Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs
456 Comments
Nov 28, 2023
This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
These crispy and juicy baked chicken thighs make for the perfect weeknight meal. They’re incredibly easy to make, packed with flavor, have the crispiest skin, and are much healthier than traditional fried chicken. So much to love!
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 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.
So if you love the crispy, golden skin on my roast chicken, and the spiced flavor of my baked chicken breasts, you’re going to really love these baked chicken thighs!
Baked Chicken Thighs Ingredients
- Chicken Thighs: Grab yourself a package of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. And while yes, you can use boneless skinless chicken thighs in this recipe, I do feel that the skin locks in the moisture and bone-in chicken just tastes better. It’s also cheaper!
- Chicken seasoning: A simple blend of garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, dried oregano, dried thyme, salt, and black pepper gives the chicken so much flavor.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How to Bake Chicken Thighs
Make the seasoning. Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) and remove the chicken thighs from the fridge, allowing them to come to room temperature. Use a paper towel to pat the chicken dry and remove any condensation. Then, in a small bowl, mix all of the herbs and spices together.
Season the chicken. Place the chicken thighs in a large mixing bowl. Add the oil and two thirds of the spice blend, and use your hands to coat all sides of the chicken, including under the skin.
Prep the chicken for baking. Place the chicken thighs on a rack on top of a baking sheet. Then, sprinkle the remaining spice mix on top of the chicken. Feel free to gently pat down the seasoning so it sticks to each chicken thigh.
Bake the chicken. These will cook for 35 to 40 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 170°F. To make the skin extra crispy, you can also turn on the top broiler for 2 to 3 minutes. Once done, let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.
What to serve these with? If you’re looking for a few tasty side dishes, try my mashed potatoes (or mashed sweet potatoes), roasted Brussels sprouts, garlic sauteed spinach, steamed broccoli, or green beans with shallots and lemon. Lots of options!
Common Questions
I think it’s best. The rack allows the air to circulate around the chicken, making it crispier. 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.
Absolutely! The key to this recipe is using lots of herbs and spices (just under one teaspoon of herbs and spices per chicken thigh). But, if you’d like to switch up the flavor profile, by all means, have fun with it.
The good news is that it’s really hard to overcook chicken thighs. The darker meat just stays juicer. And in fact, you want to cook chicken thighs about 5 to 10 degrees higher than chicken breasts, as this allows the connective tissue to breakdown more, resulting in the most tender meat.
Storage Tips
- To store: Leftover chicken thighs will stay good in the fridge for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
- To reheat: To enjoy crispy skin again, you can bake them in the oven at 350°F for about 15 minutes, or until warmed through. If you have an air fryer, you can also reheat them at 350°F for about 3 to 4 minutes.
More Chicken Thigh Recipes
Are you a chicken thigh lover like me? Get inspired by these reader favorite chicken thigh recipes.
- Greek Sheet Pan Chicken: This is one of the most popular recipes on the website!
- One Pan Chicken and Rice: It’s hard to beat this one pan meal.
- Balsamic Chicken: Sticky sweet balsamic chicken roasts on a sheet pan with veggies.
- Greek Lemon Chicken: This bright and flavorful chicken hits all the right notes.
- Cilantro Lime Chicken: A Mexican inspired recipe that’s bursting with flavor.
I hope you love these crispy baked chicken thighs! If you make them, I’d love to hear how they turned out in the comment box below. Your review will help other readers in the community.
Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs
Description
Video
Equipment
- Heavy Duty Baking Sheet This one won't warp or bend!
- Baking Rack You can use this for cooking and cooling.
Ingredients
- 8 chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Make the seasoning. Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C). Remove the chicken thighs from the fridge and allow them to come to room temperature. Pat dry with a paper towel to remove any moisture. Then, In a small bowl, mix all of the herbs and spices together.
- Season the chicken. Place the chicken in a large mixing bowl. Add the oil and ⅔ of the spice blend. Use your hands to coat all sides of the chicken, and even get it under the skin.
- Arrange the chicken. 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 to 40 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 170°F. You can also turn on the top broiler for 2 to 3 minutes to make the top extra crispy. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
©Downshiftology. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Recipe originally posted February 2019, but updated to include new information and photos for your benefit!
At the we should preheat oven to 220C but then why we ended up bake it to 170C ?
Can u pls explain; I don’t get it. Thanks 😊
Hi Clara – 170°F is the internal temperature your chicken should be cooked to.
My family looooooved this recipe 😍, will be making it again for sure! So much flavor.
Hi Evelina – Happy to hear your family is loving these baked chicken thighs!
a mixture of chicken legs, and chicken thighs. wondering what other meat I can put this on… it’s delicious !!!
Hi Lise – You can definitely use this seasoning on other things!
Really like this recipe. Tastes very good.
Hi Rory – I’m so glad you love these baked chicken thighs!
I use this recipe all the time for either chicken legs, or chicken thighs… it’s my go to recipe.I’ve found that I’ve practically memorized it!!
