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.
Debora Wyckoff says
easy and delicious
Rhonda says
I fixed this for supper this evening and it was delicious! Hubby kept saying how great it was, and it was so easy!
Maria says
Made them tonight. Yummie! Your serving says 1… meaning only 1 thigh? I am counting calories 😅😅
Mabel says
Changes I made: Used boneless thighs, left off the butter and parsley, reduced the onion powder. Still delicious! *reduce that baking time for boneless!
Shawn Dyson says
I’m making these tonight ☺️
Heather says
It was very go pod but I think the salt needs to be cut back a ton! I should have realized that. 🥴
Gloria says
Great recipe. Loved it.
Jackie says
Great simple recipe for thighs. I used the boneless and turned out so moist and juicy. I was scared they would dry out but definitely did not. Chicken made a lot of its own juices to keep chicken moist. Great flavors. I may use less salt next time but very good !
Michelle says
The chicken was so moist and flavorful. Served it over a bed of brown rice. I will be making this often!
Christina Cotter says
Great flavor and very juicy. Easy to make. My kids loved the chicken.
Martha Daughtry says
Definitely a keeper! Loved the flavorful spice blend, but reduced salt by 2/3 for the hubs who had open heart surgery a week ago. It was still salty enough even for the salt lover he is! Everything else I kept original and it was perfection – looked appetizing and tasted gourmet. I baked sweet potatoes in the oven at the same time as the chicken was cooking(efficient) and also served green beans for a colorful and nutritious meal. There were four adults for dinner and everyone agreed that this chicken is yummy!
Paula says
Best baked chicken thighs ever!
Laura Pittington says
Delish! Family loved it. One change: reduced salt to one teaspoon instead of two.
Gail says
I was looking for something quick, easy & delicious and this recipe was perfect! Paired with some mashed potatoes that I added some of the melted butter I was basting the chicken with….mmm!
Linda says
Delicious!!
janet says
Made these tonight. So good
Lauren McKiernan says
Made this chicken exactly as the recipe stated for family dinner tonight and it was easy & delicious! No leftovers. This is definitely going into the meal rotation! Thank you!
Paula Oshinski says
Hi, Nora! I just made this recipe and it is wonderfully easy! My husband loves chicken thighs, so I was really happy to find your site! Thanks so much!
Nora says
I’m so glad, Paula!
Amanda says
SO delicious! perfect crispy chicken full of flavour ☺️ our family loved it so much I made it 3 times in a week, so easy!
Kathy says
Too much salt but great recipe for
Betty Gartman says
My family loved the chicken ,the recipe was very easy to follow.We loved it.Thank you very much.
Laura says
This recipe was so easy and very very delicious; flavorful and moist. I reduced the salt by half. I added all the spices into a Ziploc bag. Mixed them up really well and then added the oil and just squeezed the bag to make the paste and then added the chicken thighs to the bag rubbing the paste into each thigh. So it was no mess. I will definitely make it again!
Glizeth Brush says
I did the same we loved it and have made it multiple times
Edie says
Saved! The only change I made was to add a teaspoon of minced garlic under the skin and added some cayenne to dry rub. Great!
Mary R. says
I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs and they turned out delicious!!! Leftovers were great – just microwaved for a few minutes. Liked the fact “powders” were used instead the salt version!
Evie says
I made this for dinner last night using skinless boneless chicken thighs and it was delicious, chicken was lovely, juicy and full of flavour.