Some nights, you have one pan’s worth of energy in you. This is the recipe for those nights.

Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, rubbed with olive oil, seasoned generously with salt and pepper, and roasted at 400°F until the skin is shatteringly crispy and the meat is fall-apart tender. Five minutes to get them in the oven. Completely hands-off from there. One pan to wash.

I’ve been making these on repeat for years — as a simple weeknight dinner, as a lazy Sunday meal that makes the house smell incredible, as the kind of thing I can ignore while doing everything else. My younger son can demolish two or three pieces and will shamelessly steal the crispy skin off anyone’s plate who isn’t paying attention.

Dark meat is more forgiving than white, which means these are basically impossible to ruin. That’s not an accident — it’s the whole point.

I also love using boneless, skinless chicken thighs in recipes, but when baking them on their own, I like to use bone-in thighs. Cooking chicken on the bone gives the meat more depth of flavor, and one of the best parts is the crackling skin, made even crisper with a light rub of olive oil. Also, see How to Bake Bone-In Chicken Breasts.

Ingredients

• Bone-in chicken thighs – Make sure to use chicken thighs with the bone inside and the skin on, as these will provide the most flavor and texture.
• Olive oil – Helps the chicken skin get nice and crispy in the oven.
• Salt and black pepper – Be generous with the salt and pepper. These baked chicken thighs may be simple, but with enough seasoning, they truly shine!

How to Make Baked Chicken Thighs

1. Prepare to bake: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or foil, or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Season the chicken: Rub the chicken thighs with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the oil. Place them on the baking sheet and season with salt and pepper.
3. Bake: Bake the chicken for about 45 to 50 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through (an internal temperature of at least 165°F, though between 180 and 185°F is best for thighs). Serve hot, room temperature, or cold.

How Long to Bake Chicken Thighs

The baking time for chicken thighs depends on the oven temperature and the size and thickness of the pieces. Chicken thighs usually vary from 3 ounces to 6 ounces. The chart below is for average chicken thighs that weigh about 4 or 5 ounces each. I like to bake the thighs at 400°F, which is technically more like roasting, for about 45 to 50 minutes to get a crispy skin.

Oven Temperature	Cooking Time
350°F	about 1 hour
375°F	about 50 to 55 minutes
400°F	about 45 to 50 minutes
425°F	about 40 minutes

Pro Cooking Tips

• An instant-read thermometer or meat thermometer will help you know for sure when your chicken is done. Chicken thighs are safe at the internal temperature of 165°F, but they won’t be fall-apart tender. Cooking chicken thighs a bit longer ensures that they won’t be stringy or chewy. I like to cook them to an internal temp of 180-185°F, which ensures an ideal tenderness. But don’t cook them too long, or you will head back into chewy or stringy territory. 195°F is the maximum internal temperature you should be looking for.
• If you don’t have a meat thermometer, you want to cook the thighs until the juices run clear, rather than pinkish, when you cut them into them.
• With poultry, dark meat is more forgiving than white meat in terms of not drying out and staying moist. If the chicken is cooked, but you want to keep it warm for a bit, you can just turn off the oven and leave it in there for another 20 minutes or so to keep it warm. It will still be nice and juicy when you are ready to eat it!
• You can also use 2 baking dishes, but I prefer the rimmed baking sheets because they allow the hot air to circulate better around the chicken thighs.
• Pat the chicken dry with paper towels before coating it with olive oil or butter. This will help the fat adhere to the skin and make it golden brown and crispy instead of steaming.
• To ensure the crispiest skin, bake the chicken in the middle or top part of the oven, close to the heat source on top.

Seasoning Variations

The plain version — olive oil, salt, pepper — is genuinely perfect and doesn’t need improvement. But when you want to mix it up, these rubs all work beautifully:

• Curry Rub: 4 teaspoons each curry powder and chili powder, 1 teaspoon each cumin, allspice, and cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Warm Spice Rub: 2 tablespoons sweet paprika, 2 teaspoons ground and cinnamon, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• Greek Rub: 2 tablespoons dried oregano, 1 teaspoon each dried dill, garlic powder, kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon groundblack pepper, squeeze of lemon after baking

FAQs

What to Serve With Baked Chicken Thighs

Think about Crispy Brussels Sprouts Salad, Butternut Squash Casserole, Scalloped Sweet Potatoes, or Potato Gratin. Or just keep it very simple and go for a salad and something like Maple-Roasted Butternut Squash or Stewed Tomatoes with rice or mashed potatoes for the world’s most reassuring dinner.

Mashed Potato Pancakes or Easy Cheesy Rice with Broccoli would also be amazing sides for chicken thighs. In the summer, go for something more seasonal, like Classic Potato Salad and a big green salad.

Chopped Wedge Salad

Warm Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Mustard Vinaigrette

Green Beans and Mushrooms with Shallots

More Baked Chicken Thigh Recipes

Now that you have the basic version in your arsenal, give these other recipes a go.

• Creamed Spinach Stuffed Chicken Thighs
• Rosemary and Lemon Roasted Chicken Thighs
• Lemon-Garlic Chicken Thighs
• Lemon-Rosemary Chicken Thighs
• Greek Roasted Chicken Thighs
• Thai Chicken Thighs

Sauces for Baked Chicken Thighs

Plain chicken thighs are delicious, but should you want to add a sauce or condiment on top, do it! Try drizzling them with green olive tapenade dressing. Other things that have ended up on a roasted chicken thigh in my house are Ramp Chimichurri Sauce, Kale Pesto Recipe, Nut-Free Basil Pesto, Creamy Mustard-Oregano Sauce, Herb Dipping Sauce, and whatever is lurking around in the fridge.