It is delicious Lisa !!!
Thanks for making it again and again, Lise!
Hello,
If i have half the portion of the recipe, would I have to cut down the cooking time?
Thank you,
Juliette
Hi Juliette – I would keep the cooking time the same.
Wow!! This recipe was amazing. The chicken was so juicy and so flavourful!! I love how easy it is to make with everyday ingredients that I had on hand. My family really loved it. One question though…I baked it on a pan with a wire rack as suggested but mid way through there was lots of smoke from the chicken fat drippings. I have read that putting water in the pan helps this but will that affect the crispiness of the chicken? Thank you again Lisa. Your recipes are just amazing!!
A double recipe, three teenage boys and 1 husband later, I actually was able to steal a piece. They loved it, and mean LOVED IT! I know I’ll be making this again. Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi Carole – Happy to hear these baked chicken thighs were a hit with your family!
This is a long overdue GRATITUDE review for my favorite chicken spice blend ever! I have made this recipe several times and it is deeply satisfying. I finally made a big batch of it so I have it on hand! I’ve also made it for salmon— so good! Thank you Lisa!
Hi Rachel – Wonderful! I’m so glad you love this baked chicken recipe.
Super crispy and tasty and time and temp – spot on. Easy to roast a sheet pan of cauliflower or other veggie while it’s cooking. Thanks! Great recipe!
Happy to hear your chicken thighs turned out perfectly!
Hi Lisa! I cooked them longer, as what you mentioned, my oven was not as hot as I thought it was. It was much tastier than last time,7 & I didn’t have to cook them as long! 👍
Hi Lise – Glad these turned out great!
Perfect seasoning ratios as written! My family requested this recipe multiple times already. Three kid approved, juicy and flavorful. Thank you!
Hi Amber – Happy to hear you love these baked chicken thighs!
Hi Lisa,
I enjoy lots your cooking book! But this recipe is not there.
Is it in another cooking book that I do not have?
Please let me know, and Congratulations for all you do!
Alicia
Hi Alicia – This recipe is not in my cookbook unfortunately!
So good, I hade to make it twice. It’s great to find a recipe worth making again and again! Our baking time was 50+ min, maybe because I was also baking sweet potatoes on the bottom rack. Thanks!
Hi Faye – Thrilled to hear you love these baked chicken thighs!
I baked at 425 with a wire rack as instructed. I ended up with a ton of smoke which I attribute to all the grease sitting in the pan. I would not cook them this way again.
Best chicken thigh recipe I’ve tried to date. I cooked the thighs for almost 55 minutes then under the broiler for 7 minutes. Family totally enjoyed the chicken served with asparagus and hollandaise sauce.
Hi Mike – Happy to hear you love these baked chicken thighs!
This is the family’s favorite chicken thigh recipe! I’ve always made in the oven but would you know time and temp for an air fryer?
Hi Natalie – I’m so glad your family loves this recipe! I haven’t tested chicken thighs in the air fryer yet, but I will soon come out with a recipe for that.
This looks good! I am wanting to prep it prior to giving it to a grieving family…will the chicken do okay being seasoned a few hours in advance? Thank you!
Hi there – Yep, that’s fine!
Good evening,
I am not a fan of chicken thighs, but I’m always trying new recipes, finally found one that made me enjoy eating chicken thighs. They were very juicy and great favor.
Thank you.
Hi LoriAnn – Happy to hear this recipe changed your mind about chicken thighs!
I would give zero stars if possible. Two out of two of us threw our portions out. Never again.
hi I know this will be delicious, but like last time had to cook them for an hour. or more. they register as being 140 for the whole time with a thermometer, so had to put them back in, for another 30 minutes, I can’t figure out why?
.
Hi Lise – It sounds like your oven heats a bit lower than mine, so you may want to bump up the temperature.
Made these for dinner and WOW- so much flavor and fantastic crispy skin. Recipe was perfect. Will be making often!
Hi Ryan – Happy to hear you love these baked chicken thighs!
Made this tonight. Really good, full of flavor. My boyfriend always wants something different. This recipe did it tonight.
Hi Darlene – Glad these baked chicken thighs were a hit for dinner!
The flavor was great! Enjoyed this recipe.
Hi Amy – Happy to hear you’re loving these chicken thighs!
Very simple and good recipe for baked chicken thighs!
I know the misrepresentation of washing meat only comes from ignorance, mainly from Americans, which is understandable.
The need to clean meat does not acome from the intention of wanting to “disinfect”. Which is just a silly narrative supported by people who don’t understand the origin and importance of doing it.
Being from the Carribean, it is a must. We don’t buy out meats and fish from million dollar big bix stores. We buy it fresh from the market where its cut up right in front of you, and where you can go to bay/farm to get it yourself. So it’s absolutely necessary to clean the meat, remove slime/grime, excess fat and blood.
