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You are here: Home » Chicken and Turkey Recipes

Dark Meat Chicken Recipes

The "lesser cuts" like dark chicken meat are my favorite recipes to make and to eat.

Dark chicken meat recipes are hard to mess up and overcook.  Dark meat is moist and tender and also tastes amazing.

Dark meat chicken parts include chicken legs which are the chicken thigh, drumsticks, and wings.

Chicken thigh, legs, and drum recipes are uber crowd pleasers too and can be made ahead of time and kept warm in the oven at 180F and not dry out while you prepare the salad or sides.

Hands down - chicken legs, thighs, and / or drumstick recipes are the perfect comfort food dinners.  Check out the below dark meat chicken recipes for a delicious dinner.

Top view of brown plate with diced chicken in brown sauce and sliced green onions on top. chopsticks on the side.

Teriyaki Chicken Thighs With Green Onions

Seared chicken thighs with pearl onions and fresh tarragon with a light brown sauce in a large white bowl with a white napkin with an artichoke on it.

French Tarragon Chicken Thighs

Top view. White deep platter with 5 browned cooked chicken thighs on a bed of bright green peas and cooked peppers. Serving silverware on side.

Lemon Chili Chicken with Peas

White bowl of chicken thighs in a yellow sauce with tomatoes, onions, and capers. Yellow Rice in bowl on the side. Top view.

Turmeric Arroz con Pollo (Spanish Chicken and Rice)

3 Mason Jars Lined up vertically with rich brown chicken stock in them on a white kitchen towel.

Homemade Chicken Bone Broth Recipe

5 seared cooked boneless skinless chicken thighs in a black pan on a white table. Top down view.

Easy Pan Fried Boneless Chicken Thighs

Brown bowl full of bone in chicken legs and thighs in a red stewed tomato sauce with rice on the side in a tan bowl.

Stewed Chicken and Tomatoes with Rice

Top down view of cooked boneless skinless seared chicken thighs in a yellow cream mustard sauce in a dark pan.

Pan Fried Chicken Thighs with Dijon Cream Sauce

Side view of wood bowl of chicken soup with egg noodles, carrots, and peas.

Easy Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup with Egg Noodles

Spicy Red/Brown Chicken Drumsticks On A White Plate surrounded by celery and with with a white blue cheese dipping sauce in a bowl

Oven Baked Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks

Chicken Stew with Potatoes & Sliced Green Olives In A Red Enameled Cast Iron Pot

Fricase de Pollo - Cuban Style Chicken Stew

Whole golden brown chicken pot pie with one slice missing. Pie slice on white plate in background.

Easy Chicken Pot Pie (Chicken Thighs)

Top view of white plate with Cranberry relish on the bottom and pan fried chicken on top. Fork, knife and napkin on the side. Bowl of mashed potatoes above plate.

Easy Pan Seared Chicken with Cranberry Sauce

Top view of rich red / orange soup with chunks of chicken and goat cheese garnish.

Sopa Azteca - Mexican Chicken Soup with Tortillas

Braised Chicken & Mushrooms on a white plate, with brown gravy over rice with a thyme sprig on top.

Chicken Thighs with Mushroom Gravy

Chicken thighs cooked in a red cast iron pot with a marinara sauce and basil leaf garnish. Serving spoon inside the pot. Top view.

Rustic Chicken Leg Cacciatore (Thighs / Drumsticks)

Top down view of a white plate with chicken over egg noodles and peas. Forks and parmesan cheese on side.

Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms, Peas, & Egg Noodles

One taco filled with chicken, cole slaw, cilantro, sliced jalapenos, and 3 sliced radishes. Ingredients in background.

Chicken Tacos with Enchilada Sauce

6 crispy roasted chicken thigh and leg skins on a small rectangle wood cutting board with an orange square small serving dish of hot sauce.

Crispy Oven Roasted Chicken Skins (Cracklings)

Grilled Chicken Thighs (with grill marks) on a bed of green salad w/ pineapple chunks on a white plate

Grilled Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Cooked Chicken Thigh and Leg with A Brown Dry Rub On A white plate with a green salad and red tomato salad.

Dry Rubbed Oven Baked Chicken Leg Quarters (Drumsticks and Thighs)

Brown Roasted Chicken legs in a cilantro sauce in a blue baking dish. Close up. Side view.

Baked Thai Chicken Drumsticks

Top view of crispy browned bone in, skin on chicken thighs on a white plate on a white table.

Bone In Skin On Oven Roasted Chicken Thighs

2 plates of browned chicken with brown sauce, chunked red peppers, whole green and black olives and a mixed green and purple salad with whole cherry tomatoes.

Moroccan Chicken Thighs with Preserved Lemon

Pan Fried Chicken Thigh with a blue bowl of Grape sauce on a Wood Serving Plate with a sprig of rosemary

Pan Seared Chicken with Grape Sauce

Grilled Chicken Thighs with a red brown dry rub on a white plate.

Easy Grilled Boneless Chicken Thighs

Chicken, Oranges, and Toasted Almonds with Brown sauce over a bed of couscous on a white shallow bowl. Garnished with chopped cilantro.

Slow Cooked Citrus Chicken

Roasted Whole Chicken Recipe in dark deep Roasting Pan

Easy Perfect Roasted Whole Chicken

Wood oval plate with crispy romaine lettuce with cooked chicken, sliced almonds, diced carrots, celery, onions, garlic, and ginger.

Chinese Chopped Chicken Salad

2 grilled chicken thighs over a bed of arugula salad w/ halved cherry tomatoes and diced avocado. On a white plate.

Grilled Chicken and Basil Vinaigrette

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Hey y'all!

I’m Beckie Hemmerling. I love food and I think of it on a basic level of providing strength & nourishment. Cooking has helped me *try* to figure out life, not just my own, but also other people's. I have cooked through many joys / sorrows and cooking has always been a meditative place through these highs & lows. More background info →

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Chicken thighs cooked in a red cast iron pot with a marinara sauce and basil leaf garnish. Serving spoon inside the pot. Side view.