Oven Baked Chicken Thighs are easy and delicious!
Jack and I often say that chicken thighs are the unsung hero of the chicken aisle. While everyone at the supermarket is grabbing packages of boneless, skinless chicken breasts – we reach for the chicken thighs instead.
Why are chicken thighs such a good choice?
- The darker, chicken thigh meat has much more flavor and moisture than the white breast meat.
- Thighs are also less expensive than breast meat – so they are very budget friendly.
- And, you can buy them packaged as boneless, skinless chicken thighs – or as bone-in, skin-on thighs.
No matter which option you choose, this Oven Baked Chicken Thighs recipe can be used for both the boneless, or bone-in pieces.
The best way to make Oven Baked Chicken Thighs
Because chicken thighs have so much flavor, you really don’t need to do much more than a simple seasoning before baking them in the oven.
Coat either bone-in, skin-on or boneless, skinless chicken thighs with some extra virgin olive oil. Then, sprinkle on a mix of kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, garlic powder, and a touch of paprika.
Bake the chicken thighs in a 400 degree F oven – 30 minutes for the boneless; 40 minutes for bone-in. Use a probe thermometer to test for doneness; you want the internal temperature of the chicken thighs to be 160 degrees.
Serve immediately with your family’s favorite side dishes. Here are a few ideas:
- Cider Glazed Carrots
- Corn and Bacon Casserole
- Creamed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
- Rice Pilaf
- Sweet Potato Cauliflower Mash
You may enjoy these other chicken thigh recipes:
- Chicken Mulligatawny Soup
- Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms, Lemon and Herbs
- Grilled Honey Lime Chicken
- Peanut Ginger Chicken
Oven Baked Chicken Thighs
Follow this easy Oven Baked Chicken Thighs recipe for bone-in or boneless chicken thighs.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: entree
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
8–12 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs OR 8-12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- The preparation below is for bone-in-skin-on or boneless-skinless. Everything is the same except the bone-in-skin-on cooks for ten extra minutes.
- Line a sheet tray with foil and place a rack over the foil. This method solves a few issues; the rack helps the heat circulate around the chicken for even cooking, it also allows the grease to drip down to the pan below instead of the chicken sitting in the grease as it cooks, and lining the pan with foil helps with clean up. The skin-on chicken cooks uniformly with nice crispy skin and the boneless gets a nice browned top.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Prepare the thighs by smoothing out the skin and wrapping any extra skin under the thigh. Each thigh should be neat with the skin covering the whole top and no extra pieces sticking out.
- Spray the rack with kitchen pan spray and arrange each thigh on the rack, not touching each other.
- Pat the tops dry with paper towels and then brush on the olive oil.
- In a small bowl, mix the salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika and then sprinkle over each piece. Try to sprinkle high up for even coating.
- Place in the center of the oven and roast 30 minutes for boneless and 40 minutes for bone-in.
- In each case, the internal temperature must be 160 degrees F when a probe thermometer is inserted.
- Serve immediately.
- If you prefer extra crispy, place the pan under the broiler for a minute or two.
I just made this. Absolutely delicious. I put spices in with oil by mistake and dipped chicken. Will do again. I also did 375
Thanks Patricia!
Simple but tasty!
Thanks Lori!
Easy, fast, delicious and crispy.
Will definitely make again.
Thank you Susan!
Easy to make and seasoned just right! We will definitely make again.
So glad to hear this Cathy! Thank you!
I love whatever you and your husband are making! Everything is awesome and easy recipe! Please keep up the good work!
Thank you Barb! 🙂
Yes! We love chicken thighs at our house – economical, portion sized, moist, easy to cook. I usually opt for the boneless and skinless, and our store has various premarinated ones . I bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes, then turn off the oven and let them do “carry over cooking” for about 5 more minutes.
Thanks for the suggestion Laurie!
This recipe looks great!! Can it be baked in a Pyrex and maybe add some potatoes ? I was thinking it would render juice that we could pour over the chicken and potatoes?
I don’t see why not. Only hesitation would be that the juice may negate the crispy skin and turn it soggy.
Good luck,
Jack
I have made several of your recipes. Love the peaches and cream sconces the gazpacho soup and many others. All your recipes are easy to follow and I love your blog. Lookin forward to try the chicken thigh recipe next thank you for all
Your good recipes. Keep them coming. Dorothy
Thank you for taking the time to write to us today Dorothy! You made our day. You are very welcome – we’re so glad you are enjoying the recipes. (Many more coming!) 🙂