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!

Baked Chicken Thighs

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:

  1. How long do I cook chicken thighs in the oven and at what temperature?
  2. How do I cook chicken thighs in a pan but make sure they turn out crispy on the outside?
  3. 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!

Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Thighs

Let’s go directly into tips for success when making baked chicken thighs:

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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!

  • 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.

Baked Chicken Thighs

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

4.99 from 2150 votes

Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs

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!
Prep 5 minutes
Cook 35 minutes
Total 40 minutes
Servings 8

Ingredients 

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

*Chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees before consuming. 

Nutrition

Calories: 410kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 27g, Fat: 31g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 166mg, Sodium: 713mg, Potassium: 374mg, Vitamin A: 265IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 24mg, Iron: 1.4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Like this? Rate & review this recipe below!

If you’re looking for other tasty chicken recipes for dinner try these:

  1. Sheet Pan Cashew Chicken
  2. Chicken Enchilada Soup
  3. Honey Mustard Chicken Foil Packets

 

 

If you’re looking for baking recipes, these are some of my readers favorites:

  1. Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins
  2. One Bowl Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
  3. Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Cookies

 


Hey! Nice to meet you! I'm Nichole!

Welcome to The Salty Marshmallow! I'm a mom, animal lover, photographer, & kitchen mess-maker. Here you will find the result of my decades-long passion for chasing the best flavors in the kitchen, all meant to be cooked by regular people with busy lives just like you and me.

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1,222 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    We did boneless
    Skinless for 25 minutes at 400 and it was perfect. A little salty even for my salt loving hubby. Next time less salt for us. I substituted Italian seasoning with 2 tsp Italian breadcrumbs. I rolled the chicken in the mixture like breaded chicken. 😉

  2. 5 stars
    Making this tonight. It’s in the oven. My instinct was taking over and I wanted to brown them in my CI skillet first but I did not. I like trying and following recipes to a T.

    Living room is smelling good already! I’m gonna use the leftover seasoning for vegetables and store whatever’s left over.

  3. Hi! How do I make these crispy baked chicken thighs for 2? Not that great at breaking down recipes from 8 to 2 ??! Thanks!

  4. 5 stars
    I’m a husband and I live with my wife and her two kids. I made this and they loved it. The lady that lives downstairs said my chicken smelled so good she wanted to throw away her pizza and come get some of the chicken. This recipe is great!

      1. Tammy, you are amazing. Thank you for posting that. I just found this recipe and while reading the comments, I was thinking the exact same thing. Now, back to the recipe. These thighs came out fantastic!

  5. 5 stars
    Hey Nichole Thanks for the recipe.

    I cooked boneless thighs and forgot the olive oil.

    They were delicious anyway! Thanks!

    PS: Cooked them for 25 minutes at the 400degrees instead since they were boneless. Came out perfect.

    1. 4 stars
      Thank you for that bit of information fixing to put them in the oven wondering if I should cover them

  6. Is there any other spice you’d recommended besides paprika. I don’t have any currently but I have all the other spices. Just wondering if it makes a huge difference in flavor or not. Thank you!

    1. I think they will still taste great without the paprika! You could add additional garlic, or any of the other seasonings to your preference.

  7. 5 stars
    Wow! Finally the perfect seasoning. I just made this tonight and felt the need to leave a comment. It is absolutely delicious. I followed directions, however I sprinkled a little seasoning under the chicken skin and still had seasoning left over to sprinkle on some roasted veggies. I will keep this seasoning mix in my kitchen!

    1. Hi! I honestly don’t think you would need to change the time or temperature, however I haven’t actually made this with leg quarters myself. How long they take to cook will really depend on the size.