Garlic Butter Chicken Thighs with Salad or Rice Bowl Options Recipe
This Garlic Butter Chicken Thighs recipe features tender and juicy boneless, skinless chicken thighs pan-seared to golden perfection in a flavorful garlic butter sauce. Served as a chopped salad with fresh romaine lettuce, red onions, corn, cherry tomatoes, goat cheese, and avocado, or transformed into a hearty chicken rice bowl, this versatile dish comes together quickly in just 20 minutes, making it perfect for a satisfying weeknight meal.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Low Salt
Ingredients
Chicken Thighs
- 8–10 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 3–4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2–3 tbsp minced garlic
Salad Ingredients
- 2 heads romaine lettuce
- 1 red onion
- 1 cup corn kernels
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 2 avocados
- Goat cheese (amount as desired)
Optional
- Cooked rice, to make this into a chicken rice bowl
Instructions
- Prepare the Chicken: Coat the chicken thighs evenly with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, then sprinkle garlic powder, salt, and pepper all over the chicken to season thoroughly.
- Cook the Chicken: Heat a skillet on medium heat and melt 1 tablespoon of butter with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Place the chicken thighs skin side down in the pan without overcrowding; cook for 5 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook for another 6 to 7 minutes, or until fully cooked through. If cooking in batches, add more butter and oil for the second batch.
- Make Garlic Butter Sauce: Lower the heat, remove the cooked chicken thighs from the pan, then add the remaining butter and minced garlic into the skillet. Stir constantly until the butter melts and the garlic is fragrant.
- Coat Chicken with Sauce: Return the chicken thighs to the skillet and spoon the garlic butter sauce over the chicken to coat it well and infuse flavor.
- Prepare the Salad: Chop the romaine lettuce, red onion, corn, cherry tomatoes, avocado, and crumble goat cheese. Chop the garlic butter chicken into bite-sized pieces and combine everything to make a garlic butter chopped chicken salad.
- Optional Chicken Rice Bowl: For a heartier option, serve the garlic butter chicken and salad ingredients over a bed of cooked rice to make a delicious chicken rice bowl.
Notes
- Do not overcrowd the skillet when cooking chicken to ensure even cooking and proper browning.
- You can adjust the amount of garlic according to your taste preference to make the garlic butter sauce more or less intense.
- Use fresh ingredients for the salad to add a crisp contrast to the rich chicken.
- Leftover chicken and salad mix well for easy meal prep and can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
- To make this dish gluten-free, ensure the rice and any added seasonings or goat cheese are certified gluten-free.
