Grilled Boneless Chicken Thighs

How to prepare grilled boneless chicken thighs

1. Take the chicken thighs out of the refrigerator, wash them and pat dry with paper towels so they're completely dry.
2. Sprinkle your desired seasonings on the work surface (I generally use black and green pepper, chili and a bit more salt than I would usually sprinkle; however, you can use any seasoning you want, depending on the side dish you've chosen for them). Roll the thighs through the seasonings so they're covered on all sides. I like using this method for seasoning meats because the seasonings will be distributed more evenly on the meat than if I sprinkled them directly, and they adhere better.
3. Place the thighs on a plate and let them sit for 1 hour at room temperature. This step has a dual purpose:
   1. First, the salt will dissolve and through osmosis will enter the meat, which will increase juiciness (salt retains moisture and if it enters the interior it will retain more water there during cooking)
   2. If the meat is at room temperature it will cook faster to the center; if you put it cold on the grill, the interior will cook slower than the exterior, you would have to keep the meat longer on the grill and the outside would be drier.
   These rules apply to any type of meat you'll prepare on the grill or in the oven.
4. Place the grill pan (without fat) over high heat. Let the pan heat for 5 minutes. It's important that the pan is super hot, so the meat won't stick to it.
5. While the pan is heating, brush the thighs with a little oil on all sides. I prefer to oil the thighs rather than the pan because this way there's no smoke during cooking.
7. Place the thighs on the grill pan (skin-side down, or the side where the skin was if they're skinless). Reduce to medium heat under the pan. Let them cook for 3 minutes on the first side without moving them. Place the thighs at a distance from each other on the pan, don't crowd them. Cook in batches if they don't all fit at once.
8. Flip the thighs and cook for another 3 minutes on the second side. Press them slightly with the back of a fork after flipping so they have contact with a larger surface of the pan (meat tends to contract during cooking and if you press it a few tens of seconds after putting it on the grill it will relax a bit and stay flatter).
   * If the thighs are larger, you can leave them 1 extra minute per side; I usually choose small thighs for grilling, they cook better.
9. Remove the thighs to a plate and cover with aluminum foil. Let them rest for 5 minutes, then they can be served.

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