Tex Mex Chicken Thighs
Easy Tex Mex chicken thighs with juicy meat, crisp skin & bold spices! Perfect for a quick and easy, flavour packed dinner.
These Tex Mex chicken thighs are the perfect choice for an easy midweek dinner! They’ve got everything any good chicken recipe should have; juicy, tender meat, crispy skin & loads of flavour. They’re incredibly simple to make and because they’re marinated, can be prepared ahead of time.
This is an easy, no fuss chicken thigh recipe that works for dinners during the week, lunchtime meal prep or shredding for nachos, burritos, rice bowls, salads & quesadillas. The process is simple; marinate the chicken thighs in a quick homemade spice blend, sear in a pan to crisp up the skin then roast in the oven with stock until perfectly cooked.
After a short rest, the chicken thighs can be served whole or shredded. As a bonus, you’ll also get a flavourful Mexican style sauce that can be stirred through the meat for even more flavour!
For more dinner inspiration check our our ever growing collection of main course recipes! There’s lots to choose from here, from homemade pies, slow cooked meat, barbecue, pasta dishes & more. And for a side to serve with this chicken, take a look at our side dish recipes.
Ingredients For Tex Mex Chicken Thighs
- Chicken Thighs – For the best flavour, I used bone in & skin on chicken thighs. However, if you’d prefer you can also use skinless & boneless chicken thighs instead.
- Tex Mex Marinade – These chicken thighs are marinated in a classic tex-mex marinade which is made with tomato paste, garlic, cumin, lime, paprika, cayenne pepper & olive oil.
- Chicken Stock – This chicken is roasted in the oven with some chicken stock. This helps deglaze the pan after searing but also means that we make a flavourful sauce that can be mixed through the chicken once shredded.
- Butter – Added to give the chicken sauce/cooking stock a richer flavour and to keep the chicken juicy once cooked. Feel free to leave the butter out if you’d prefer though.
- Cinnamon Stick – Cinnamon is commonly used in Mexican style cooking, so I’ve added half a cinnamon stick into the cooking stock.
- Bay Leaves – Also used in Mexican cooking, so we’re adding 2 into the stock as well.
Tex Mex Style Chicken Marinade
A classic Tex Mex style marinade tends to be made with garlic, citrus, olive oil & spices like cumin & chilli, so it’s what these chicken thighs are going to be marinated in. We’re making a flavourful paste by mixing tomato paste with olive oil, lime zest & juice, fresh grated garlic, ground cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, salt & black pepper.
To marinate the chicken thighs, they get tossed in the marinade before being chilled in the fridge for at least 4 hours or for up to a day. I find that an overnight marinade works best though, which means that you can prepare the chicken the day before you want to cook it. I wouldn’t recommend marinating chicken thighs for any longer than a day though, as the acidity in the marinade will start to break down the texture of the chicken.
Skillet Roasted Chicken Thighs
The trick to cooking roasted chicken thighs with the crispiest skin is to sear them in a pan first before roasting in the oven, to cook the meat through. This ensures that the skin has crisped up nicely before we roast the thighs.
As these are Tex Mex chicken thighs, we’re going to be adding some chicken stock, butter, bay leaves & half a cinnamon stick into the pan once we’ve seared the chicken (just before roasting). This helps deglaze the pan but is mainly added to make a flavourful cooking stock that can be mixed through the meat once it has been shredded. You get extra juicy, flavourful shredded chicken this way! Although you can leave these chicken thighs whole if you’d prefer.
Skillet Roasted Chicken Thighs – Step By Step
- Preheat Oven & Wipe Off Excess Marinade
First, preheat an oven to 200°c/392°f. Whilst the oven is heating up, take the marinated chicken out of the fridge & wipe any excess marinade off the skin. - Preheat Skillet
Next, set a large ovenproof skillet/frying pan over a medium heat, add in a tablespoon of vegetable oil then leave to heat up for a minute or two. - Sear Chicken Skin
Once the oil is hot, carefully add in the chicken thighs (skin side down) then fry for 5-10 minutes, until the skin is crisp & golden. - Add In Stock
Once the skin is crisp, use a pair of tongs to flip the chicken over then add chicken stock, butter, half a cinnamon stick & a couple of bay leaves into the pan. - Roast In The Oven
Transfer the pan of chicken into the preheated oven then cook until the meat is cooked through. This will take 10-15 minutes & the chicken will reach an internal temperature of 75°c/167°f once fully cooked. - Rest
Once the chicken thighs are cooked, we let them rest in the pan for 5-10 minutes before serving.
The Best Way To Shred Chicken
Like all shredded & pulled meats, it’s vital to let the meat rest before shredding it, in order to keep the meat tender & juicy. As chicken thighs are a small cut of meat, they only need to rest for 5-10 minutes. This also gives them chance to cool down slightly, making them easier to handle when you want to shred them. I like to leave the chicken fairly chunky but it can be shredded as small as you like.
In my opinion, the easiest & best way to shred chicken is by using your hands to pull the meat into chunks. This also makes it easier to pick out any bones! I like to wear a pair of food safe gloves as well. If you’ve used skin on chicken thighs, I would recommend taking the skin off the chicken once it’s cooked, chopping it up separately then mixing through the shredded meat. You can also use 2 forks to shred the meat if you’d prefer.
