These Oven Baked Chicken Thighs are easy to make and come out so juicy and flavorful! Great for a healthy family dinner, and keto/low carb friendly, too.
I’m a big fan of baked chicken – be it chicken thighs baked with orzo or oven fried chicken breast or the oven baked chicken thigh recipe I’m sharing here. It’s always a favorite with the family!
I prefer using bone-in, skin-on chicken here, but I’ll be giving you tips for other options as well in case you have something else on hand.
Ingredients you’ll need
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!
Ingredient notes
- Dried herbs: You can use all Italian seasoning or all dried parsley if you don’t have both on hand. Dried oregano would be another substitute that works quite well.
- Oil: I prefer using olive oil here, but feel free to use any vegetable oil you use in your cooking.
- Butter: This is entirely optional for a touch more flavor/browning/juiciness. Just leave it out if you need your chicken thighs to be dairy free!
What kind of chicken thighs to use
I really prefer skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs for this recipe. It’s how the chicken comes out best!
But if you prefer boneless, skinless chicken thighs: They will bake a lot faster, they should bake in around 25 minutes. The chicken may come out less juicy. I highly recommend using the butter on top of the chicken to help keep it from drying out!
How to make baked chicken thighs in the oven
1. Start by combining the oil and all of the seasoning in a large bowl. This will form a sort of paste and it’s exactly what you want it to be.
2. Add the chicken thighs to the bowl (work in batches if the bowl is not large enough to comfortably hold all of the chicken).
Toss and dredge the chicken through the seasoning paste, then remove one by one, rubbing the seasoning well into the chicken.
3. You want to place a foil-lined pan in your oven as it heats up. Once the oven is hot, remove the pan and place the seasoned chicken thighs on it.
4. Dot the chicken thighs with butter, if using, and then bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
5. Baste the chicken with the emerging juices. Return to the oven to continue baking. Baste again 10 minutes later, then finish baking until the chicken is done.
6. You can finish the chicken under the broiler for 1-2 minutes for some crispiness. Just watch it so it doesn’t burn!
Recipe tips
- Make sure to rub the seasoning paste well into each chicken thigh to keep the seasoning on the chicken.
- In case you don’t want to touch the raw chicken, OR the fat and juices from the chicken wash away a lot of the seasoning during baking: Combine ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning, ¼ teaspoon dried parsley, ½ teaspoon ground paprika and pepper to taste. Sprinkle evenly over the chicken thighs after the second basting, then finish baking.
- The internal temperature of the chicken must reach 165°F before consuming. Be sure to check with a meat thermometer before removing the chicken from the oven, as each oven bakes differently/each chicken thigh is sized differently and may not use the exact baking time given in the recipe. See the USDA Minimum Safe Cooking Temperatures Chart.
- Please use a rimmed pan or a baking dish, as there will be a lot of juices emerging from the chicken during baking.
Serving ideas
This is such a great recipe for a family meal. You can customize the side dishes to fit everybody’s needs and preferences – this is even great if you’re on a low carb or keto diet yourself, just skip the starchy sides.
Here are some of our favorites:
Starchy sides
Vegetable sides
Salad sides
- Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad
- Tossed salad greens with homemade ranch salad dressing or homemade honey mustard salad dressing
- Creamy Coleslaw
More easy chicken thigh recipes
PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.
Printable recipe
Oven Baked Chicken Thighs
Recipe details
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 pounds chicken thighs 6-8 pieces, patted dry
- 1 tablespoon butter diced
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet or large rimmed pan with foil and place in the oven as it heats up (you want the pan to be hot when you add the chicken).
- Seasoning: Combine olive oil and all seasoning in a large bowl until a paste forms.
- Season chicken: Place chicken thighs in bowl with seasoning (work in batches if bowl doesn't hold all of the chicken) and toss to coat. Remove each thigh individually, rubbing the seasoning into the skin.
- Bake: Place chicken thighs on heated pan (careful, hot!); dot with butter. Bake in the hot oven for 20 minutes. Carefully remove and baste chicken with emerging juices from the pan. Return to the oven and bake for 10 more minutes, then baste again. Finally, finish baking for 5-15 minutes, until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
Notes
Ingredient notes
- Dried herbs: You can use all Italian seasoning or all dried parsley if you don’t have both on hand. Dried oregano would be another substitute that works quite well.
