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:
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This dish was a hit! I followed the recipe precisely, and the chicken turned out juicy, nicely crusted, and tasty!
Can these be done in an air fryer?
Sorry, I don’t have or use an air fryer so I can’t say for sure
Hi, does the chicken need to be flipped during cooking?
No flipping necessary 🙂
I use this recipe all the time. Follow it directly soooo good!!! Add a little cayenne if you please. So easy, so good. Thank you.
Nice quick and easy recipe! I threw in a couple teaspoons of bread crumbs to make it a bit crispier!
I used boneless skinless thighs, and cooked ~30 mins. Since I didn’t have skin, and there was a lot of seasoning on top of the thighs, I then misted olive oil onto seasoning and slid the thighs under the broiler for a minute, this gave a nice little crust. I didn’t realize baking thighs was so easy and would cook them so nicely. Was a tad salty for me, so I would decrease to 1 tsp next time. Delicious, EASY and flavorful!
Do you cut off the excess fat before cooking them or do you leave them as is?
I do always trim the fat, yes
Wow! I bought thighs yesterday, which I rarely do, but my bf was getting sick of chicken breast whatever for dinners. I came home and simply googled “chicken thighs recipe” because I was exhausted from the day and lacking creativity. I saw this and decided to give it ago based on how easy the directions were and I already had all the spices in my cupboard. Holy crap! It blew us away! I was not expecting to have such crispy, juicy, flavor off the charts chicken for dinner on a Monday. I’ll be making this often. Thank you!!!
Should they be covered with foil while baking?
No
I baked them uncovered and made white milk gravy with the drippings. They didn’t come out real crispy, but very good.
Made this with boneless thighs and followed the step to cut it by 10 mins. Came out great, and my husband and 11 month-old ate every bite!