Tex Mex Chicken Thighs Tips & Tricks
- For the best flavour, let your chicken marinate overnight & use bone in chicken thighs.
- Use a digital food probe to check the internal temperature of the chicken, to avoid dry, overcooked meat.
- Sear the chicken on the stove before roasting, for extra crispy skin.
- Roast the chicken with chicken stock, butter, a cinnamon & bay leaves, to make a Mexican style stock to mix through the shredded chicken.
- Let the roasted chicken thighs rest for at least 5 minutes before shredding, to keep the meat juicy.
What To Use Tex Mex Shredded Chicken For
I used my shredded Tex Mex chicken for a batch of homemade nachos! However, shredded chicken can also be used to make tacos, sandwiches, pie fillings, pizzas, salads & a whole lot more. It’s super versatile!
As this chicken is flavoured Tex Mex style, it lends itself really well to dishes like burritos, quesadillas, nachos, burritos & burrito bowls. It works really well with classic Tex Mex sides like guacamole, refried beans, tomato salsa (pico de gallo), corn salad & lime rice.
Frequently Asked Questions
To cook Tex Mex chicken thighs in an Aga, use the boiling plate to sear the chicken then cook in the roasting oven, on the bottom set of runners.
For tender, flavourful chicken, it’s best to let Tex Mex chicken thighs marinate for at least 4 hours before cooking or for up to a day. Make sure not to marinate chicken for longer than a day though, as the texture of the meat will start to break down.
Leftover roasted chicken thighs need to be stored in the fridge & are best eaten within 3 days. You can also freeze leftover cooked chicken thighs for up to 3 months but will need to defrost them fully before reheating.
The best way to reheat shredded chicken is in a pan on the stove with a small amount of cooking stock (or water). Make sure to cover the pan with a lid to keep the chicken moist & reheat until the meat is piping hot.
The best way to avoid making dry shredded chicken is to use a food probe to check the internal temperature of the meat & to let the chicken rest for at least 5 minutes before shredding. Chicken thighs & breasts only need to rest for 5-10 minutes but a whole chicken will need to rest for 30 minutes. Chicken is cooked once it reaches 75°c/167°f.
More Chicken Recipes To Try!
- Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs With Garlic & Herbs
- Roast Chicken, Smoked Ham Hock & Cider Pies
- Butter Chicken
- Butter Chicken & Bombay Potato Pies
- Hoisin Honey Fried Chicken Drumsticks
- Foolproof Roast Chicken (Slow Roasted)
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Tex Mex Chicken Thighs
Equipment
- Large Frying Pan/Skillet
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Digital Food Probe
Ingredients
- 1 kg Chicken Thighs (Bone In & Skin On – See Notes)
Tex Mex Marinade
- 60 g Olive Oil
- 50 g Tomato Paste
- 4 Garlic Cloves (Grated)
- Zest Of 1 Lime
- 1 tbsp Lime Juice
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Ground Cumin
- ½ tsp Sea Salt
- ¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper
- ¼ tsp Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
To Cook
- 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 300 ml Chicken Stock (See Notes)
- 50 g Butter (Chopped)
- Half A Cinnamon Stick
- 2 Bay Leaves
Instructions
Tex Mex Marinade
- Add all of the marinade into a large mixing bowl, stir to combine then add in the chicken thighs.
- Give the chicken thighs a toss in the marinade, so that they're all completely coated then transfer to an airtight container (or zip lock bag) & chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or up to a day.I find that an overnight marinade is best!
Cooking
- Preheat an oven to 200°c/180°c fan (392°f/356°f).
- Whilst your oven is preheating, take the chicken out of the fridge & place onto a baking tray, skin side up. Then use kitchen paper to wipe any excess marinade off the chicken skin.Wiping the excess marinade off the skin helps it crisp up properly!
- Next, set a large skillet/frying pan over a medium heat, add in the tbsp of veg oil then leave to heat up for a couple of minutes.Make sure to use an ovenproof skillet.
- Place the chicken thighs into the pan, skin side down then let them cook undisturbed for 5-10 minutes, until the skin is crisp & golden. Make sure to keep an eye on the chicken skin as it cooks, to prevent it from burning!
- Once the chicken skin is crisp & golden, use a pair of tongs to flip the chicken over then add in the chicken stock, butter, cinnamon stick & bay leaves.The stock shouldn't completely cover the chicken, as we want the skin to stay crisp. You may need to use less stock, depending on the size of your pan.
- Transfer the pan into the preheated oven then roast for 10-15 minutes, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 75°c/167°f.
- Once cooked, let the chicken rest for 5 minutes in the pan. If you're serving them whole they can be served straight away. If you're shredding the chicken, follow the instructions below.
Shredding
- Use a pair of tongs to take the chicken out of the pan then place them onto a chopping board.
- Peel the chicken skin off the thighs then set to one side. Use 2 forks (or gloved hands) to shred the meat into chunks, making sure to discard any bones.
- Roughly chop up the skin then add into a mixing bowl along with the shredded meat. Add a couple of tablespoons of the cooking stock from the pan into the bowl then mix it all together. Serve straight away!
