Sage Chicken Thighs | Easy Weeknight Dinner or Meal Prep (2024)

This quick and healthy Sage Chicken Thighs recipe makes for the perfect weeknight meal or meal prep. All you need are a handful of ingredients to turn chicken thighs into a delicious and flavourful meal!

Perfectly seared in a few minutes, this sage chicken recipe is perfect for a busy weeknight. It’s so quick and easy, these juicy chicken thighs cook faster than it takes for rice to cook! I love how well sage goes with chicken and if you don’t have fresh sage, this recipe works with dried sage as well!

Why You’ll Love This Easy Chicken Thighs Recipe

• This sage chicken thighs recipe leans heavily to pantry staples to make it flavourful. Most of these ingredients are already in my fridge and spice cabinet.
• It’s quick! While the total time seems long, it’s because I allow the chicken thighs to marinate for 30 minutes, so it’ll be more flavourful. Other than take, it takes less than 10 minutes per side to sear the chicken thighs.
• Makes for the perfect meal prep. Meal prep a batch of this lemon sage chicken for the week! It reheats wonderfully.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• sage — fresh sage is where this recipe is at! However, if you don’t have fresh sage, dried sage works in a pinch.
• lemon juice — fresh is best. I much prefer fresh lemon juice to bottled lemon juice.
• garlic — I prefer freshly minced garlic to preminced garlic as those tend to have an aftertaste.
• onion powder
• paprika — feel free to use whatever type of paprika you have on hand.
• salt and pepper
• brown sugar
• olive oil — or your prefered neutral oil.
• chicken thighs — I use boneless, skinless chicken thighs.

How to Make Sage Chicken Thighs

• Coat the chicken thighs with chopped sage, lemon juice, garlic, onion powder, paprika, salt, pepper, brown sugar, and olive oil. Marinate for 30 to 60 minutes if you have the time.
• On medium heat, heat up your skillet with 1 tbsp of olive oil before adding in the chicken thighs, smooth side down, and then cook for 5 minutes.

• Flip and continue to cook for 6 to 7 minutes, or until cooked through. Do not overcrowd the pan, cook in two batches if necessary. Be sure to add more oil for the second batch.
• Rest for a few minutes before serving.

Recipe Tips and Notes

• For every tablespoon of fresh herbs, you can substitute with one teaspoon of dried.
• Chicken thighs are done when they’ve reached an internal temperature of 165F/74C. Use aninstant read thermometerto check.

• Avoid moving the chicken when you first place it in. Allow the chicken to brown. The chicken will come off the skillet once it’s ready. If you move it too early, the chicken will stick to the skillet and tear.
• Chicken thighs can be swapped out for chicken breasts but you’ll have to change the cook time to avoid overcooking it.
• Allow the cast iron skillet to heat up before adding the chicken to the pan so you can get a nice sear on the chicken thighs.
• The smaller the bowl you use to marinade your chicken in, the less marinade you’ll need!
• This is the cast iron skilletI use.

Make Ahead Tips

• Meal prep: once cooled, store the cooked chicken thighs inan airtight containerfor up to 4 days in the fridge. I like to pack my sage lemon chicken thighs with some rice and vegetables to make it a complete meal.
• Freezer: allow the lemon sage chicken thighs to cool before transferring them into an airtight containerbefore storing them in the freezer. They can last for up to 3 months.
• How to prep this for the freezer:place the marinade and chicken thighs in a largefreezer friendly ziploc bag, to prep this meal ahead of time. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready, thaw overnight in the fridge before cooking.

Serving Ideas

Need some ideas of what to serve with these chicken thighs? Try these side dishes:

• Brussels Sprouts
• Air Fryer Asparagus
• Air Fryer Hasselback Potatoes
• Seasoned Spinach
• Air Fryer Garlic Bread
• Air Fryer Baby Potatoes
• Coconut Rice
• Jasmine Rice

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