Griddle Chicken Legs and Thighs: The Easy Weeknight Dinner That Feeds My Whole House

Somebody asked me what we eat on a normal Tuesday. A Tuesday when everybody is tired and somebody has homework and the one year old has opinions.

This is it. Burgers, chicken legs, and thighs. All on the griddle. All at the same time.

I put it on Toni Meals and people ran with it, so here is the whole thing written out.

Nobody in this house wants the same dinner. The little ones want burgers. The grown folks want thighs, because thighs are the best part and I will not be taking questions on that. The legs go to whoever moves fastest. A griddle is the only way I have found to stop negotiating and just feed everybody at once.

Watch: Busy Mom Meals on the Griddle

One flat surface, everybody fed

• Everything cooks at once. Burgers on one side, chicken on the other. No batches, no plate of cold food waiting on the second round.
• Everybody gets their own thing off the same cook. Burgers for the little ones, thighs for the grown folks, legs for whoever gets to them first.
• The chicken sets the clock. It goes on first and the burgers slot in around it, so it all comes off within a few minutes of itself.
• Cleanup is one surface instead of four pans. That is most of the reason this meal survived in my house.
• You are not babysitting a pot. I am not standing there stirring while somebody yells at me from the other room.
• The kids can see dinner happening. Which buys me about fifteen minutes of peace.

What You Need

This feeds six with leftovers. Scale it however your house runs.

For the chicken

• 4 chicken legs, drumsticks. Cheap, dark meat, and the kids fight over them
• 4 chicken thighs, bone in or boneless, both work. Bone in carries more flavor, boneless is easier for little hands
• 3 tablespoons epis, or your everyday green seasoning. This is the main seasoning for the chicken
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika. Color and a little smoke
• 1 teaspoon adobo or all purpose seasoning. Whatever jar already lives in your cabinet
• Half teaspoon black pepper
• Juice of half a lime. Not optional in my house
• 2 tablespoons oil for the griddle

For the burgers

• 2 pounds ground beef, 80/20 so they stay juicy
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• Half teaspoon black pepper
• Half teaspoon garlic powder
• Buns, cheese, and whatever the kids negotiate for

How I Made It

1. Season the chicken first

Even the night before if you have it together that day.

Epis, the dry seasonings, lime juice, hands in the bowl. Let it sit at least 30 minutes.

The lime is not optional in my house.

2. Make the patties loose

Do not pack them tight. Season the outside, not mixed all the way through.

Thumb dent in the middle so they do not puff up on you.

3. Heat the griddle to medium

Around 375 degrees. Oil it.

If it is smoking hard, it is too hot. The chicken will burn outside and stay raw inside.

4. Chicken goes on first

It takes the longest, so it gets the head start.

Give the legs and the thighs a side each of the griddle so they are not fighting for space.

Do not touch them for the first 6 or 7 minutes.

5. Burgers go on when the chicken has about 10 minutes left

Burgers only need about 4 minutes a side.

Cheese in the last minute, with the lid or a bowl over the top.

6. Cook the chicken to 175 degrees

Technically 165 is safe. Dark meat is better at 175 to 185.

It gets tender instead of rubbery. Trust me on this one.

7. Let it rest 5 minutes

I know. Everybody is hungry. Five minutes.

Timing, honestly

Chicken is 25 to 30 minutes total depending on how thick your thighs are. Burgers are 8 to 10.

Start to plate is about 40 minutes including the seasoning, and I am usually doing three other things during it.

Swap it out

• No epis? Any green seasoning you already keep will do the job. Herbs, garlic, onion and pepper is what you are after.
• No adobo? Your all purpose seasoning covers it. Watch the salt, most of those jars are already salty.
• Ground turkey instead of beef? It works, it just dries out faster, so pull the patties sooner.

The next two days

Cool everything down, then keep it in the fridge up to 4 days.

Chicken reheats best covered, low and slow, with a splash of water in the dish so it does not dry out.

Burgers are better warmed in a pan than in the microwave. Toast the bun fresh.

Chicken freezes about 3 months. Take it off the bone first and it thaws faster and takes up less room in there.

What we serve with it

Rice. Always rice. Sometimes a fast cabbage sauteed in the chicken drippings while everything rests. Sometimes whatever is coming out of the garden that week.

In summer that is usually long beans or callaloo.

Questions I Get

Can I do this on a regular pan or grill?

Yes. Cast iron works. A regular grill works. You will just be cooking in batches instead of all at once, which is the whole point of the griddle.

Bone in or boneless thighs?

Bone in has more flavor and is cheaper. Boneless is faster and easier for little kids. I buy whatever is on sale.

What is epis?

It is the green seasoning base that lives in a jar in every Haitian fridge. Herbs, garlic, onion, peppers, blended. It gives the chicken most of its flavor. The epis recipe is coming to the blog.

Do I have to marinate overnight?

No. Thirty minutes is fine. Overnight is better.

Can I make it ahead?

The leftovers are honestly better the next day. Chop the chicken off the bone and it becomes a whole second dinner over rice.

From the Comments

A grandma in the comments shared her trick for getting veggie hating grandkids to eat asparagus. She grills it wrapped in bacon with olive oil, garlic, and Parmesan. Now the boys ask for it. I need you all to understand that bacon is a vegetable delivery system and I fully support this.

And to the viewer who told me to be careful and not get burned, I heard you. I am flipping with respect.

If dinner at your house is more survival than ceremony

You are my people. Come subscribe to Toni Meals and tell me what your go to tired night dinner is.

No judgment here. We have had cereal nights.

Toni

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