These mouthwatering mango jalapeno chicken thighs make the perfect meal! While this recipe was designed using a grill, you can also cook it right in the oven.
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are amazingly juicy and tender. Add a simple BBQ rub and a deliciously sweet, fruity, and mildly spicy mango jalapeno barbecue sauce, and it’s pure perfection. Even better, we use simple, budget-friendly ingredients for this grilled chicken thigh recipe.
What is the difference between chicken breasts and boneless chicken thighs?
Boneless chicken thighs contain more fat and are far juicier than chicken breasts. Because of the lean nature of chicken breasts, they tend to dry out faster during cooking. This is not the case with boneless chicken thighs.
How many boneless chicken thighs in a pound?
You can expect roughly 3 moderately sized chicken thighs per pound, depending on the size.
How many boneless chicken thighs per person?
Typically, one chicken thigh will yield roughly 3 ounces of meat. For small appetites, plan on 1 thigh per person, or for big eaters, plan on 2 per person.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs
- 3 jalapenos
- 2 ripe mangoes
- Cilantro or flat-leaf parsley
- Yellow onion
- Fresh limes
- Garlic
- Ketchup
- Dark brown sugar
- Olive oil
- Soy sauce
- Ginger powder
- Salt and black pepper
Tips:
- Make sure you have enough fuel to get you through a 90-minute cooking time. Of course, these times may vary from grill to grill, so planning ahead is key.
- While chicken thighs are technically done at 165 degrees F, we recommend leaving them on until they reach an internal temperature of 170-175 degrees F.
- Do you want smokier chicken thighs? Add some apple, peach, or cherry wood
- A reliable instant-read thermometer is your best friend when cooking low and slow meats.
How to make mango jalapeno BBQ sauce
- Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over high heat.
- Reduce heat to medium-low, add onions and diced jalapenos to the pan, and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Next, add the minced garlic, and cook for 1 minute.
- Add mangoes, ketchup, brown sugar, lime juice, soy sauce, and 1/2 cup of water. Let the sauce simmer for 12 minutes. Stir as needed and watch for burning; reduce heat as needed.
- Transfer to a blender or food processor, and puree the sauce.
- Return it to the saucepan over low heat, and season with salt and black pepper. Simmer for 2-3 minutes
- If the sauce is too thick, add 2 tablespoons of water to thin it out.
- Remove BBQ sauce from the heat, cover, and keep warm.
- If you are not too keen on tomato-based sauces? Try our mango-jalapeno rib glaze on this chicken instead!
Grill Set up
Set up your grill for an indirect cooking temperature of 300 degrees F.
- Charcoal grill: bank all of the hot coals to one side.
- Gas grill: for a 2-burner unit. Set one to medium heat, and leave the other burner off. For a 3-burner unit, set the two outside burners to medium heat, and leave the middle burner off.
- Pellet Grill: Preheat your grill to 300 degrees F.
How to make mango-jalapeno chicken thighs
- Trim off any loose pieces of meat or fat from the chicken thighs—season with salt first. Combine black pepper with ginger powder and finish seasoning chicken thighs.
- Place chicken thighs on the indirect cooking portion of the grill, close the lid and cook. After 45 minutes, check the temperature of the chicken. Keep a close eye on your grill temperature and adjust accordingly.
- Once the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 155 degrees F, it’s time to apply the BBQ sauce.
- Brush boneless chicken thighs with sauce every few minutes until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees F.
- Remove chicken thighs from the grill, and place them onto a serving platter. Garnish with mango, jalapeno, and cilantro, and serve.
Oven method
- Follow the above prep instructions for the chicken thighs and sauce.
- Bake the chicken thighs at 300 degrees F, brushing with BBQ sauce after the first 45 minutes of cooking time. As always, check the temperature of the thighs before applying the sauce. It should read 155 degrees F. Apply the sauce 2-3 times until the chicken registers 170 degrees F.
Recommended side dishes
Mango-Jalapeno Chicken Thighs
Delicious slow-grilled boneless chicken thighs with a mango-jalapeno BBQ sauce.
Print Pin RateServings: 6
Calories: 516kcal
Ingredients
- 4 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs
- 3 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1 tablespoon diced jalapeno garnish
- 1/2 cup diced ripe mango garnish
- 1/2 cup cilantro or flat-leaf parsley garnish
- Sauce:
- 1 cup diced ripe mango
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/3 cup diced onion
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 2 jalapenos seeded and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over high heat.
- Reduce heat to medium-low, add onions and diced jalapenos to the pan, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Next, add the minced garlic, and cook for 1 minute.
- Add mangoes, ketchup, brown sugar, lime juice, soy sauce, and 1/2 cup of water. Let the sauce simmer for 12 minutes. Stir as needed and watch for burning; reduce heat as needed.
- Transfer to a blender or food processor, and puree the sauce.
- Return it to the saucepan over low heat, and season with salt and black pepper. Simmer for 2-3 minutes
- If the sauce is too thick, add 2 tablespoons of water to thin it out.
- Remove BBQ sauce from the heat, cover, and keep warm.
- Set up your grill for an indirect cooking temperature of 300 degrees F.
- Charcoal grill: bank all of the hot coals to one side.
- Gas grill: for a 2-burner unit. Set one to medium heat, and leave the other burner off. For a 3 burner unit, set the two outside burners to medium heat, and leave the middle burner off.
- Pellet Grill: Preheat your grill to 300 degrees F.
- Trim off any loose pieces of meat or fat from the chicken thighs—season with salt first. Combine black pepper with ginger powder and finish seasoning chicken thighs.
- Place chicken thighs on the indirect cooking portion of the grill, close the lid and cook. After 6 minutes, turn the chicken and continue cooking.
- Once the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 155 degrees F, it’s time to apply the BBQ sauce.
- Brush boneless chicken thighs with sauce every few minutes until the internal temperature reaches 170-175 degrees F.
- Remove chicken thighs from the grill, and place them onto a serving platter. Garnish with mango, jalapeno, and cilantro, and serve.
- *see notes section for oven method.
Notes
Oven method Follow the above prep instructions for the chicken thighs and sauce.
Bake the chicken thighs at 300 degrees F, brushing with BBQ sauce after the first 45 minutes of cooking time. As always, check the temperature of the thighs before applying the sauce. It should read 155 degrees F. Apply the sauce 2-3 times until the chicken registers 170 degrees F.
Bake the chicken thighs at 300 degrees F, brushing with BBQ sauce after the first 45 minutes of cooking time. As always, check the temperature of the thighs before applying the sauce. It should read 155 degrees F. Apply the sauce 2-3 times until the chicken registers 170 degrees F.
Nutrition
Calories: 516kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 60g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 287mg | Sodium: 2065mg | Potassium: 1010mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 900IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 3mg
Also, try All our Easy Chicken Recipes for the Grill or Smoker!
