Have you ever heard of sazon seasoning? It’s one of my go-to favorite spice blends that my Mom puts on *literally* everything. Potatoes, eggs, beans, chicken, meat, fish… the list goes on. It’s so flavorful and I can never, ever get enough! In fact, I’m craving her sazon-seasoned Puerto Rican potatoes right now.
A few years back I decided to marinate chicken in my homemade sazon seasoning and OMG these sazon grilled chicken thighs turned out even more perfect than I could’ve imagined. So flavorful, juicy, and delicious paired with tons of different sides.
What is sazon?
Sazon is a really popular Puerto Rican spice that can be found it many Mexican and Spanish markets. Traditional sazon is a blend of coriander, cumin, achiote, garlic powder, oregano, salt & pepper. The downside of most sazon is that it contains MSG, so I love to make my own with what I typically have on hand (subbing turmeric for annatto seeds/achiote). It tastes very close to the real thing, but with a couple of twists!
Ingredients in sazon grilled chicken thighs
These easy grilled chicken thighs are made with my incredible homemade sazon to give it wonderful, warm flavors. Here’s everything you’ll need:
- Chicken thighs: I prefer to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs for ease.
- Olive oil: to coat the chicken thighs and make sure the spices do as well.
- Sazon spice blend: we’re using cumin, coriander, turmeric, garlic powder, oregano, cayenne (if you like a kick of heat), salt & pepper.
Bake or grill your chicken thighs
That’s right, you have the option to bake or grill your chicken to get perfectly juicy sazon chicken thighs!
- To grill: preheat your grill to medium-high and lightly oil the grates. Cook your chicken thighs for 6-8 minutes per side, flipping once. When the internal temp reaches 165 degrees F your chicken is done.
- To bake: preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and bake your chicken thighs for about 25-30 minutes or until the internal temp reaches 165.
Get my full guide for grilling the best chicken here, and even more chicken marinades here!
Can you freeze chicken thighs?
Yes! If you’d like to save your chicken for later, simply pour the olive oil & sazon spice blend into a resealable, freezer-friendly bag, add your chicken, and freeze the entire bag for up to 3 months.
To thaw your chicken: when you’re ready to cook it, simply thaw the chicken in the sazon overnight in the refrigerator and cook and bake as directed below.
Ways to use sazon grilled chicken thighs
Once you’ve mastered these sazon grilled chicken thighs you’ll seriously want to add this chicken to everything. Here are some of my favorite ways to use it:
- Add it to your favorite tacos, delicious taco bowls, or fun tostadas
- Top a summery pasta salad or a crunchy, veggie-packed salad
- Your quinoa bowls need this juicy chicken
- Add it to enchiladas or stuffed peppers
The options are truly endless so feel free to get creative!
I hope you love these delicious, easy sazon grilled chicken thighs. If you make them be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked them (and what you made with them!) You can also post a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #ambitiouskitchen. Enjoy, xo!
Sazon Grilled Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- Optional: ¼ teaspoon cayenne (only if you like a little heat)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- First, marinate your chicken: in a large bowl add chicken, olive oil, cumin, coriander, turmeric, garlic powder, oregano, cayenne, salt and pepper. Toss together to coat the chicken and allow it to marinate for 30 minutes-1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
- Preheat your grill to 400 degrees F. Place the chicken directly on the grill. Grill chicken thighs for 6-8 minutes per side or until fully cooked and the meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F.
- Transfer cooked chicken to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm, then chop into bite sized pieces. Use in salads, tacos, bowls and more.
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This recipe was originally published August 21st, 2020, and republished June 17th, 2024.
So tender, juicy & flavorful – I can’t believe how easy they are to make!
One of our favs!!
Officially on our chicken recipe rotation! No changes made. My husband made these last night with bone in skin on chicken thighs. Took the skin off and got tye seasoning on and let it rest. Really good! We were in a honey ginger chicken thigh rut so with warmer temps coming it’s grill season again!
Thanks!
Amazing! So glad you found this one!
