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 tonight and it is seriously delicious! I used dried thyme, oregano, and italian breadcrumbs. Baked at 400F for 40min, it was perfect! Crispy skin and juicy meat! 10/10 will make again!
Made this for the first time last night. Fast to prep. Easy to bake. Delicious to eat. Will try this recipe soon with chicken drumsticks. This recipe is a keeper.
My son asks for these chicken thighs every time he is home from college. I have made them countless times and love the flavor but still have not figured out how to get the bottom to crisp or even just not be soggy. I have put on on a rack in the pan so chicken would not be sitting in the pan. I have also taken out a few minutes early to finish cooking in a pan. Neither works well. Any other tips?
I baked them skin side up for the first 35 minutes then flip them for the remaining 15 minutes on a dry area on the baking pan/sheet. I added an additional 5 minutes max back to skin side up. Not soggy and delicious! Hope that helps.
I haven’t used this recipe yet, but I was looking for info on how to cook chicken thighs and found your website, which I really like! It’s great that you go straight into the recipe and tips instead of writing a long story about it so it’s quick and easy to find what I need. I also like how the recipes the selves are formatted. I’m bookmarking your website to use in the future.
At 60 years old I am really just learning how to season. I followed this recipe as written except I didn’t have onion powder. Since I am pretty clueless about seasonings I didn’t try to substitute it. I just left it out. My chicken turned out delicious. I noticed a lot of liquid in the pan and wonder if it affected the crispy aspect. Mine wasn’t very crispy. One thing I learned from watching a chef on TV is that you can use the broiler to crip up the skin. I was afraid it would burn the seasoning so i didn’t do that this time. My old way using just a little salt this worked well and gave the chicken that home fried in a cast iron pan look with a little char on the skin. If I can get the skin to be crispy this will be my go to recipe. I’m wondering if draining the liquid at the last 10 min. might help. The taste is delicious and with the onion powder I’m sure it will be even better.
Made this for my husband and he said it was great! I made 4 chicken thighs and he ate them all!
Hi can you use this with a whole chicken?
Crispy and delicious. I added small creamer potatoes and roasted those alongside the chicken.
Can you mix the oil and seasonings together and then rub the chicken with that?
I’d put dry in a gallon zip baggie with thighs and shake, Allie
Wow, this is the best chicken I’ve ever made!! I made this in the air fryer at 390° for 18 minutes (my thighs were small) and it was so good. I had leftover seasoning that I used to sauté zucchini as a side and it was also great. My Italian seasoning was black pepper heavy, so next time I will cut the black pepper in half as it was a little much for me due to that. Thanks for a great recipe!