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.
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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
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This was awesome! I made it with her chicken seasoning and it was absolutely delicious. One extra step I did that made a world of difference was I partially peeled back the skin a bit and seasoned the meat with just salt and pepper I also cooked the thighs on top of a bed of potatoes, onions and broccoli and cooked it all on a large backing sheet. Used some of the chicken seasoning in the veggie mixture. Very delicious!
Easy to make, came out flavorful and skin was crispy but meat was tender. I did put it in broiler for 2 minutes to get extra crispy skin. I cut the cooking time to 28-30 minutes for the smaller thighs so they didn’t over cook and I left the larger thighs in for 32-35 minutes. My husband said they were delicious. Thank you for a great, simple, effective recipe.
My husband said this was the best chicken I’ve made in a long time. I altered the length of time to cook the thighs to 27 min for 425* oven.
We love hearing that, Donna! So happy this recipe was such a hit for you.
Best baked chicken I have ever made. So easy to make. Definitely a keeper !!
Where is that darned 6th star?¿?¿
I just made this I alway use chicken brst. But this was easy my husband said be sure it’s done never used a rack before I will ck it and maybe 10 min longer. Thanks for the new recipe.
Just wondering. Would like to make use of the seasoning I have at home if at all possible.
In place of the chicken or italian seasoning, would it be alright to use any of these or a combination below to come up with a total of 2 to 3 tsps of the seasoning. If which, which one/s
would you recommend.
Lawry’s seasoned salt , garlic salt, lemon pepper seasoning, Trader Joe’s everything but the ELOTE seasoning blend ( salt, chile pepper, cheese, chipotle & cumin).
Thank you.
Hi Jackie, you could use any combination of those spices. It will change the flavor so depending on what you are in the mood for you could keep it simple with a little lemon pepper seasoning with some garlic salt, but I think Everything but the ELOTE sounds amazing too! Just be careful about adding too much salt if using garlic salt and seasoning salt. We also have a homemade chicken seasoning and Italian seasoning recipe that may give you a better idea of which spices you may want to use.
Would time/temperature change if only baking 2 thighs?
Hi Kathryn, if they are approximately the same size (5-6 ounces each) I wouldn’t adjust the cooking time/temperature but I could check them halfway through for doneness and adjust the time from there is needed.
Tried these thighs tonight. Perfectly done and crispy—45 minutes @ 425 degrees. Definitely a keeper!
This was fantastic! I just used some Italian seasoning, and it was simple and came out perfectly done. I served it with roasted red peppers, cauliflower and onions and a flavored rice side. Excellent! Thanks so much for sharing!
Took about 10 minutes longer, but turned our delicious! Will make again.
Is the baking rack necessary? Will the recipe work without one?
You can certainly make this without a rack. I find the rack helps it crisp a bit at the bottom but the recipe still works well without it.
Are you using fresh grated( finely grated parm OR green cap jar stuff ?
Hi GMJ, we don’t use parmesan in this recipe. Hope that helps!
Oops looking at another recipe of yours. 2 screens up at same time….daah
No worries, GMJ!
Great recipe! Simple, quick, tender & juicy chicken beneath a crispy skin. I used Italian seasoning, Savory, Paprika and salt & pepper. I will make this recipe again.
It was easy, one baking pan lined with aluminum foil, baked in my toaster oven 45 min and it was tender and delicious, and I will make again. I served with mac salad. Thank you for the recipe
Thank you for the recipe. What brand of chicken seasoning do you use please?
We love Hey Grill Hey Chicken seasoning.
I used Italian salad seasoning packet. I poured the Italian season packet in a baggie. coated the chicken legs and baked as directed. it was tender and delicious .
Lovely dish. I make something similar by adding 1/2″ slices of chorizo sausage and use olive oil in place of butter to turn it into Spanish lemon chicken. Try adding peppers, carrots or whatever takes your fancy.
Loved the chicken but my oven is a mess. I used a deep cake pan but it still spit oil all over and I had smoke. hmm Maybe I used too much olive oil?? Have run out of ideas for meals since the pandemic and being home most of the time. I will enjoy making more of your recipes. Thanks
Hi Lynn, for this recipe we use olive oil. Extra Virgin Olive Oil has a lower smoke point so that could be what caused that to happen. Hope that helps Lynn!
For a recipe like this with such a high temp, you should use a light oil such as canola, avocado or vegetable oil. I would not use olive oil for baking at a high temp. That is what caused the smoking. And any type of olive oil, especially EVOO I would think would be wrong
Is there a way to do this with skinless? Your thoughts
Hi Mary, you can make this recipe with skinless chicken, but keep in mind that boneless skinless chicken thighs will require about 10 minutes less time. Hope that helps!
FINALLY! I’ve tried many ways to cook crispy, but not dry chicken in the oven. I tried this recipe last Friday and back today to find out if I can translate this recipe to chicken legs. So tasty! Beyond taste, the instructions are perfect, which does not usually happen.
So glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Baked Chicken Thighs are looking so delicious. I am going to make it for my family. Thank you for sharing the recipe.