Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs – The most amazing oven baked chicken thighs! These chicken thighs come out crispy on the outside and amazingly tender and juicy on the inside. Baked chicken thighs are so easy to make with only a few ingredients and one pan!
Ok, folks! One of the questions I get asked most often is how to cook chicken thighs. Try these with a side of our Classic Baked Mac and Cheese, so good! They’re so easy to make, and this has become one of my most popular recipes! If you’re looking for other fun chicken thigh recipes, try these Garlic Parmesan Chicken Thighs and these Greek Chicken Thighs! We’re also loving these Grilled Chicken Thighs during the summer months and of course Crispy Baked Chicken Wings all year long!
Questions that I hear about them the most are:
- How long do I cook chicken thighs in the oven and at what temperature?
- How do I cook chicken thighs in a pan but make sure they turn out crispy on the outside?
- Should I use boneless skinless chicken thighs are bone in with skin?
I think people love the thigh meat because it’s super flavorful, but they just aren’t as familiar with cooking them as they are the breast meat. Luckily, it’s an incredibly easy process that takes only a few minutes of prep and then the thighs bake up to crispy tender perfection on a sheet pan.
And, I am here to answer those questions for you today with my favorite baked chicken thigh recipe ever, plus a quick video that shows just how I make them!
Let’s go directly into tips for success when making baked chicken thighs:
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Pat them dry with paper towels before seasoning. The natural moisture from the chicken can prevent getting a really good sear. These thighs basically sear right in the oven, so this is an important but quick step to take.
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How long and at what temperature should you bake the thighs? You’ll want to bake these at 400 degrees for 35-45 minutes without moving or turning them during the process. This temperature and time ensure that crispy outside and juicy inside we’re looking for. The chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees before being consumed.
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Use a rimmed baking sheet. The chicken will produce some of its tasty natural juices, and you don’t want those running off the pan into your oven!
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I use bone in and skin on chicken thighs for this recipe. I find that it produces the best results. However, if you have boneless skinless on hand or that is just your preference, they work just fine with this recipe as well! They may take about 10 minutes less to cook, so just keep an eye on them.
I hope you guys enjoy this simple chicken recipe as much as my family does! As always, leave me a comment if you have additional questions, I’m happy to answer them!
Be sure to check out our video for this recipe below and follow along on Facebook to see all of the yummy food videos we share!
~Nichole
Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 3 Pounds Chicken thighs, About 6-8
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 Teaspoons Salt
- 2 Teaspoons Garlic Powder
- 2 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 2 Teaspoons Italian Seasoning
- 1 Teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 Teaspoon Paprika
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup and set aside.
- Remove the chicken thighs from their packaging and pat them dry with paper towels. Arrange the chicken thighs on prepared baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil rubbing the oil into the chicken to coat.
- In a small bowl mix together the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and paprika. Sprinkle the spices over the chicken evenly.
- Bake chicken in preheated oven for 35-45 minutes.*
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
If you’re looking for other tasty chicken recipes for dinner try these:
If you’re looking for baking recipes, these are some of my readers favorites:
I made this recipe and it is good, but….I strongly recommend cutting the amount of pepper in half. As the saying goes, you can always add more but you can’t take any out. The amount of pepper in this recipe completely overpowered everything. I may make it again, but with much less pepper.
Loved it. A bit salty so will reduce the salt next time. What is Italian seasoning? Definitely doing this again.
Added juice from 2 lemons to rub and let sit for at least 1/2 hour. Ahhh, Salty Marshmallow Greek-infused chicken. With Faro pilaf.
Do you put foil on top when you put it in the oven?
Do not cover it with foil… you want it to crisp up and covering it will cause it to steam and the skin won’t get crispy.
Chicken any way any day is a bore……………? If you dislike chicken so much, why did you bother looking up a chicken recipe? lol
This recipe was fantastic!
Thank you for Nicole for this easy and awesome recipe!
Chicken any way, any day, is a bore, but… this was so good!
Crispy and moist, flavorful and delicious.
Thank you for an easy fast way to cook for my family!
I just made this tonight. I followed the recipe exactly, except I substituted oregano and basil for the Italian Seasoning (I just don’t care for rosemary). My 9 year old, 12 year old, and husband ALL finished theirs and wished I had made extra! I wished I had made extra too! This is definitely going in my rotation. It was so easy to put together, even with a 5 month old!
I am just admiring the crispy skin on this chicken! So delcious!
I ran across this recipe on Google search for baked chicken…I must say…excellent job Nicole!! My wife absolutely loves them…I used legs this time and they are absolutely scrumptious!! Thanks a million!!
I found this recipe to be way too salty. Practically inetible. We do cook with salt but as I was making it, I thought 2 tablespoons was a ton of salt and I didn’t even put that much. After cooking it , I scraped off the spices for my family to eat it. Next tine, I will eyeball the salt and sprinkle it on at the end of preparation. Other than that, the mix of spices was interesting. Thanks!
The recipe calls for two teaspoons of salt, not two tablespoons, that’s probably why you found it so salty! 🙂
Im dying@?
Not sure if you referenced using 2 tablespoons of salt which made your chicken too salty. However the recipe calls for 2 teaspoons of salt not tablespoons. This is my first time using this recipe so cannot comment about the taste yet. Should be done in about 30 minutes so hoping it will be great.
Yours was too salty because you used 2 tablespoons of salt instead of the 2 TEASPOONS the recipe called for…
It calls for 2 teaspoon not 2 tablespoons
It’s two teaspoons not tablespoons of salt that’s why it was way salty..