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
    Made this for Easter dinner and it was a hit! After I oiled and seasoned my chicken, I placed it in a cast iron skillet, placed in the oven, and cooked the recommended time. It was incredible and even my super CRITICAL son, loved it! So quick and easy to make. I will definitely add this to my dinner rotation.

  2. 5 stars
    This is my favorite chicken recipe, hands down! The only thing I do slightly different is put the chicken on a wire tray over the sheet pan, ensuring no soggy Bottom parts- just crispy deeelishousness!

  3. 5 stars
    Cooked this chicken tonight. Threw some small potato’s and carrots and onion on the tray with the chicken. 45 minutes later I was eating the best chicken dinner I’ve had in years. Super easy to make.
    Thanks for this recipe.

  4. 5 stars
    Wow, thank you for this awesome, easy recipe! I used the drippings in the pan to make gravy. It was a hit!

  5. 5 stars
    This recipe is great! I had never experimented with paprika spice, now I know paprika compliments chicken very well. I enjoyed and so did my family. Thank you for the recipe!

  6. 5 stars
    Trying this for the very first time tonight! It was also my very first time cooking bone in chicken thighs…(I know, I know, but I’m a horrible cook) ?.
    I’ve always just stuck to the basics, like spaghetti or some shake and bake chicken. Anyways with this quarantine happening, I have all this extra time, and all that was left at the supermarket was these chicken thighs.
    Well….this is by far my new fav dish!!! So frickin easy, even someone like myself who is a horrible cook, can even turn these out!