Everybody loves chicken, but the Baked Chicken Thighs often gets neglected in favor of other parts of the bird. When cooked properly, the thigh is a delicious part of a meal. You can incorporate chicken thighs into some of our favorite recipes. Read on to discover a yummy baked chicken thighs recipe.

What Are Baked Chicken Thighs?

Chicken thighs are a type of dark meat that comes from a chicken’s upper thighs. The bottom part of the leg is served as a drumstick. You can cook thighs in many ways. Baking them is a way to infuse flavor, increase moisture, and introduce other ingredients.

There is more than one way to make this dish. You can cook the thighs alongside different vegetables and seasonings.No matter which ingredients you add, there are some general steps you should follow to ensure the thighs cook completely.

About ingredients

Below are all the ingredients you’ll need to follow this delicious chicken thigh recipe.

Chicken Thighs

You can find chicken thighs in several different forms. Some of these thighs have skin or bones, while others do not. Each type has some different baking needs.

Seasoning

You can choose whatever seasoning you like for your chicken thighs. Some common choices include garlic powder, thyme, rosemary, sage, and cayenne pepper. No matter what other seasoning you use, you should also use salt and pepper liberally at several points in the recipe.

Marinade

In some cases, you may want to opt for a marinade. A marinade can include different ingredients, including garlic cloves, brown sugar, lemon, and soy sauce.

Oil

Oil helps encourage browning and moisture retention. You can use whatever type of oil you like. Olive oil is always a safe bet when it comes to encouraging flavor and function.

Accompanying Vegetables

Pair your chicken thighs with some baked vegetables to make a complete meal. You can choose root vegetables or something like asparagus.

Baked Chicken Thighs: Fire-Baked Chicken Tenders Just Like Your Favorite Restaurant!

Chicken thighs are a type of dark meat that comes from a chicken’s upperthighs. The bottom part of the leg is served as a drumstick. You can cookthighs in many ways. Baking them is a way to infuse flavor, increase moisture,and introduce other ingredients.

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 35 mins

Total Time 45 mins

Course Chicken, Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 6 people

Calories 390 kcal

Equipment

• Baking sheet Primarily serve as a way to catch drippings from the chicken.
• Oven-safe cooling rack Make sure the cooling rack can fit on top of the baking sheet. This component helps the skin crisp while keeping the inside of the chicken moist.
• Aluminum foil Aluminum foil will line the baking sheet to make the clean-up process easier for you.
• Meat thermometer There are many types of meat thermometers you can get. Ensure the one you choose is accurate.
• Large bowl Be big enough to hold all the chicken thighs and their seasoning.

Ingredients

  

• 3.5-4 lbs Chicken Thighs
• 4 teaspoons Seasoning
• Marinade
• ¼ cups Olive oil
• Accompanying Vegetables
• 5 Garlic cloves

Instructions

 

Preheat oven:

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and ensure your oven rack is one level up from the center level.

Prepare pan:

• Take your baking sheet and line it with aluminum foil. Fit your oven-safe cooling rack on top of the baking sheet.
• Spray the rack with non-stick spray.

Mix seasonings:

• Take whatever seasonings you have chosen.
• Mix them in a large bowl.

Dry chicken thighs:

• Dry your chicken thighs with paper towels. Doing this step will help the seasonings adhere to the chicken properly and help the chicken cook nicely.

Toss chicken thighs in seasoning or marinade:

• Add the dried chicken thighs to the bowl of seasonings and evenly coatthe thighs.
• Add more seasoning as needed.

Place on baking sheet:

• Evenly space the chicken thighs on the baking sheet rack. Avoid having the thighs touch since touching the thighs can reduce browning and even heat distribution.
• If the thighs have skin, place them skin-side down. Sprinkle thethighs with salt and pepper, flip them and season the other side.

Bake chicken:

• Bake your chicken thighs in the oven for about 35 to 45 minutes. You may cook them for a shorter period if the thighs do not have bones.
• When done, the thighs will be some what brown and the thickest part of the thigh should register as 175 degrees Fahrenheit on your meat thermometer. When thinking of how long to bake chicken thighs, always ensure your chicken reaches the above temperature.

Optional broil:

• If the inside of the chicken is perfect, but you want crispier skin, you can finish the thighs by broiling them for a few minutes. They will likely only need 1 to 4 minutes of broiling.
• If you choose to broil, check to see how much fat is on your baking sheet. Remove excess fat to reduce smoking.

Keyword baked chicken thighs, chicken thighs in oven

Tips & Tricks for Baked Chicken Thighs

• Try to use thighs of the same size and general shape. Doing this will ensure that the thighs cook evenly and finish simultaneously.
• Drying the thighs with paper towels is truly an essential step in this process. Do not skip it if you want the best results.
• Checking the temperature of any meat is essential to making sure you do not eat undercooked and potentially harmful food. Invest in a good meat thermometer and measure often.
• If you want to make a single pan meal, you can place vegetables on the pan under the cooling rack. The juices from the chicken will help season the vegetables in addition to any seasoning you add to the vegetables separately.
• Complete your meal by pairing your chicken with a sauce. The sauce can help you reinforce the flavor profiles you use for your chicken. Try chimichurri, pesto, barbeque, and buffalo aioli.
• Besides serving a simple meal of chicken thighs with vegetables, you can also pair the meat with other dishes. For example, you can add it to a rice bowl, pasta dish, risotto, polenta, tacos, or soup.

Nutrition Information of Baked Chicken Thighs

These numbers are per serving. Each serving consists of one chicken thigh.

• Calories: 390, Fat 21 grams
• Saturated fat 5 grams
• Cholesterol 194 milligrams
• Sodium 154 milligrams
• Potassium 436 milligrams
• Carbohydrates 2 grams
• Protein 32 grams
• Vitamin A 383IU
• Vitamin C 1 milligram
• Calcium 34 milligrams
• Iron 2 milligrams.

Conclusion

Baked chicken thighs may be a simple dish from an often-forgotten part of this animal. However, there are plenty of small considerations you should take to make the difference between an average meal and one that is truly remarkable.

This versatile dish can work well with any seasoning mix or marinade. Once you make the thighs, you can eat them as they are or add them to an overall meal.