Easy Baked Chicken Thighs
- Prep 5 minutes
- Cook 25 minutes
- Total 30 minutes
The best easy baked chicken thighs recipe – easy, solid crunchy baked chicken thighs that are juicy and moist, with a crunchy outside using simple ingredients you already have on hand!
This baked chicken thigh recipe is our favorite way to make crispy baked thighs that won't dry out, right out of the oven.
This recipe is easy enough for beginners – season and bake – but flavorful enough for cooks used to more complicated recipes.
You can also top it with our favorite Easy Broccoli Pesto for a good kick on this classic chicken.
This baked chicken thigh recipe is naturally gluten free and low carb – making this a keto chicken thigh recipe you'll want to eat again and again if sticking to a keto diet.
Take Me To The Best Baked Chicken Thighs Already!
We get lots of comments and questions on our posts, so we try to provide as much information as possible into our posts for readers.
We try to provide lots of tips to help make this chicken great every time you make it – including why this method works and how to troubleshoot.
If you would rather skip to the recipe, please scroll to the bottom of the page where you will find the easy printable recipe.
Kitchen notes
Pre-sear
This step is optional, but we personally love to brown our chicken thighs in a pan for the best results.
Brown chicken thighs in a large, heavy cast iron skillet in 2 tbsp olive oil, butter, or fat of your choice – about 2 minutes on each side until golden brown, and transfer to a baking sheet.
Roll out
For crispier, faster cooking chicken, we roll the thighs flat.
This can look a little weird – but it allows for your chicken to cook evenly – no over cooking the outside while the middle is raw!
Use Parchment Paper
For easy, effortless cleanup, place chicken on parchment paper so they slide right off and you can throw the mess away!
Go Off Temperature, Not Cooking Time
As chicken thighs can vary wildly with size, liquid, and bones/skin – not to mention ovens vary- we recommend using a digital cooking thermometer to know when your chicken is done cooking.
For the best thermometer (that doesn't involve constantly opening the oven!!) we LOVE these probe thermometers that send an update on temperature straight to your smart phone!
Click here for the thermometer.
What Type of Chicken Thighs to Bake
If you're wondering whether to pick boneless or skinless chicken thighs, the answer is easy – pick what you like the best!
We are providing recipe modifications for either bone-in or bone-out chicken; skin-on or skin-off chicken.
Boneless and skinless chicken thighs will cook faster, and are easy to eat. They also have less fat, and are easier to tell when they are done.
Bone-in, skin-on chicken will get even crispier and crunchier – and tends to be less expensive, though it does take a bit longer to cook.
How To Bake Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
For boneless, skinless chicken thighs, there are a couple of tips and tricks to get solid crunchy chicken thighs that are moist and juicy inside.
How To Bake Bone-In, Skin-On Chicken Thighs
For solid crunchy bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, there are a couple tips to keep your chicken thighs crispy and juicy inside.
Crisp skin
While this recipe is for baked chicken thighs, we recommend ALWAYS browning your skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs in a pan before baking.
If you can't pre-brown, broil your chicken thighs in the last few minutes, skin side up, to make sure it gets a lovely crunchy crisp.
How To Remove Chicken Thigh Bones
If you want to remove the bones from your chicken thighs, which is not in any way necessary but some people prefer, follow these steps:
Unroll chicken thigh.
Lay flat and find bones with your hands.
Lift bones slightly to find the membrane underneath that connects it to the chicken thigh.
Using kitchen shears, carefully cut underneath the bone to remove it.
Serve it with
If you're looking for quick, easy, and good side dishes to go with these baked chicken thighs, please check out some of our favorites below:
[mv_create key=”944″ type=”list” title=”What To Serve With Baked Chicken Thighs ” thumbnail=” layout=”grid”]Other Easy Keto Chicken Thigh Recipes You'll Love:
If you love these easy baked chicken thighs, you'll love our other simple and good low carb chicken thigh recipes – each one is full of whole, unprocessed foods, and is packed full of flavor – not carbs.
Avdaye Favorites
If you love this easy recipe, check out our reader favorites!
[mv_create key=”1094″ type=”list” title=”Avdaye Favorite Recipes” thumbnail=” layout=”grid”]Ingredients
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, see notes above if using bone-in, skin-on thighs, which are also as flavorful.
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp celtic sea salt
- 1 tsp fresh cracked pepper
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Method
- Add all ingredients into a bowl or plastic bag and let marinate for 30 minutes to overnight.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Optional – brown chicken thighs on the outside in a pan over high heat until golden brown. (If pre-browning, reduce total cook time by 5-8 minutes.)
- Place chicken thighs on parchment paper, taking care to not space too close together.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then flip and take temperature. Bake another 10 minutes and check the chicken's temperature.
- As chicken is about 150 degrees, turn on the broiler to high and let crisp until 165 degrees internally (only about 5 minutes – take care to not burn the chicken! Watch it closely.)
- Serve immediately.
- Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days – 3 months if frozen.