- Oil: I prefer using olive oil here, but feel free to use any vegetable oil you use in your cooking.
- Butter: This is entirely optional for a touch more flavor/browning/juiciness. Just leave it out if you need your chicken thighs to be dairy free!
Recipe tips
- Make sure to rub the seasoning paste well into each chicken thigh to keep the seasoning on the chicken.
- In case you don’t want to touch the raw chicken, OR the fat and juices from the chicken wash away a lot of the seasoning during baking:Combine ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning, ¼ teaspoon dried parsley, ½ teaspoon ground paprika and pepper to taste. Sprinkle evenly over the chicken thighs after the second basting, then finish baking.
- The internal temperature of the chicken must reach 165°F before consuming. Be sure to check with a meat thermometer before removing the chicken from the oven, as each oven bakes differently/each chicken thigh is sized differently and may not use the exact baking time given in the recipe. See the USDA Minimum Safe Cooking Temperatures Chart.
- Please use a rimmed pan or a baking dish, as there will be a lot of juices emerging from the chicken during baking.
Samantha says
Tasty, tender and moist chicken thighs. Best recipe! I’ve tried others but this was definitely a winner
Amy Glass says
I made this for my family and they went crazy for it. They have never reacted to my cooking like this before. All thumbs up!
Vicky says
me and my husband loved how it tasted.
Jen says
Made this for a family gathering. Everyone raved about how flavorful and tender the chicken was. Made it a second time to top my lunch salads. Amazing! It’s now my go to recipe for chicken thighs. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe
Brenda Capone says
I will definitely make this! It makes my mouth water, thinking on it. 😆 only suggestion l have, is to make 2 one inch slices, on each side of the thighs, before placing in seasonings. I think that will bring them into the meat more. Plus the butter will reach & maybe moisten the thighs? I’m not a professional. Just a thought. Excellent recipe! Excellent spices!
Nora says
Hey Brenda! Your idea sounds fantastic! Making those little slices in the chicken thighs is a great way to let the seasonings and butter really soak into the meat—it’ll definitely boost the flavor and help keep the thighs juicy. You might not be a professional, but that’s an awesome tip, and it’s so fun to try little tweaks like this. Thanks for sharing, and I hope you love the recipe as much as I do! 😊🍗
McKenna says
so good!!! Will be making again and they were so easy.
Lisa says
I hate when people say I added this, left out that, but here I go! The next time I make the chicken, I will only use one tsp of salt-other than that, it was the very best. It will definitely be added to my dinner rotation! Very good and very easy to make.
Susan Jeglinski says
So good! They were a little salty for me and I love salt! I’ll just cut back to 1 tsp next time but these were easy and delicious!
Leann W says
I used boneless skinless thighs, tossed in rub and put in fridge for an hour or so. I grilled them on bbq grill and was super delish! Thx
Victoria says
such an easy recipe and it was sooo yummy!
Linda says
Very good, except it was way too salty. Because of the herbs and spices, I think you could leave the salt out. At the very least reduce it.
Jessica says
This was soooo good and had so much my flavor and pretty easy to make my fiancé loved it I will make it again !
Martha Teague says
Nora, I found your strawberry sauce recipe on the net. That is exactly what I was looking for, an easy strawberry sauce to put on top of pound cake slices. I had signed up for Sunday School refreshments and I thought about pound cark & strawberry sauce. I got lots of compliments. Thanks for sharing.
Marie says
Chicken thighs were very flavorful, easy and quick preparation. Will make again. Served with mashed potatoes and corn
Thank-you
Wendy says
This is my go to recipe for chicken thighs! I’ve used it for a couple years now and feel it deserves kudos for sure!!! Family absolutely Loves it and requests it often!
Nora says
I’m so happy to hear this, Wendy!
Debbie says
My husband likes this recipe so much I have probably made it about 8-10 times by now. He asks for it about every other week!
Erin Conn says
Made this tonight. Doubled the rub portions and it’s amazing!!!
Joy says
Yummy, yummy, this chicken was sooooo delicious! I absolutely loved the spice profile!!! Thank you for sharing the recipe! I’d definitely be making it again!
Shari says
The rub was delicious and easy. The chicken was moist and so good. I will make this again!
Christine A Ezell says
Had to make last minute dinner change. This recipe is incredible, delicious and so easy. This is definitely now on my dinner rotation. I served it with rice pilaf and fresh broccoli.