Oven baked chicken thighs always come out juicy, tender, and delicious.
This recipe couldn’t be easier to prep, bone-in thighs are seasoned, baked, and then popped under the broiler for crispy crunchy skin and juicy meat.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Baked Chicken Thigh Perfection (And Here’s Why!)…
- This recipe has really fast prep and needs just a few staple ingredients.
- They’re so delicious, with tender, juicy meat and crispy skin (the best part!).
- They can be made ahead and enjoyed all week long.
- I use a simple seasoning blend, but you can experiment with your favorite seasoning blends, spices, and herbs.
The Essentials for Baked Chicken Thighs
Chicken: This recipe uses bone-in chicken thighs. Since chicken thighs are dark meat, they’re extra flavorful and tender. Boneless and skinless thighs, legs, or drumsticks will also work; adjust baking time as needed (use this recipe for chicken breasts). Thaw frozen thighs before using.
Seasonings: The savory flavor in this recipe comes from poultry or Italian seasoning. Taste test your seasoning before adding additional salt as this can differ by brand!
One Recipe, Endless Possibilities
- Replace the chicken seasoning in the recipe below with 2 to 3 teaspoons of your favorite seasoning blend premade chicken seasoning blend.
- Brush on your favorite BBQ for the last 15 minutes of cooking time to make them sticky and delicious.
- Toss in dill and lemon zest for a refreshing twist, or try homemade Lemon Pepper.
How to Bake Chicken Thighs
This chicken recipe is easy to make and will disappear in minutes!
- Pat chicken thighs dry with a clean paper towel.
- Drizzle with oil and season generously.
- Bake the thighs until they reach 165°F.
- Broil to crisp the skin if desired.
Serve with roast potatoes and green beans for a perfect meal.
Save It for Later
Keep leftover oven-baked chicken thighs in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Enjoy them cold or reheat portions in the microwave. Use leftover chicken thigh meat to make chicken salad, or buffalo chicken dip.
Freeze-cooled thighs in zippered bags for up to one month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Holly's Favorite Chicken Thigh Recipes
Did your family enjoy these Baked Chicken Thighs? Leave a rating and a comment below!
Ingredients
- 6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs approximately 6 ounces each
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the Seasoning*
- ½ teaspoon paprika or ¼ teaspoon each sweet paprika and smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves or dried rosemary or basil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking pan with foil and place a baking rack on top.
- Dab the chicken skin dry with a paper towel to remove any moisture.
- Drizzle the chicken with olive oil and season generously with the seasoning, salt and pepper. Rub the seasoning and oil into the chicken skin.
- Place the chicken thighs on the rack, skin side up, and bake uncovered 35-40 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165°F.
- Turn the broiler on high and broil the skin for 2-3 minutes to crisp if needed.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken, Dinner, Entree
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Dear Holly, Thank you so much for sharing this great recipe. I’ve been making a few weeks in a row now, but made a big batch so I can freeze some today. Any tips on how to use frozen version would be much appreciated…Do I need to thaw first or can I put straight into air fryer at around 170degrees Celsius for 15mins ?
Many thanks in anticipation
These chicken thighs freeze well! For the best texture, I would recommend letting them thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then reheating in the air fryer until the thickest part reaches 74°C / 165°F, I would heat them in the air fryer at 170-180°C for 10-14 minutes. I would love to hear how this turns out for you!
Nothing special. C’est typique.
Thanks for trying our recipe, Coco.
It came out really good and all our family enjoyed for dinner.
Thank you for sharing good recipe!
Great recipe, made tonight. Here outside Charlotte NC, our supermarket chicken thighs are huge. Made 2 or 3 times the rub and used it on 4 pieces to try the recipe. That amount of rub barely covered each piece top and bottom. I will keep and make this again.
Yummy!
I never make comments but I feel the need to with this one- this is one of my favorite dinners to make (we pair with mashed potatoes, broccoli and crescent rolls) of all time. I search the internet every time we have chx thighs to cook, and this is THE ONE. Thank you for the details and recipe ❤️
Delicious and easy! Drying the thighs off before seasoning was key. Great recipe
Easy delicious meal. A must try for little experienced cooks ❤️
Easy!!! Followed recipe. Everything was great. If you broil at the end make sure to keep an eye on the chicken closely. The skin will burn easily. This tastes great and will be a regular in my rotation. Kid friendly also.
Thank you Holly for your awesome recipe “baked Chicken”. I finally made perfect baked Chicken because of you. My problem was that I had the temperature too low, anyhow, thank you so very much and Merry Christmas to you and yours. ~ Erika
I’m so glad you loved it Erika, that crispy skin is so good!
I only use you recipes when cooking a meal
Thank you so much for your support Robert, I’m so glad to hear you love my recipes.