Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs

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Baked chicken thighs that are crispy and juicy make for the perfect weeknight meal! This chicken recipe is incredibly easy to make, packed with flavor and much healthier than traditional fried chicken – you’ll love it. Watch the video below!

If you’re looking for a tasty side dish, try my balsamic bacon brussels sprouts, baked sweet potato, mashed cauliflower, garlic sautéed swiss chard, steamed broccoli, or green beans. Lots of options!

Baked chicken thighs are crispy, juicy, healthy and make for the perfect weeknight recipe!

Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs

As a kid I loved KFC chicken, but my favorite part was the crispy skin that was full of herbs and flavor. In fact, I may have eaten the skin more than the meat!

Today, I no longer eat KFC (for obvious reasons) but I still love tender, juicy chicken with crispy, flavorful skin. And that’s where my baked chicken thighs come in. With a drizzle of avocado oil and a generous amount of dried herbs you can create crispy baked chicken that the whole family will love. And you can feel good knowing it’s healthier.

Can you use boneless skinless chicken thighs in this recipe? Of course. But if you’re going for flavor, I do recommend using bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs. The skin locks in the moisture and bone-in chicken just tastes better. It’s also cheaper. Win win.

Baked chicken thighs are crispy, juicy, healthy and make for the perfect weeknight recipe!

How to Bake Chicken Thighs

For easy baked chicken thighs, just follow these steps (and watch my video above).

  • Preheat your oven to 425F. A higher temperature makes the skin extra crispy.
  • Pat the chicken dry. Use a paper towel to pat the chicken dry and remove any condensation from the fridge.
  • Mix the chicken, oil and herbs. In a large bowl mix the chicken, avocado oil and 2/3 of the herb seasoning.
  • Place the chicken on a rack. A rack on top of a baking sheet allows the air to circulate around the chicken making it crispier. Sprinkle the remaining seasoning on top.
  • Bake the chicken. Bake the chicken thighs for 35-40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Baked chicken thighs are crispy, juicy, healthy and make for the perfect weeknight recipe!

A Few Extra Tips

Reminder: Don’t Wash the Chicken. It’s a common misconception that you need to rinse chicken once you bring it home from the store. As the USDA says, it would be impossible for water to remove all bacteria and rinsing the chicken only cross-contaminates your kitchen and anything nearby (your sink, faucet, countertop, etc). Rest assured the heat from cooking will kill any bacteria present.

Do Use a Rack if Possible. The rack not only allows the air to circulate, it also raises the chicken up from the edge of any baking sheet. If you don’t have a rack, use a larger baking sheet with space between the chicken so that any juices spread out from the chicken.

Use Lots of Herbs and Spices. It may sound like a lot of herbs and spices in this recipe (7 teaspoons) but trust me, it’s the perfect quantity. That’s just under 1 teaspoon of spices per chicken thigh and coats the chicken with garlic, onion, paprika and herbs for the absolute best flavor.

Don’t Overcook the Chicken Thighs. Most people overcook chicken because they remove it from the oven when the internal temperature reaches 165F. But chicken continues to cook once it’s removed from the oven. So remove the chicken at 160F and after 5 minutes of resting you’ll see that the internal temperature is now 165F. Resting also allows the juices to redistribute inside the chicken.

Baked chicken thighs are crispy, juicy, healthy and make for the perfect weeknight recipe!

More Delicious Chicken Recipes to Enjoy

I’m such a fan of chicken thighs and healthy chicken recipes. If you’re looking for more recipe inspiration, give these delicious meals a try!

Baked Chicken Thighs Recipe Video

Want to see how I make this recipe? Watch the video below!

Baked chicken thighs are crispy, juicy, healthy and make for the perfect weeknight recipe!

Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs

4.96 from 145 votes
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Author: Lisa Bryan

Description

Baked chicken thighs are crispy, juicy, flavorful, healthy and make for the perfect weeknight recipe. Watch my video above to see how easy they are to make!

Video

Ingredients 
 

Instructions 

  • Preheat your oven to 425F/220C. Remove the chicken thighs from the fridge and allow them to come to room temperature. 
    Several chicken thighs on a counter next to a bowl.
  • In a small bowl mix all of the herbs and spices together. 
  • Place the chicken in a large mixing bowl. Add the oil and 2/3 of the spice blend. Use your hands to coat all sides of the chicken and even under the skin.
    Rubbing spices on chicken thighs in a bowl.
  • Place the chicken on a rack on top of a baking sheet. Sprinkle the remaining spice mix on top of the chicken.
  • Bake the chicken thighs for 35-40 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees fahrenheit. You can also turn on the top broiler for 2-3 minutes to make the top extra crispy. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Lisa's Tips

Nutrition

Serving: 1chicken thigh | Calories: 285kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 110mg | Sodium: 379mg | Potassium: 256mg | Vitamin A: 300IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1.1mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: baked chicken thighs, chicken thigh recipes
Did you make this recipe?Mention @downshiftology or tag #downshiftology!

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330 Comments

  1. I cannot believe how amazing this recipe is it is just fabulous. I made it it looked just like the pictures everyone love it. Question, I’m going to do a brine the next time that I prepare it. I’m assuming this would not be a problem I’m going to be doing a soak/brine with buttermilk salt and pepper for 24 hours. I really do want to know if that is suggested or not. Thank you so much for giving me a way of preparing chicken. It is so easy I am not slaving over a frying pan and a hot oven afterwards. I am just amazed at how my family just adored what they would swear to be fried chicken.5 stars

    1. So happy you loved this recipe, and that it turned out exactly as pictured. :) You could definitely do a brine on this recipe beforehand if you’d like. Let us know how that turns out!

  2. Made this for the third time and I did not over cook them like the first two times. I have moist thighs and I am going to chop some up to mix with the spinach, radish, red onion and broccoli mixture I ate for a side salad tonight. Fabulous and so easy. 5 stars

  3. This recipe is so easy and delicious! I love making a double batch of seasoning and having it for another easy whip-together chicken dish for another night!5 stars

  4. Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner! Just made this rub with boneless chicken thighs (all I had) and will make again and again! Very tasty! I did reduce the cook time to compensate for the boneless chicken but really want to try with bone-in thighs next. Mmmmm!5 stars

      1. Hmmm…. I read that the temp should be 160 degrees when you take it out of the oven and it will reach 165 degrees while resting.5 stars

  5. The spices on the chicken make it a winner. The skin was crispy and the overall flavor of the chicken was amazing. Juicy chicken that I will definately make again!!
    Thank you for another repeat worthy supper.5 stars

  6. This is A MUST TRY and PUT ON REPEAT! It is always a home run and don’t sleep on the spice mix, I always put together a double (sometimes triple) batch and use it on so much more. She really needs to start “Downshiftology Spice Blends”, this is amazing every time.5 stars

  7. These are AMAZING! I have little children and everyone from adults to toddlers LOVE these chicken thighs. We never have any leftovers….HIGHLY recommend.5 stars