18 Budget-Friendly Recipes with Chicken Thighs

In this easy and healthy dinner recipe, sweet and savory baked honey-garlic chicken thighs come with a side of veggies that cook on the same sheet pan as the chicken. The honey-soy-garlic marinade for the chicken does double duty as an irresistible sauce to drizzle over everything. Lining your baking sheet with foil will protect your pan from the sticky honey-soy-garlic sauce, so cleanup will be a breeze too. If you can't find small carrots, cut medium carrots in half lengthwise. Source: EatingWell.com, October 2019

Simple ingredients like chicken thighs, potatoes and bell pepper turn fall-off-the-bone tender in the pressure cooker or Instant Pot in just minutes. A splash of vinegar and a sprinkle of scallion just before serving add zing to this classic family dinner. Source: EatingWell.com, July 2018

This taco recipe is a great choice for midweek dinners, even if it's not Taco Tuesday! Instead of beef, we use moist, boneless chicken thighs and to make things easier for you, the taco filling is cooked in a slow cooker, so you can prepare it in the morning and come home to a delicious meal. Source: Diabetic Living Magazine

In this healthy dinner recipe, chicken thighs, Brussels sprouts, cherry tomatoes and packaged gnocchi are all roasted on the same sheet pan for a complete meal that couldn't be easier to make. And though it's simple, this dish gets tons of flavor from Mediterranean seasonings, including garlic, oregano and red-wine vinegar. It all adds up to a dish that's ready to go into heavy weeknight rotation in your house. Source: EatingWell.com, September 2019

This slow-cooker chicken with pineapple has a hint of ginger and sesame and is made with simple ingredients you may already have in your pantry! Look for fresh pineapple that's been peeled and cored already to make assembly even easier. Serve with brown rice to sop up the sweet and savory sauce. Source: EatingWell.com, January 2020

We combine fresh herbs, capers, lemon juice and olive oil along with the juices collected from the chicken as it rests to make a simple sauce that livens up this take on poulet frites, or chicken and fries. Source: EatingWell Magazine, May 2020

This easy recipe for sheet-pan roasted chicken thighs is a basic building-block recipe for meal prep. You can easily double the recipe or change the seasoning to suit your tastes. Source: EatingWell.com, March 2018

This crowd-pleasing gnocchi recipe is perfect for an easy weeknight comfort meal. Get all the flavors of chicken and dumplings without having to make the dumplings when you use gnocchi in their place. Source: EatingWell Magazine, January/February 2015

This crispy Japanese chicken recipe comes complete with a creamy warm slaw on the side. Serve with steamed brown rice or buckwheat soba noodles to round out the meal. We like to use chicken cutlets made with dark-meat chicken thighs--they have more than twice the immune-boosting zinc of white-meat chicken breasts. Source: EatingWell Magazine, November/December 2016

These chicken enchiladas are great for using up any veggies you have lingering in your fridge. Our chicken enchilada recipe calls for zucchini, squash and onion, but you could easily swap in spinach, onions or potatoes. Source: 400 Calorie Recipes

Roasted Brussels sprouts and chicken thighs are a match we go back to over and over again in the Test Kitchen. Paired with cumin, thyme, sweet potatoes and a hit of sherry vinegar, they create one of our favorite easy dinner recipes. Source: EatingWell Magazine, March/April 2018

Regular fried rice gets a protein boost when rice is swapped for quinoa in this healthy dinner recipe. Feel free to use any vegetables you have on hand-broccoli, green beans and mushrooms are all good options. Serve with hot sauce if desired.

Chicken thighs are easy on the budget and great for grilling because they stay moist in the heat. Here, they are paired with a fresh corn and tomato salad for a simple summer dinner. When grilling skin-on chicken thighs, watch for flare-ups. Move the chicken away from the flames and reduce heat, if necessary, to keep it from charring. Source: EatingWell.com, July 2018

This healthy Buffalo chicken sandwich recipe takes the traditional accompaniments to Buffalo chicken wings--carrots, celery and blue cheese dip--and turns them into a crunchy slaw to top the sandwich Source: EatingWell Magazine, November/December 2013

Roasting chicken thighs directly on top of the vegetables bastes the scallions and potatoes with delicious drippings in this healthy dinner recipe. Serve with steamed broccoli, sautéed spinach or a mixed green salad. Source: EatingWell Magazine, March/April 2017

This BBQ pulled chicken recipe is a fanciful reinterpretation of pulled pork that slow-cooks chicken in lots of tangy tomato sauce. Have sliced jalapenos, sliced red onions and some sour cream on hand to top this barbecue pulled chicken, which makes a hearty main course. You can turn it into an unbelievable sandwich or serve it on mashed potatoes or even whole-grain spaghetti. Serve with shredded napa cabbage tossed with low-fat mayonnaise, cider vinegar, celery seed and honey to taste. Source: EatingWell Magazine, July/August 2012

Herbed yogurt does double duty as a marinade and dipping sauce for these colorful kebabs in this healthy dinner recipe. Serve with brown rice or quinoa and a green salad. Source: EatingWell Magazine, May/June 2016

Tender potatoes and flavorful chicken are topped with a delicious gravy in this meal-in-a bowl. Source: Diabetic Living Magazine