This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our full disclosure policy.

These Coca-Cola Chicken Thighs are perfect for any weeknight grilling! I love to grill any night of the week, and there is just something about sitting on the deck and watching your food cook in the sunshine! Thankfully with the nicer weather, we have been having I have been able to grill up a storm!

Typically I seem to get weird looks when I say to use Coca-Cola on meat or when BBQing in general! The part I love about cooking with Coca-Cola is that it adds sweetness to the meats and when you use the brines on a tougher cut of meat it helps to tenderize it.

Coca Cola Chicken Thighs Recipe Ingredients:

Chicken Thighs– I used bone-in chicken thighs, but boneless chicken thighs would work for this as well. Any variety of chicken will work in this brine.
Coca Cola
Worcestershire Sauce
Brown Sugar
Minced Garlic
Salt
Ice

Save This Recipe!

Love this recipe and want it and more in your inbox? Just add your email below and click save to get it delivered right to you!

How To Make Coca Cola Chicken Brine:

I started by making a batch of my Coca-Cola Brine.

Start with a container or bag large enough to hold the liquid and meat and ice.

Pour in the cans of Coca-Cola. I did five cans; you can change this up with how much chicken you have or the size of the container.

Add your meat to the container.

Mix in all the other brine ingredients

Use a whisk to mix all of the brine ingredients thoroughly.

Top with ice or more Coca-Cola.

Allow the thighs to brine for at least four hours.

How To Make Coca-Cola Chicken Thighs

Now I made these Coca-Cola Chicken Thighs Recipe in my Pit Boss Pro Series from Lowes. Now, if you don’t have Lowes, Walmart and Amazon carry other Pit Boss options or Pit Boss website. I had been eyeballing a Traeger grill, but this was more suited for my pocketbook.

I decided to add just a couple of hours of smoke to the chicken thighs, and I used Apple Pellets to smoke my meat, but you could use any flavor.

Money and time-saving tips from the old lady. If you order pellets online from Walmart and spend $35, they will drop them off at your door for free!! Their everyday price on pit boss pellets is amazing, plus the expert grill brand has a great price. (see them ->here)

Coca Cola Chicken Thighs cooking on top rack of grill

At about 1:20, I placed them on the Pit boss for a cold smoke and then started grilling 4 hours later.

If you choose not to smoke them, they will still turn out just fine!

Use a meat thermometer to ensure they cook to 165 degrees internal temperature.

Serve and enjoy!

Coca Cola Chicken Thigh Served With White Rice

How to store leftover Coca-Cola Chicken thighs

Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days after cooking.

What To Serve With Coca-Cola Chicken Thighs:

Bread: Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread, Garlic Parmesan Biscuit Pull Part Bread, English Muffin Garlic Cheese Bread, Easy Cheesy Monkey Bread

Grilled Side Dishes: Cheesy Grilled Asparagus, Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms, Grilled Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes, Grilled Corn On The Cob, Grilled Zucchini, Grilled Bacon Wrapped Asparagus (see my huge list of the grilled side dishes -> here)

Other Side Dishes: Air Fryer Bacon Asparagus, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Oven Roasted Baby Potatoes, Air Fryer Brussell Sprouts, Broccoli Slaw, Cole Slaw, Tomato Caprese, Hibachi Fried Rice, Green Salad, Cornbread, White Rice, Brown Rice, Fried Rice

Recipes Using A Coca-Cola Brine:

While there is no limit to what you can make with a Coca-Cola Brine, below are my favorites. You can swap out Coca-Cola for any dark soda; this is just my go-to flavor.