These Oven Baked Chicken Thigh are absolutely the JUICIEST chicken thighs ever – and they are delightfully crispy on the outside. With only a few simple ingredients they’re easy enough for anyone to make!.
I love this simple recipe for a super satisfying weeknight dinner idea. When you need comfort food but don’t have much time or energy to cook! These go well with this Green Bean Salad, these Jumbo Dinner Rolls Recipe, and this Zucchini Side Dish!
Have you tried baked chicken thighs before? My goodness, you will fall in love with this super simple, yet versatile recipe.
I’m a fan of this dish when it’s been a long day and I just want a comfort meal, without spending hours putting together something elaborate in the kitchen. Prepping oven baked chicken thighs only takes about 5 minutes, and then they bake for a total of about 50 to 60 minutes. Bada boom, bada bing, you’re all set! I also left notes for how to serve the pan juices with the chicken (it’s so flavorful and hearty thanks to the butter, spices, and chicken juices). Serve with mashed potatoes and green beans for a Southern comfort meal, or black beans and corn salad for more of a Southwestern spin!.
Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs: The bones and skin help the chicken become moist and juicy, and they also help the flavors develop. The skin also gets nice and crispy.
Season salt: The season salt I like best is made with salt, garlic powder, pepper, onion powder, and, if you want, cayenne pepper and paprika.
Melted butter: Butter helps the chicken to get nice and crispy, and adds an even richer flavor.
Cooking boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the oven can be a bit tricky. You want the meat to come out moist and juicy, but not dry or rubbery. So should you cover the baking pan with foil or leave it uncovered? Here’s what I’ve learned from my trials and errors in the kitchen.
The Benefits of Using Foil
Covering the pan with foil while baking chicken thighs does provide some benefits
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Keeps Wetness—The foil keeps steam and wetness inside the pan instead of letting it escape into the oven air. This helps keep the meat juicy.
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Cooks Evenly—The foil helps the chicken cook evenly, especially if you put pieces on top of each other or stack them in the pan.
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Easy Clean-Up: Any spills or drips will stay on the foil, which makes cleanup a lot easier. You won’t have to scrub baked-on residue off the pan.
So if you want juicy, evenly cooked chicken thighs and less mess to deal with, using foil is a good option.
Potential Drawbacks of Foil
However, there are a few potential drawbacks to using foil that you should consider:
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Skin Softening – If the chicken has skin on, the foil can make it soggy and less crispy.
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Steaming Instead of Browning—Covering the pan can stop the maillard reaction, which is what makes the meat brown and caramelize so deliciously.
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Loss of Flavor – Any juices released from the chicken during baking won’t reduce and concentrate into a tasty glaze for basting.
So if you want crispy skin and rich browned flavor, foil may not be the best choice.
Compromise Solution
My preferred method is a compromise approach:
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Preheat the oven to 400°F. Season the chicken thighs with salt, pepper, and any other spices or herbs.
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Place the thighs in a baking dish in a single layer, skin-side up if using skin-on thighs.
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Bake uncovered for about 15 minutes. This initial uncovered time allows the chicken to brown a bit.
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Then tent the dish loosely with foil and continue baking 10-15 minutes more until fully cooked through.
The brief uncovered baking gives you some nice browning. But the extended covered time retains moisture, allows even cooking, and makes clean-up easy.
Additional Tips
Here are a few more tips for ensuring tender, juicy oven-baked chicken thighs:
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Don’t overcrowd the pan. Too many thighs inhibits browning.
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Brush chicken with oil or melted butter before baking for added moisture and flavor.
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Flip thighs over halfway through cooking if you want both sides to brown.
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Let thighs rest 5-10 minutes before serving so juices redistribute through the meat.
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Bake at a high temp (400-425°F) for best results. Lower temps increase drying out.
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Use a meat thermometer to confirm doneness; thighs should reach 165-175°F.
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Add veggies to the pan to roast along with the chicken.
Recommendation
What to Serve with Baked Chicken Thighs
You can serve SO many things with baked chicken thighs! It’s such a versatile meal. Try serving with:
- Green beans
- Mashed potatoes
- Baked potatoes
- Fresh fruit
- A simple side salad
- Baked beans
- Corn salad
- Cole slaw
- Potato salad
- Roasted beets, broccoli, zucchini, or another favorite roasted veggie
Store baked chicken thighs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Freeze for up to 4 months.
You can use leftover chicken thighs in anything you’d use cooked or shredded chicken in! Add to soups, burritos, quesadillas, sandwiches, chicken salad, chicken casserole, or enchiladas!.
Put baked chicken thighs on a baking sheet, cover them with foil, and bake them at 350 degrees for 10 minutes to warm them up. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes, or until heated through.
When the chicken thighs are golden brown and crispy on the outside but still 165 degrees F on the inside, they are done. The inside should also no longer be pink when you cut into the chicken.
This recipe automatically yields a nice and crispy skin thanks to the use of butter and finishing the thighs with the foil removed. If you want it extra-crispy, you can remove the foil after 30 minutes and finish the chicken for another 20-30 minutes uncovered.
How Long to Bake Chicken Thighs
Bake chicken thighs for 40 minutes covered with foil on a baking sheet. This traps in the moisture and allows the juices to stay intact. Remove the foil and bake an additional 10 to 20 minutes to finish the chicken and allow the skin to get crispy. An instant-read thermometer will register 165 degrees F. when finished.
Is it better to bake chicken covered or uncovered?
FAQ
Should I bake my chicken thighs covered or uncovered?
For crispy skin and even cooking, bake chicken thighs uncovered. Covering chicken thighs while baking will result in a steamed texture rather than a crispy one.
Should I cover chicken thighs with foil in the oven?
But I know you are wondering– should you cover chicken thighs when they are baking? The simple answer is, no. We don’t cover our skin-on chicken thighs because we want that skin to get nice and crispy!.
Do you bake chicken at 400 covered or uncovered?
When baking chicken at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s best to leave the skin off so the chicken gets crispy.
Should I use aluminum foil when baking chicken?
Prevents over-browning: Foil can shield the chicken from direct heat, preventing excessive browning or burning on the surface.