Place chicken thighs skin side down on a cutting board. Make a ½ inch slash on either side of the thigh bone. Evenly sprinkle both sides of the chicken thighs with ½ teaspoon of salt and pepper, or to taste (use ½ teaspoon of salt and pepper, total on all the pieces of chicken. Don't use ½ teaspoon of salt and pepper on each piece of chicken unless you like really salty and peppery chicken).
Place a large skillet on the stove, but do not turn on the heat. Place chicken, skin side down, in the skillet, leaving space between each piece of chicken. Turn on the stove to high heat. When the chicken begins to sizzle, reduce heat to medium. If necessary, move the chicken slightly so that the skin does not stick to the bottom of the skillet.
Cover the skillet and cook until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 175 F, about 16 minutes. Reduce heat if the chicken skin is turning brown too quickly. Once the chicken is cooked through, remove from the skillet and set aside.