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.

juicy Baked Chicken Thighs on a plate

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.
Baked Chicken Thighs before seasoning & baking

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!

  1. Pat chicken thighs dry with a clean paper towel.
  2. Drizzle with oil and season generously.
  3. Bake the thighs until they reach 165°F.
  4. Broil to crisp the skin if desired.

Serve with roast potatoes and green beans for a perfect meal.

Baked Chicken Thighs with Thongs

Holly’s Best Tips

  • I cook chicken at 425°F; the higher the temperature, the crisper the skin.
  • This recipe is for 6 oz bone-in thighs; larger thighs will need a longer cooking time.
  • Place chicken thighs on a rack if possible so the fat drips away. If you don’t have a rack, they can be cooked directly on the baking sheet.
  • Bake chicken thighs to an internal temperature of 165°F with a meat thermometer.

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!

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juicy Baked Chicken Thighs on a plate
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Baked Chicken Thighs

Baked chicken thighs are an easy-to-make meal with crispy skin and tender meat.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 6 servings
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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

Seasoning: Replace the chicken seasoning with 2 to 3 teaspoons of premade chicken seasoning blend. My personal favorite is Hey Grill Hey Chicken Seasoning. Note that salt levels can vary by brand, so taste some of the seasoning to ensure it has enough salt. If needed, add additional salt to the chicken.
Baking time: Chicken thighs can vary in size from 5 to 10 oz, the cooking time is for 6oz chicken thighs. If the thighs are larger, they may need extra time.
Leftovers: Leftover chicken can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Cooked and cooled chicken thighs can be frozen for up to 4 months. 
4.99 from 816 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 360 | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 142mg | Sodium: 112mg | Potassium: 301mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.02g | Vitamin A: 130IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Chicken, Dinner, Entree
Cuisine American
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oven Baked Chicken Thighs on a cooling rack with writing

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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
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Comments

  1. My family LOVES this recipe! It’s fun to make, I get my younger brother involved, and we can prep other sides as the chicken bakes. We can even prepare a lot of extra seasoning when we know we’ll make more soon.

    I bought some skinless chicken thighs because they were on sale today. Do you think they’d work as well?

    1. Hi Bella, that is so fun to get everyone involved :) Skinless chicken thighs work well in this recipe! I hope you enjoy them!

  2. My apologies Holly. I just saw in your Chicken Salad recipe how to cook chicken breast/thighs.

    Thanks much,
    Debi

  3. The cooking times are off. I followed the time for the 350 temperature and the chicken wasn’t done.3 stars

    1. Hi Sabrina, how long did it cook for? It can take 50-55 minutes at 350°F. And how big were your chicken thighs? This recipe is for thighs 5-6 ounces each, but chicken can greatly vary in size.

  4. Perfect! And truly easy for those days when you don’t feel like thinking about your dinner recipe. Thanks for sharing!5 stars

  5. This is my go to recipe for chicken thighs in the oven, simply delish. I use olive oil and vary between McCormicks chicken seasoning and lemon pepper seasoning. Always a hit for dinner.

  6. Excellent recipe! Tossing the thighs in the oil and seasoning really increased the flavor. I used Tony’s for the seasoning and broiled at the end. Fantastic.5 stars

    1. I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Lea. The skin will likely not get as crispy, but otherwise will still be delicious. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!

    1. My favorite way to reheat chicken is to pop it in the air fryer for a few minutes. You can also put it back into the oven until heated through.

  7. Hello! I was surfing around looking for ideas with chicken thighs and came across your recipe. After checking out your chicken spice concoction I’m definitely going to go this route. Question: for this recipe did you add the brown sugar as well? It didn’t look like it, but not sure.

  8. I very rarely comment on recipes but this chicken recipe was amazing! I made the chicken seasoning linked in this recipe and i’m so happy I did. I will use it on those busy nights when I don’t have too much time to cook but still want a delicious dinner. Thank you for sharing!

    Will update when my kids try it!5 stars

  9. A lovely meal when I added red pepper slices, red onion slices, sweet corn cobs and tomatoes after 25 minutes cooking time.5 stars

  10. Delicious… and I made your seasoning mix as well! I used more than the couple of teaspoons of seasoning you called for- the thighs I used were large and we like a lot of seasoning. The chicken came out crispy on the outside and juicy and delicious inside. Whole family- small kids included loved this. And now I have the seasoning for next time!5 stars

    1. I had one boneless thigh and two bone in. I used avocado oil and Traeger’s chicken rub. 165 for the boneless, 175 for bone in. Perfect in every way.5 stars

  11. First of all? I’m not a fan of thighs. Too grisly. Too “picky”. The fat is…. Too fatty… whine whine whine. Tonight I made YOUR recipe. To a T. The chicken seasoning was a masterpiece. Seriously. So dang good! Baked the chicken til 165. I usually Overcook or undercook/- there’s never an in between. This is the BEST OVEN ROASTED CHICKEN THIGHS EVER. Thank you. Seriously. THANK YOU!!!5 stars

  12. Hi! I see the serving size says 6…. Im curious… is the nutritional information based on a serving size of just one chicken thigh?5 stars