Moist and tender with just the right heat level. Delicious!
One of our favs!!
Delectable!
I love the flavor pairing which is only elevated by grilling the meat. I will be making this dish again !
Thank you for the recipe.
Agreed! Glad you enjoyed!
I used boneless thighs and 1.5 teaspoons of salt (traditional ratio is one teaspoon of salt per pound of meat) marinated for 6 hours and grilled.. The chicken was totally delicious and I normally do not leave comments but this recipe is very deserving! Flavors are perfect! Thank you! Its a keeper
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed!
Cant wait to make this soon for me can i use tofu i never had sazon grilled chicken before perfect for my after office meals love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It is delicious, versatile and easy! I love that the base recipe was not too spicy for me and still had a lot of delicious flavor. I like how you gave the option to make it spicier if someone prefers it that way and the option to give it less heat.
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed!
So flavorful! Can you make these in the oven? What temperature and timing would you recommend? That would be helpful in the notes above.
Hi Kate! Check out the full blog post – I have baking instructions there 🙂
made this all throughout the pandemic with my mom. made it again tonight. thank you for the recipe.
Welcome ❤️ Glad you both are loving this recipe!
This chicken is AMAZING. Will definitely be making this again and again. Husband loved it too!
Thank you!! I’m so happy you both enjoyed it 🙂
This is my absolute favorite way to prepare chicken thighs. It is so good and goes with so many of the different salads I”ve made from ambitious kitchen! I love it with the roasted sweet potato kale salad.
I’m SO happy it’s one of your go-to’s!! Such a great idea to pair it with that kale salad 🙂
I’m going to make these tonight. I’m using 4 chicken tenders vs 1.5lbs thighs. Too much meat for 4 servings in my opinion. I’m trying to get the turmeric from a neighbor. I’ve never used it so don’t want to buy a jar of it.
Hope they came out great!
So easy and big flavor.
Love this recipe, the chicken is so versatile. I make it all the time, I usually double it and stash some in the freezer so that I have some on hand for grilling when the mood strikes. We love it in tacos or just on its own with some grilled veggies. My husband uses it in burritos for his lunches. Even my picky kids like it!
Totally agree, good call to freeze it, too! Happy to hear you guys love this recipe 🙂
I doubled the recipe and let it marinate overnight for my meal prep this week. It was so quick and easy to prep and to grill. The chicken came out so delicious, full of flavor and juicy! I can’t wait to eat it throughout the week!
Awesome, so glad to hear that! Excited for you to enjoy it all week, too!
Always looking for something new to try for
My husband who is a very finicky eater but I think he will really like the homemade spice on the grilled chicken.
Absolutely! It’s very flavorful. Let me know how it goes!
This sazon is so versatile! I make this recipe with the puerto rican rice and beans since my husband likes meat with his meals. We don’t have a grill, so I use a cast iron grill pan for a sear then finish in the oven. Delish!
Absolutely! I use it in tons of recipes. Glad you both liked this one!
Made these this summer on the grill, they were loved by the whole family.
I made this for my family and it was fantastic! Great flavor and no msg! Thank you! This is a keeper for us!
OMG this was the best chicken ever. I am literally obsessed and I will be making this all the time. I never leave reviews but this was too good not to!
So glad you loved it!
I made this for dinner on Sunday and have been enjoying the flavorful leftovers since then. Absolutely delicious!
So happy to hear that!
sazon has msg in it.
I address this in the post 🙂 that’s why this recipe calls for a homemade, MSG-free sazon 🙂
At my house we love MSG! It’s literally just a seasoning. It’s even in ranch dressing that we all know and love. Doesn’t bother me one bit! 🙂
Perfect!!
I would love to make this chicken recipe for tacos. Do you use traditional toppings for the tacos when using this chicken recipe OR do you use toppings like the ones used for fish tacos? Any topping suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!!
Stay tuned for the perfect taco recipe using these this week! But traditional toppings or fish taco toppings would both be delicious. Check out my other tacos & enchiladas here for inspo!