This easy Oven Baked Chicken Thigh recipe is reminiscent of Mom's...tender, flavorful dark meat with a crispy skin! Serve with your favorite bowl of homemade mashed potatoes or a side of rice and chicken gravy or, shred the chicken and make a big batch of homemade Chicken and Dumplings!
Why you'll love this recipe:
Oven roasted chicken is a universal comfort food with each culture having its own version. In fact, nothing says "home" more than the wonderful aroma of baked chicken. This recipe uses dark-meat chicken thighs with the bone-in and skin-on. The natural flavors from the skin and bone offer a delicious, natural flavor and great texture.
In order to retain the natural juices of the chicken, this recipe first bakes the dark meat, then roasts it. Roasting (cooking it uncovered) allows the skin to get crispy without losing the tenderness of the meat.
What you'll need:
Package of chicken thighs (any kind), salt, pepper, butter and onion (optional)
How to make Oven Baked Chicken Thighs:
FAQ's
How long do I cook the chicken?
Generally, 8 thighs takes 50-55 minutes, but it also depends upon a few factors:
- temperature of oven
- type of poultry: skin-on takes longer than no-skin
- amount of chicken thighs (8-10 thighs take longer than 2-3)
As ovens vary, the best way to determine the doneness of poultry is to use a reliable meat thermometer.
How do I know when it's done?
Food safety regulations require poultry reach an internal temperature of at least 165ºF. The best way to take the temperature of a skin-on, bone-in chicken thigh is to place the thermometer in the thickest area of the thigh, but not next to the bone.
How to Remove the Skin from Chicken Thighs
If you bought skin-on chicken pieces, but don't want to cook them with the skin on, use a sharp knife and gently cut away the skin before you season the poultry.
Keep in mind the skin offers flavor and fat, so if you want to make chicken gravy to go with your roasted chicken, you might want to keep the skin on.
How to Make Chicken Gravy
After the chicken is done, place it in foil and pour the remaining liquid into a measuring cup to determine how much fat residue is leftover (this will determine how much flour to add to make a roux for the chicken gravy).
- Pour the chicken liquid into a cast-iron skillet on medium heat
- Add an equal amount of flour to the liquid; whisk and cook for 3 minutes
- Add chicken stock to roux until it reaches the desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper
- Serve over chicken, rice or potatoes
Note: if you need to make more chicken gravy, add butter or oil to the chicken juice then, add an equal amount of flour to the skillet.
The beauty of oven baked, or roasted chicken thighs is that they're relatively inexpensive and perfect for feeding large groups! If you have leftovers, you can always debone the dark meat and make chicken salad or chicken spaghetti!
Related recipes:
- Mom's Pot Roast
- Beef Tips with Rice and Gravy
- Chicken Spaghetti Casserole
- Chicken Stew
- Cajun Chicken Gumbo
♥ If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and rating. I love to hear from you!
Oven Baked Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 8 chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on (See Recipe Notes: Chicken)
- 1 stick butter cut into 8 sections
- ½ large yellow onion (optional)
- 1 cup water
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF
- Pat dry chicken thighs with paper towel
- Add 1 cup water to baking dish
- Lightly salt and pepper chicken thighs (top and bottom)
- Place chicken thighs in baking dish
- Place one dollop of butter and two slices of onion on each thigh
- Slice onion into 16 small pieces; cut butter into 8 slices (optional)
- Cover baking dish with foil
- Bake for 50-55 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165ºF
- Remove foil and place chicken and baking dish back into the oven
- Turn oven setting to 500ºF
- Allow to cook for 5-8 minutes, or until the chicken skins begin to brown
- Remove from oven and serve
Notes
- temperature of oven
- type of poultry: skin-on takes longer than no-skin
- amount of chicken thighs (8-10 thighs take longer than 2-3)
- Pour the chicken liquid into a cast-iron skillet on medium heat
- Add an equal amount of flour to the liquid; whisk and cook for 3 minutes
- Add chicken stock to roux until it reaches the desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper
- Serve over chicken, rice or potatoes
Sandra says
My chicken thighs didn’t have skins, so I omitted the final roasting. Is this okay? I also forgot about the butter accidentally. Okay???
Anecia says
Yes! Just make sure the chicken reaches 165ºF!