Chicken Thighs
Chicken in the Midwest · down 11% this week
Per a typical 120g serving, scaled from the per-100g figures in USDA FoodData Central (Chicken, broilers or fryers, thigh, meat and skin, raw).
- 1 MidwestCheapest $1.33/lb
- 2 Northeast $1.45/lb
- 3 Southeast $1.47/lb
- 4 Southcentral $1.47/lb
- 5 Southwest $1.63/lb
Buying chicken thighs in the Midwest saves about 18% versus the Southwest this week.
- How to pick a good one
- Bone-in, skin-on thighs. Look for skin that covers the meat well and a thigh that feels heavy for its size. Colour varies naturally from pale pink to deeper red and is not a quality indicator.
- What a good price looks like
- The best-value chicken and arguably the best-value meat in the shop: bone-in thighs run $1.50 to $3 a pound, boneless $3 to $5. Under $2 a pound bone-in is a good price. Per gram of protein and per unit of flavour, thighs beat breast comfortably at roughly half the cost.
- What you actually get
- Bone-in skin-on thighs lose about 35% to bone, skin, and rendered fat, so a pound gives roughly 10 oz cooked meat. A pound serves two to three. Boneless skinless thighs lose about 25% and are all meat.
- How to store it
- One to two days refrigerated, up to nine months frozen. Thighs freeze better than breast because the extra fat protects them.
- In the kitchen
- Trim the loose fat pad along one edge — it will not render in a quick cook and makes the pan greasy. Boning a thigh takes about twenty seconds: lay it skin down, cut along either side of the bone, and lift it out. If a recipe needs even thickness, open the thicker side with a shallow horizontal cut rather than pounding, which tears dark meat.
- Getting the most out of it
- Consistently one of the best value proteins in the store, and more forgiving than breast — the extra fat and connective tissue mean an extra ten minutes will not ruin them. Start them skin-side down in a cold pan and let the fat render slowly for genuinely crisp skin.
- Moroccan Chicken RecipeRecipe by Feasting at Home~$0.92 / serving 2 in-season
- Jerk Chicken TacosRecipe by The Modern Proper~$0.93 / serving 4 in-season
- Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken RecipeRecipe by Foodie Crush~$0.98 / serving 1 in-season
- Air Fryer Asian-Glazed Boneless Chicken ThighsRecipe by Skinnytaste~$1.11 / serving 1 in-season
- One Pot Pesto Chicken and RiceRecipe by The Modern Proper~$1.12 / serving 3 in-season
- Baked Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken ThighsRecipe by Budget Bytes~$1.16 / serving 2 in-season
See all 267 recipes with chicken thighs →Filter by diet, time, budget, and macros.
Price from the USDA weekly retail meat report (conventional, per lb). Nutrition per typical serving, computed from USDA FoodData Central.
Chicken Thighs — FAQ
What's the price of chicken thighs this week?
As of the week of September 4, 2026, the price of chicken thighs in the Midwest is $1.33/lb, down 11% from last week. Prices come from the USDA's weekly retail meat report.
Which region has the cheapest chicken thighs right now?
The Midwest has the cheapest chicken thighs this week at $1.33/lb — about 18% less than the Southwest, where it runs $1.63/lb.
How much protein is in chicken thighs?
A typical 120g serving of chicken thighs has about 19.8g protein and 265 calories (19.9g fat), per USDA FoodData Central.
What can I cook with chicken thighs?
SeasonSort indexes 267 recipes using chicken thighs, each priced per serving from this week's data — starting from about $0.44 a serving. The cheapest are listed on this page, with a link to the full filtered list.