Plus, who sits here and splashes around in meat water? No one! Just another silly narrative again. Ensuring that no items (dishes, exposed food etc.) are around the sink and disinfecting your area and items used (vinegar bottle etc.) is a basic practice by those who practice cleaning or washing their meat.
If you don’t do it, that’s your right and preference 🙌. But hopefully this info would help in educating people and prevent misinformation.
This recipe is a winner in our home! My picky-eaters, husband and child, love this! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, Lisa!
The only thing that bothers me is the oil that accumulates in the pan and splatters/showers the whole oven. This causes a smoke reaction in our house and triggers the smoke alarm. Any suggestion to prevent this? Thank you in advance.
Hi Liza – I’m glad everyone loves these baked chicken thighs! You can use a rack like I did so oil doesn’t accumulate, but it shouldn’t splatter too much in the oven.
Same thing happened to me what a mess all over my oven. Chicken was great but I won’t make it like this again with the rack☹️
I like chicken anyway it can
Be prepared and yours look so delicious 😋 I’ve saved many of your recipes
And I’m sure I’ll enjoy them.
Thank you for sharing ♥️🌹
You’re welcome, Annie! I hope you enjoy these baked chicken thighs as well.
I made this recipe tonight for the first time. It was so delicious and so easy. I will definitely be making this again. Thanks so much for so many great recipes. It’s hard to pick a favorite.
Oh yay! I’m glad you enjoyed these crispy baked chicken thighs, Jean.
I have fallen in love with chicken thighs, because a) they are forgiving when you cook them and b) they are about half the price of chicken breasts at my local market. This is a very quick and easy recipe that fits in with any busy weeknight. I usually mix the spice mixture the night before. When I drag myself in at the end of the workday, All I have to do is pat the thighs dry, sprinkle the spice rub on them, then pop it in the oven. It’s done when it hits temperature. You can even make extra for lunches, for the following day. Lisa has some really good chicken wrap ideas. Thanks for all the help and ideas, Lisa. Much love to you and your family, and thank you for everything you do to help the people who visit your website.
Thanks so much for your kind words, Alan! I’m so happy you love this recipe, and it sounds like you’ve got a great flow in prepping the spice mix ahead of time. Well done! I hope you continue to enjoy all my recipes. :)
I make these chicken thighs regularly. I vary the spices sometimes. These are reliably delicious and easy to make and to clean up! Everyone loves them.
Thrilled to hear you enjoy these crispy baked chicken thighs, Kate!
Just made these – so quick & delicious! I took them out to come to room temp while the oven preheated and went back to work for 20 mins. Made the spice rub (YUM!) then threw the thighs in the oven for 25 mins (I was using boneless/skinless) and went back to work. Point is – these were so easy to cook in the middle of a workday! Now dinner is (halfway) done :) Winner winner chicken dinner!
Thrilled to hear you enjoyed these baked chicken thighs!
The temp is confussing with the instructions , Mentions 165 and it says take them out when they reach 160 then the last bit says Bake the chicken thighs for 35-40 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees
so which is it 165 or 170 ??
Thanks for catching that! It should reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
Can I use skinless thighs as well??
Yes, you can use skinless thighs if you’d like. But, you’ll probably need to reduce the cooking time a bit.
What would you recommend as far as cooking temp and time if using boneless skinless thighs??
I’d love to even see a video of you prepping boneless+skinless chicken thighs. I never know what fat to leave and what to cut off.
delicious! love that I put the seasonings under the skin! they are so delicious… thank you Lisa!
lise
The key to making these baked chicken thighs extra flavorful!
This was absolutely delicious. Thank you!
I’m glad you loved these baked chicken thighs, Ellen!
Very easy & delicious! It is a regular og my go-to dishes!
Thanks Debbie!
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.
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!
Made this tonight and it was SCRUMPTIOUS!! So easy too. Definitely recommend.
Glad you enjoyed these baked chicken thighs!
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.
That sounds delicious! Glad this recipe worked out perfectly, Cindy.
How big is each thigh roughly (weight)?
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!
This truly is such a delicious meal prep dinner!
Could I substitute for skin on drumsticks Lisa.
Thanks
Joan
Yes, no problem! Though you may need to adjust the cook time.
Absolutely DELICIOUS!
So easy and so good!!! Thank you Lisa❤️
I’m happy you enjoyed the chicken thighs Lori!
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!
Hello ,
I noticed that you suggest 170 degrees internal temp in the recipe and 160 degrees in your extra tips
Thanks for pointing that out! It’s supposed to be 165 degrees.
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.
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.
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.
This is so nice and easy to make and tastes great!
These are delicious! So easy and better than fast food.
Agreed! This version is way better :)
These are AMAZING! I have little children and everyone from adults to toddlers LOVE these chicken thighs. We never have any leftovers….HIGHLY recommend.
This is our go-to easy dinner!! I keep this spice mix on hand in a jar so I can just throw it on chicken thighs. Makes great leftovers to put on a salad the next day for lunch!
Hi Claire – Great idea on keeping this spice mix on hand!