These grilled boneless chicken thighs are served with a smoky charred scallion sauce that comes together with grilled scallions, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and ginger. It’s simple, fresh, and packed with flavor.
Grilled Boneless Chicken Thighs
One of my favorite ways to enjoy summer scallions is to throw them right on the grill. As they char, they become sweet, smoky, and much milder, creating a perfect base for a simple sauce. Blended with sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and ginger, they transform into a vibrant, flavor-packed sauce that takes these juicy grilled boneless chicken thighs to the next level. Serve it with rice and steamed veggies or a simple green salad for an easy summer dinner. For another scallion sauce recipe, try my Ginger Scallion Fish recipe.
Why This Easy Grilled Chicken Thigh Recipe Works
I love cooking with boneless, skinless chicken thighs. The chicken thighs stay juicy on the grill, while the charred scallion sauce adds smoky, savory flavor with just a handful of simple ingredients.
- Juicy: Boneless chicken thighs stay juicy and flavorful on the grill, even over high heat.
- The scallions and chicken cook on the grill together, making the most of the grill without extra pans.
- Great for meal prep, since both the chicken and sauce keep well for easy lunches and dinners.
- Soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, and garlic create a savory, tangy sauce that balances the richness of the chicken.
- High-protein: Over 30g protein!
Ingredients You’ll Need
The charred scallion sauce is so tasty that you don’t need much to season the chicken. See the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are already very flavorful, but they get even better when topped with this delicious charred scallion sauce.
- Neutral oil, like avocado oil, keeps the chicken moist.
- Seasoning: Kosher salt, black pepper, ground cumin.
Ginger Scallion Sauce
- Scallions (aka green onions) are in season all summer long.
- Toasted sesame oil provides a nutty aroma.
- Rice vinegar adds acidity to balance the sauce.
- Low-sodium soy sauce for umami flavor
- Ginger paste gives you the warm aroma of fresh ginger in a more convenient form.
- Toasted sesame seeds for garnish. To toast the seeds, bake them at 350°F for about 5 minutes or heat them in a skillet over medium-low heat for a few minutes, stirring often, until golden brown.
How to Make Grilled Boneless Chicken Thighs
While the chicken and scallions cook, combine the sauce ingredients so it’s ready to go when the food comes off the grill. See the recipe card at the bottom for printable directions.
How to Grill Boneless Chicken Thighs
- Season the chicken with avocado oil, salt, pepper, and cumin.
- Grill the chicken thighs over medium-high heat for 7 minutes. Flip them, then continue cooking until the center is no longer raw. You can double-check the thighs with an instant-read thermometer. Once it reads 165°F, remove the thighs from the grill.
How to Make Charred Scallion Sauce
- Grill the scallions until charred.
- Prepare the scallion sauce: Cut off the roots and any burnt ends, then chop. Mix them with the remaining sauce ingredients in a bowl.
No grill? No problem!
Cook the chicken and scallions over medium-high heat in a grill pan or cast-iron skillet on your stove.
Variations
- Protein options: Follow these instructions for grilling chicken breasts. You can also serve the sauce over pork, or fish.
- Gluten-free: Swap tamari for soy sauce.
- Ginger: Grate fresh ginger into the sauce if you can’t find ginger paste.
What to Serve with Grilled Boneless Chicken Thighs
I serve this as chicken rice bowls with either mixed greens or steamed broccoli. To make it low-carb, you could skip the rice (or use cauliflower rice) and double the greens to make a simple salad.
Add a grain
Vegetable ideas
Storage
- Refrigerate the chicken and sauce for up to 4 days.
- Freeze for up to 3 months. To freeze the sauce, pour it into a larger container or into an ice cube tray or silicone muffin pan for smaller portions. Once frozen, transfer the cubes to an airtight container.
- Reheating: Thaw the chicken and sauce in the fridge the day before. Then, warm it in the microwave or on the stove over medium-low heat.
More Grilled Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
Get outside and grill one of these healthy chicken recipes this summer.
- Asian Grilled Chicken
- Grilled Chicken Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing
- Chicken Yakitori Skewers
- Grilled Chicken Sandwich
- Sweet ‘n Spicy Asian-Glazed Grilled Drumsticks
Grilled Boneless Chicken Thighs with Charred Scallion Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs, about 24 oz
- 2 teaspoons neutral oil, such as avocado
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 3 bunches scallions, about 20
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce, or gluten-free soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon ginger paste
- toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
- Cooked white rice, optional for serving
- Steamed Broccoli or Mixed greens, optional for serving
Instructions
- Preheat an outdoor grill to medium high heat.
- Drizzle the chicken with the oil and season all over with salt, pepper, and cumin.
- Transfer the chicken to one half of the preheated grill, smooth side down. Cook, undisturbed, until the chicken easily releases from the grill and is nicely charred, about 7 minutes. Flip the chicken and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through and evenly charred. Remove from the grill. Slice right before serving.
- Simultaneously, grill the scallions on the other side of the grill. Turn the green onions as necessary until they are softened and charred in places, 3-5 minutes. Remove from the grill and let cool slightly.
- Once the green onions are cool enough to handle, trim off the root and any burnt ends. Chop the scallions and add them to a small mixing bowl. Add the sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and ginger to the bowl. Mix well to combine.
- To serve, make bowls with mixed greens and rice. Top with sliced chicken and charred scallion sauce. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds