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 followed the recipe exactly and it was delicious! It’s been a long time since I remember my husband being that vocal while eating with the sounds he was making because he liked it so much. He immediately said please make this again. I will definitely make it again (I liked it too) and the only change I’ll make is cut the salt in half.
Hey man, I don’t usually comment on recipe sites but I made these a few days ago and my family RAVED, they were really really good. This is my go-to roasting method for thighs from now on. Great job and I’m going to check out the rest of your recipes since this one was so good. I like your specific instructions and recipes without extra fluff – very nice to find a site with out a novel of unrelated content before a recipe.
Thanks for taking the time to comment, we always appreciate it! 🙂
Second time I have made this. The only thing I did differently was used 1 tsp salt, as we are trying to cut back due to my husband’s high blood pressure. It was still the best baked chicken thigh dinner EVER!! Thanks so much for posting this recipe. With the HUGE thighs I had, 45 minutes was perfect. It will be on my biweekly menu list from now on! We will call it NICOLE’S CHICKEN 🙂
YES! Oh my gosh, I love this so much! Thank you for taking time to let me know how much you enjoy this one! 🙂
Could you use this recipe for a half chicken instead of just thighs??
This chicken recipe is really finger lickin good!
Made these for my husband (picky eater) and I. We both loved them!! Picky hubby went back for seconds.
I halved the recipe and had some spice mixture left over so I dusted the underside of the thighs as well. They baked for nearly an hour because I forgot to turn the water on for the corn. They were fall-apart tender with the promised crispy skin. Definitely will be a regular.
I made extra spices and roasted some veggies as well the whole meal was very very good well cook again and again
My family loved these, including my 4 year old. I only had boneless, so baked for 25 min and broiled for a few min extra at the end. So flavorful! Thank you!
I basted them after 40 minutes and then broiled for a few minutues for the crunch factor. They were very delicious! I will make again.
Thanks so much. I’ve found a great tasty quick baked thigh recipe.
Best chicken thigh recipe ever!!!
Going to make it for supper tonight. I think the chicken thighs should be place skin side up???? It doesn’t say. Sounds very good.
Yes, skin side up 🙂