Name: Baked Chicken Thighs Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 9 servings
Cuisine: American Ukrainian
Ingredients: 3 lbs chicken thighs, bone in and skin on; 2-3 large garlic cloves, grated; 2 tsp oregano, dried; 1 tsp salt; Ground black pepper, to taste; Parsley or dill for garnish, finely chopped

Baked Chicken Thighs Recipe

Simple baked chicken thighs recipe is a restaurant quality date night dinner in. Easy oven baked chicken thighs are my go-to when “what’s for dinner?” strikes and my brain is blank. Or when we have guests over and I’m tired. It is hands off, cheap and hard to screw up.

These simple, juicy and basic baked chicken thighs will become your favorite!

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Seasoning for Baked Chicken Thighs:

In this easy recipe, I rely heavily on garlic because I’m a strong believer that garlic makes everything taste better. And because I’m Ukrainian – if you haven’t cooked with fresh dill, you haven’t lived.:)

Fresh garlic
Dried oregano or rosemary
Salt and pepper

That’s it!!! Basically, baked garlic chicken thighs. The best!

Bone In vs. Boneless Meat:

Thighs are dark meat. That’s why they are more juicy than chicken breasts. You can use either with bone in or boneless chicken thighs. I experimented with both.

My preference is bone in and skin on meat. The result is crispy tender baked chicken thighs. You can always remove skin before eating if you are worried about saturated fat.

Baked boneless skinless chicken thighs turn out less juicy. And let’s be honest, looking less appealing.

Tips for Baking Frozen Chicken Thighs:

You can bake slightly thawed and still frozen chicken. Yes, I have done it a million times and ended up with perfect baked chicken thighs. It is fatty part of chicken, so it will not dry out in the oven.

As soon as you can separate frozen pieces of meat, you can bake them.
Use tongs to mix frozen meat.
Make baked chicken thighs and drumsticks. Both have same cooking time. Yes!
Add 10-15 minutes to baking time. Just keep your pretty eye on it.

How to Bake Chicken Thighs:

Season Chicken Thighs: Right in ceramic or glass baking dish, toss to coat chicken and seasonings. Use hands or tongs.
Marinate a Little: Let chicken stand for 10 minutes. In the meanwhile, preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Toss chicken again and arrange in a single layer skin side up, tucking in skin underneath. You want things tight.
Bake the Chicken: Bake uncovered on high heat. Then using a syringe/baster, pour juice over the thighs and then if you like more crispy skin (who doesn’t?!) broil to your likeness.
Let Stand a Bit: Remove from the oven, cover and let stand for 5 minutes to allow juices to settle. Do not skip!

How Long to Bake Chicken Thighs?

High and fast. Crank up the oven temperature as high as 450. Chicken thigh bake time is around 30 minutes. Or until internal temperature reaches at least 165 degrees F. Do not cover!

For Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs:

To make crispy chicken thighs, turn on the broiler at the end. Using the turkey baster squeeze chicken juices on top and broil until desired crispiness and colour. You might also need to move the shelf up.

What to Serve with?

Cauliflower risotto paired with a glass of white wine is a healthy date night in.
Traditional brown rice or quinoa on a side.
Salad: lettuce salad, cucumber and tomato salad or corn avocado salad.

Make It a One Pan Dinner:

I do it all the time. In fact, I have a recipe coming for baked chicken thighs with potatoes and carrots soon. But you get bonus early access for reading this far.

Baked chicken thighs and vegetables was my Ukrainian mom’s staple dinner. The herb baked chicken thighs juice will infuse the vegetables with flavor so much! No water needed.

Use bigger baking dish and mix chicken with cubed potatoes, carrots, onion and garlic.
Because you add vegetables, cut amount of meat in half.
Drizzle with a bit of olive oil.
Use amount of spices, salt and black pepper listed in the recipe. Even add more dried spices to taste. Throw in a few bay leaves.
Bake uncovered for 40 minutes at 450 degrees F.

Calories in Baked Chicken Thighs:

Calories vary based on whether you use skinless or skin on chicken. With skin on thighs run at 377 calories and 7 grams of saturated fat. Where as, baked boneless chicken thighs contain 206 calories and 2 grams of saturated fat.

Enjoy!

More Healthy Baked Chicken Thighs Recipes:

Maple ginger chicken thighs from Healthy Seasonal Recipes cookbook. Yum!
Slow cooker Thai chicken thighs with my homemade Thai sweet chili sauce.
One pan chicken thighs and potatoes with carrots, onion and garlic. My mom’s recipe!
Peanut sauce chicken thighs baked with pineapple and topped with my easy peanut sauce. OMG!