smaller skillet or the large skillet you are using to sautee the chicken thighs. Heat oil over medium heat, add sliced onions, and saute until softened.  Set aside and add the onions at the end, when the chicken is ready.
• chopped or minced garlic: add the garlic before adding soy sauce.
• broccoli florets: these can be added at the end; you want to gently soften the florets
• fresh herbs:  add chopped parsley, dill, or cilantro as garnish

Preparation:

1. Trim off excess fat and slice each chicken thigh into about 6 smaller pieces.
2. Season chicken with smoked paprika and ground black pepper.  Toss to combine.
3. Heat a large non-stick skillet at medium-high heat and add the chicken thighs.  I don't add cooking oil because the chicken thighs release their juice.  You can of course add cooking oil if you prefer.  
4. Stir the chicken occasionally and until the juices begin to evaporate.
5. Stir in the mushrooms and pour the soy sauce over the chicken and mushroom mixture.
6. Increase the heat to high and allow the rest of the liquid to evaporate.  Turn the heat down to medium and brown the chicken thighs.  Add ground black pepper or a little more soy sauce to taste.

Recipe Tips:

To get that beautifully browned chicken thigh:

• use non-stick skillet
  
• make sure all liquid from the chicken has evaporated (you may need to raise the heat to high and reduce heat to medium-high after) and saute, stirring only occasionally to allow the pieces to take on that beautiful seared appearance.
• Try not to overcrowd the pan:  Now, because this is a quick recipe that will hopefully leave us with some leftovers for the next day, I say "try" not to overcrowd.  The pan can only be as big as it can possibly be and, in a quick meal recipe, you don't want to fry the meat in sections or use two pans with more cleanup.  Preferably, and to make for easier browning, use a larger pan so as to not overcrowd the meat.  But really, I find myself lazy after work sometimes and don't follow this advice.  I just make sure the liquid evaporates and stir the chicken pieces occasionally to ensure each piece has that caramelized-brown sear.

Serving Suggestions:

These dishes and salads will be great served with the chicken:

• Oven Roasted Potato Cubes
• Easy 3-ingredient Baked Potato Wedges
• Parmesan Pasta with Roasted Vegetables
• Cabbage and Ham Salad
• Chickpea and Crab Salad

You may also like to try these:

Recipe

Super Easy Sautéed Chicken Thighs

Irina

These brown-seared chicken thighs are super simple to make - hence the name! They are ready in just about 30 minutes and require very few simple ingredients. Great to make on a busy weeknight.

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Main Dishes

Cuisine American

Servings 6

Calories 84 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2.5 lbs 1 kg. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, diced
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 lb 500 gm. sliced button mushrooms
• 1/4 cup soy sauce

Instructions

• Trim off excess fat and slice each chicken thigh into about 6 smaller pieces.
• Season chicken with smoked paprika and ground black pepper.  Toss to combine.
• Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and add the chicken thighs.  I don't add cooking oil because the chicken thighs release their juice.  You can of course add cooking oil if you prefer.  
• Stir the chicken occasionally and until the juices begin to evaporate.
• Stir in the mushrooms and pour the soy sauce over the chicken and mushroom mixture.
• Increase the heat to high and allow the rest of the liquid to evaporate.  Turn the heat down to medium and brown the chicken thighs.  Add ground black pepper or a little more soy sauce to taste.

Notes

- Use a non-stick skillet

- It's important to allow the liquid from the chicken to evaporate on higher heat in order to achieve the caramelized-brown seared look and slightly crispy chicken thighs.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 84kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 12gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 667mg

Keyword Chicken, Chicken Thighs, Easy Chicken Thighs Recipes

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