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With just a handful of ingredients, these juicy, flavorful baked chicken thighs are ready in no time and perfect for any occasion. This go-to weeknight recipe will transforms last-minute dinner stress into a deliciously easy win.
The Only Chicken Thigh Recipe You Will Ever Need!
You know those days when you just need a win in the kitchen? When it’s 5 pm, and you realize you haven’t even thought about dinner yet? Enter: My Go-To Chicken Thighs. These are my secret weapon for those crazy days.
They’re juicy, flavorful, and incredibly versatile—perfect for a quick weeknight meal or a laid-back weekend cookout. Think of them as your kitchen BFF, always there to save the day. They cook up in a flash, and with just a few ingredients, you’ve got something that feels way fancier than it actually is. It’s like magic, but better—because it’s chicken.
For a complete meal serve these with a salad (maybe our Autumn Apple Salad, or Mexican Salad) or some mashed potatoes and green beans for some Southern comfort.
Ingredients Needed
Ingredients shown in image include: Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and dried parsley.
Find the complete recipe card below with measurements and full instructions.
Let’s Bake Some Chicken Thighs
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Next, prepare the chicken by trimming any excess fat or skin, then pat dry with paper towels.
- Mix together the chicken seasoning in a small bowl by combining the salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and dried parsley.
- Then, drizzle the chicken with the extra virgin olive oil, then rub the chicken tops and bottoms to fully coat in the oil. Sprinkle the seasonings evenly on both sides of the chicken.
- Place the chicken thighs in a 3 quart baking dish. Bake the chicken for 25-35 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 180 degrees F.
- Lastly, remove the chicken from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
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Baked Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
The Spices
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
The Chicken
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 pounds chicken thighs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Prepare the chicken by trimming any excess fat or skin, then pat dry with paper towels.
- Mix together the chicken seasoning in a small bowl by combining the salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and dried parsley.
- Drizzle the chicken with the extra virgin olive oil, then rub the chicken tops and bottoms to fully coat in the oil.
- Sprinkle the seasonings evenly on both sides of the chicken.
- Place the chicken thighs in a 3 quart baking dish.
- Bake the chicken for 25-35 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 180 degrees F.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How to Serve These Chicken Thighs
Make these chicken thighs the highlight of a complete meal for the family. Some of our favorite pairings include:
- Salad: Slice up the chicken and serve it in this Grilled Chicken Salad, or in a simple house salad topped with a homemade ranch dressing, blue cheese dressing, or an Italian dressing.
- Roasted Veggies: Use a combination of vegetables you have in your fridge already, or try our Mexican Roasted Vegetables. A simple way to roast veggies is to drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Comfort Foods: If you want to up the comfort level of the meal I highly recommend our Perfect Mashed Potatoes, Cheesy Grits, or Homemade Mac and Cheese as a side dish.
- Bowl Pairings: Want to make a fancy chicken bowl meal? Try our Cilantro Lime Rice, Mexican Street Corn Salad, and a drizzle of Avocado Crema to finish it off.
More Chicken REcipes
Photography by KJandCompany.co
Please make sure your directions are clear. It helps to have someone else read through them before you print them. As an example, you list the ingredients as “paprika” and “smoked paprika”. In another recipe using Roma tomatoes you said to cook until “the skins come up.” Not exactly sure if an inexperienced cook would know what that means. Anyway, I think your recipes are very good and not overly complicated.
Thank you for your comment Cathy. The recipes are read by several people before going live on the site. But sometimes things do slip through, so thank you for letting me know. The ingredients list for this recipe calls specifically for smoked paprika, and is what is preferred for this recipe. Some recipes I have only use regular paprika. In regards to the other recipe about the tomatoes, I’m fairly sure I know which one you’re referring to, and there are actually step-by-step photos showing what to look for with the tomatoes including more description in the post itself to help out.