Everyone loves oven-roasted chicken thighs, and my recipe, using seasoned oil, makes delicious, tender, juicy chicken thighs with crispy skin that your whole family will love.
Made with simple ingredients, my easy oven-roasted chicken thigh recipe is hard not to love. It’s a simple recipe that you’ll enjoy making and that your family will love eating.
Roasting at higher temperatures is the key to getting delicious, crispy skin, so don’t be swayed by other recipes that tell you to use a lower temperature. Using high heat is the best way to cook oven-roasted chicken thighs.
If you love crispy baked chicken, make sure to try my Baked Chicken legs.
Ingredients to make Oven Roasted Chicken Thighs
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Baked Chicken Thighs. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”
Not only does setting up your ingredients ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Can I use different seasonings to make Oven Roasted Chicken Thighs?
Absolutely! The secret to finding joy in the kitchen is cooking foods you enjoy eating. And that means seasonings, too. You can add dried oregano, chili powder, cumin, or any of your favorite seasonings. For a touch of heat, add cayenne pepper, and for a sweet taste, add a little brown sugar to the mixture.
You can also use any of your favorite seasoning blends. Lemon pepper, Cajun, Jerk seasoning, BBQ seasoning, rotisserie seasoning, and even Old Bay are delicious options.
How to make Oven Roasted Chicken Thighs
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
- Allow the chicken thighs to come to room temperature while you prepare the seasonings.
- Add the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper to a small bowl.
- Add the olive oil to the spices.
- Mix the olive oil with the spices and blend thoroughly. *You can blend the spices together before adding the oil, but I’ve found it really doesn’t make a difference.
- Pat dry the bone-in thighs with paper towels.
- Using a pastry brush (or your hands), coat the chicken thighs with the seasoning oil mixture. Make sure the chicken skin is well coated to ensure crispy skin. Place the seasoned chicken thighs in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet, leaving room between them.
Place the baking pan on the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake for 40-50 minutes or until the internal temperature reads at least 165 degrees F. Use a meat thermometer stuck in the thickest part of the meat. Based on the time and oven temperature, the internal chicken will more than likely be higher than 165 degrees, but please check to make sure it’s safe to eat.
*I buy pasture-raised chicken from small farms, and the size varies depending on the time of year. These bone-in chicken thighs were running a little small, and it took 40 minutes for the skin to get crispy. Your cooking time may vary, as grocery store thighs run larger and may take 10-15 minutes longer to cook.
You can use boneless chicken thighs to make this recipe, but cooking will be shorter.
Remove the oven-roasted chicken thighs from the oven, and for best results, let them sit for 5-10 minutes before serving. This will give the juices time to reabsorb and redistribute into the meat.
Then it’s time to enjoy delicious tender chicken thighs with flavorful, juicy meat!
Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days. They can also be frozen for up to two months in a freezer safe container.
Can I air fry these chicken thighs?
You sure can. They will cook in less time and have a nice crispy exterior.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F.
- Add the chicken thighs in a single layer, skin-side down, leaving room between them so they don’t touch. If there is not enough room, you may have to cook in batches.
- Air fry the chicken thighs for 18 to 22 minutes, flipping them halfway through. Cook the chicken until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of it reads at least 165 degrees F.
- Cover the chicken with aluminum foil and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe FAQ’s
I prefer 400 degrees F for chicken. The higher temperature helps crisp up the skin and makes the chicken tastier and more appealing. It also cooks the chicken a little faster than 350 degrees.
425 is just a little too hot, and the seasonings will darken, making the thing less appealing.
You shouldn’t cover the chicken thighs during the baking process. Leaving the chicken uncovered will help the skin brown and become crispy, while covering the chicken will steam it instead of roasting it.
You can use bone-in skin-on chicken breasts to make this recipe, but you have to watch the cooking time more closely by monitoring the internal temperature of the breasts. Chicken breasts don’t contain as much fat as dark meat and can easily be overcooked, resulting in dry, flavorless meat.
More Chicken Recipes You’ll Love!
Oven Roasted Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken thighs skin on bone in
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika or smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
- Allow the chicken thighs to come to room temperature while you prepare the seasonings.
- Add the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and black pepper to a small mixing bowl.
- Using a fork, blend the spices together.
- Add the olive oil to the spices and blend them together.
- Using a pastry brush (or your hands) coat the chicken thighs with the seasoning oil mixture. Make sure to coat the entire thigh.
- Place the chicken thighs in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet, making sure to leave room between them.
- Bake the thighs for 40 minutes at 400 degrees on the middle rack of your oven.Depending on the size of the chicken thighs, this time can vary.If the chicken is not done but is getting too dark, loosely drape a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the chicken.
- *Use an instant-read thermometer to make sure the internal temperature of the chicken is at least 165 degrees. At this temperature and time, they should be well above that internal temp
Sue says
Second time I made them. So simple. Excellent!
Margo Denning says
Easy and tasty!
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed them.
Enriqueta E Lemoine says
Thank you, Chef, for this wonderful, easy-to-make recipe. What I like the most about these baked chicken thighs is that they are crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside!
Hayley Dhanecha says
My friends and family really enjoyed these baked chicken thighs, the flavours from spices are so delicious and warming.
Amy says
We love chicken thighs in our house! The seasoning was soooo good. I made a double batch so we good have some for leftovers.
Claire says
These chicken thighs were so delicious and perfectly juicy! The optional dry mustard is a must. We’ll definitely be having these again soon.
Susan says
I love chicken thighs – and am planning on making your recipe this week. I love the spices, and plan to use the optional dry mustard. Do I mix it in with the other spices?
Chef Dennis Littley says
yes, just mix it in with the other seasonings. That’s how I made the recipe for dinner at my house.
Veronika says
We loved these chicken thighs! They came out so crispy and the seasoning was simple but flavorful. Served them with mashed potatoes and a salad.
Kathryn says
These chicken thighs are so delicious, simple and perfectly seasoned. They are my favorite way to enjoy chicken in the oven. YUM!
Rose says
Fabulous!! My husband loved them.
Katie Crenshaw says
The chicken thighs came out perfect. They had a fantastic flavor and the chicken meat was moist, while the skin was crispy.
Mikayla says
Dennis, these came out Perfect! My husband loves the thighs the most and he now says, we no longer need to fry chicken. We will use your method from now on!
Sharon says
I really love making chicken thighs in the air fryer and these came out so full of flavor because of the seasoned oil. Fantastic!
Pam says
The chicken thighs were absolutely delicious! I will make this recipe often. It was the best !!
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m very happy to hear you enjoyed the chicken thighs Pam! I have lots of delicious recipes on my website, I hope you find more to try.
Towery Sue says
I love your recipes. Could you recommend a good quality instant read thermometer?
Thanks in advance. Sue Towery
Chef Dennis Littley says
This is the instant read thermometer that I use
https://amzn.to/3OInwQH