There’s no hiding it: I’m a huge chicken thigh fan, which means almost all of my Whole30 chicken recipes call for dark meat. Although I used to go for chicken breast when offered a choice between white or dark meat, I never really liked eating it. I just thought it was the healthier way to go and begrudgingly choked down bland, dry, and chalky chicken.
Once I went paleo and discovered that I didn’t have to obsessively count calories and eat low fat stuff to be healthy, chicken thighs quickly made their way back onto my menu. Good thing, too. Hands down, chicken thighs are my favorite part of the bird—they’re way more flavorful, easier to cook, and cheaper than chicken breast, too. Even if you think you don’t like thighs, give one of my crispy-skinned thigh recipes a try and you might decide to join the dark side with me!
My favorite Whole30 Chicken Thigh Recipes
Ollie’s Cracklin’ Chicken: The most popular chicken recipe on my site! It’s so simple, yet amazing!
Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken: This recipe won best paleo recipe of 2015 in Paleo Magazine and it does not disappoint! Find yourself some lemongrass and make this dish ASAP.
Umami Roast Chicken: Got some Magic Mushroom Powder? This simple roast chicken dish will prove to you the life-changing power of umami.
Cantonese Crispy Chicken Thighs: This fab crispy chicken thigh dish is a mash up of Ollie’s Cracklin’ Chicken and one of my mom’s home-style dishes. Yes, that means it’s a winner!
If I haven’t convinced you to switch over to dark meat, check out my favorite Whole30 Chicken Breast recipes here!
A note to my Nomsters: This is one of a series of daily blog posts I’m writing in the month of January 2019 to help those doing a Whole30 to kick off the New Year. Not sure what the Whole30 is, or want info on how to get started? Read my Whole30 prep post—and then come back to Nom Nom Paleo every single day for recipes to inspire, delight, and sustain you on your Whole30!
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013) and Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017)!
