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Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs are an easy to make dinner that really hit the spot! Serve them alongside pretty much any side dish for a delicious, simple, and flavorful weeknight dinner. Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and perfect all the way through!
Perfecting a batch of chicken thighs is something that pretty much every home chef should know how to do. Of all the ways you can make chicken thighs delicious, though, this oven baked method might just be my favorite. I always end up with chicken thighs that are loaded with flavor, have crispy skin, and the most tender meat.
I think the beauty of this recipe lies within the simplicity of it. After all, you only need to toss on 5 simple (and inexpensive) seasonings to your chicken thighs to make them pretty mouthwatering! After you dry rub the chicken, you just have to toss it into the oven, then enjoy. Seriously – it’s that simple!
When it comes to plating these baked chicken thighs with some good side dishes, the options are pretty limitless. You could enjoy them with a carby side like Scalloped Potatoes, or a veggie side like Crazy Roasted Cauliflower. No matter what you plate them with, these baked chicken thighs are sure to be a hit!
What You’ll Need
Here are the simple, inexpensive, and delicious ingredients you’ll need:
- Chicken thighs – For the best results, use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs.
- Baking powder – Do NOT substitute this with baking soda!
- Seasonings – I use a blend of salt, freshly cracked black pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic powder to make these chicken thighs seriously mouthwatering.
How to Make Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs
Remember when I said this recipe was easy? I wasn’t lying!
Preheat. To start off, preheat your oven to 425°F. Use the convection setting if you can.
Prepare. Prepare the chicken by patting it dry with a paper towel, and prepare your baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
Make the spice rub. Place all of the seasonings in a bowl and thoroughly mix them together until blended.
Rub the chicken. Rub the spice mix evenly all over each chicken thigh.
Bake. Bake the chicken for about 35-40 minutes. Once fully cooked, you can baste the chicken thighs with their juices from the pan.
Common questions:
Can I make these in my air fryer? Yes. Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees. Cook skin side down for 12 minutes. Then flip them over and cook for another 12 minutes.
I don’t have a convection setting on my oven – will this still work? Yes, you may have to add a few extra minutes of baking time. Just watch for the chicken to brown nicely.
Storage instructions:
Wrap the leftovers well and store them in the fridge for up to 4 days. They are best reheated in the oven to retain crispiness. Bake them at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Or, for best results, reheat them in the air fryer at 375 degrees for 4 minutes.
More Chicken Thigh Recipes to Try
This is my base chicken thigh recipe, but I have plenty more that shake things up a bit. Here are just a few!
- Meyer Lemon Sheet Pan Chicken
- Pineapple Soy Grilled Chicken
- Creamy Mustard White Wine Chicken
- Herbed Cranberry Chicken
Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 °F (218 °C) (convection/fan setting, if possible).
- Dry chicken thighs with paper towels really well to remove all the excess moisture.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix them together.
- Rub the spice mix all over each thigh.
- Lay the chicken thighs on the parchment paper, leaving space between the pieces.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes. Once the thighs are fully cooked, you can uses their juices to baste each piece.
