Crispy oven baked chicken thighs are an easy dinner with golden skin and tender, juicy meat. This recipe uses bone-in chicken thighs, simple seasoning, and only a few minutes of prep.
⏱️ How Long to Bake Chicken Thighs
Bake chicken thighs at 425°F for about 30–40 minutes, until they reach 185°F internally for tender meat and crispy skin.
- 425°F oven — 30–40 minutes → excellent crispy skin
- 425°F convection oven — 30–35 minutes → recommended for time
- 450°F oven — 30–35 minutes
- 350°F–400°F ovens also work, but take longer. At 400°F or lower, convection gives better browning and crispier skin.
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- ⚡ TL;DR—Recipe Summary
- 🐓 Ingredients
- 👨🍳 Quick Overview: Oven Baked Chicken Thighs
- ⏰ How Long to Bake Chicken Thighs
- 🌡️ Best Internal Temperature for Chicken Thighs
- 🐓 Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
- 🧂 Seasoning Options
- 🔥How to Prevent Smoking Ovens
- 🍽️ Serving Chicken Thighs
- ❄️ Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- ❓FAQs
- 🐓Related chicken recipes
- 📖The Recipe Card
Featured Comment from Gretchen :
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"This is by and far my FAVORITE recipe. I’ve always hated chicken thighs, and now I know why… the internal temperature. I generally will modify a recipe to my liking, however yours is hands down sensational."
⚡ TL;DR—Recipe Summary
- What: Crispy oven-baked bone-in chicken thighs with golden skin and tender, juicy meat.
- How: Trim, pat dry, season, and bake at 425°F until the internal temperature reaches 185°F—about 30–40 minutes.
🐓 Ingredients
- Chicken thighs — Trimmed bone-in thighs. Boneless or skinless work too, but need adjustments (see below).
- Seasoning — Use kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder (All-Purpose Seasoning).
- Other options — Any spice rub you like, or brush on BBQ sauce during the last 5 minutes.
👨🍳 Quick Overview: Oven Baked Chicken Thighs
1. Prep
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Trim excess fat and loose skin.
Line a baking sheet with foil and add a rack if you have one—spray with PAM cooking spray.
2. Season
Sprinkle both sides with your favorite seasoning—salt, pepper, garlic powder, or your go-to rub.
3. Bake
Bake at 425°F until the internal temperature is 185°F—about 30–40 minutes. For faster cooking, use 425°F convection for about 30–35 minutes.
✅ Pro Tip: Chicken is technically safe at 165°F, but thighs are much better at 185°F—more tender and easier to eat.
👇 Scroll down for step-by-step photos, tips, and the full printable recipe card.
⏰ How Long to Bake Chicken Thighs
I prefer 425°F convection for about 30–35 minutes for the best combination of cooking time and crispy skin. A 425°F oven also gives excellent results in about 30–40 minutes. Lower temperatures work but take longer.
🔥 Approximate Oven Baking Times
- 350°F oven — about 50–55 minutes
- 375°F oven — about 45–50 minutes
- 400°F oven — about 40–45 minutes
- 425°F oven — about 30–40 minutes (recommended)
- 425°F convection oven — about 30–35 minutes (recommended)
- 450°F oven — about 30–35 minutes (recommended)
Always cook to a final internal temperature of 185°F—use time only as a guide. Boneless and thinner thighs will cook faster.
🌡️ Best Internal Temperature for Chicken Thighs
Chicken thighs are safe to eat at 165°F, but they’re not at their best. For tender, pull-apart dark meat, you need to go higher.
Aim for 185°F to 195°F. That range melts the connective tissue, giving you juicy, flavorful thighs with the right texture.
This isn’t just opinion—American Test Kitchen recommends it too (subscription required). The USDA minimum is 165°F, but that’s ideal for lean white meat like chicken breasts—not thighs.
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🐓 Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
This recipe is for bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, but boneless skinless thighs also work.
- Brush lightly with oil: This helps with browning and moisture.
- They cook faster: They tend to be thinner and smaller, and there’s no bone to heat through. Expect about 5–10 minutes less.
Cook to 185°F for the best texture. Use cooking time only as a guide.
🧂 Seasoning Options
Start simple with your favorite seasoning salt or just kosher salt and black pepper. That’s often all you need.
I usually use my All-Purpose Seasoning—a blend of salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Other great options:
- Paprika, oregano, thyme
- Italian or poultry seasoning
- Garlic or onion powder
- Your favorite spice rub
Want BBQ chicken thighs? Use a BBQ dry rub and brush on sauce during the last 5 minutes of baking.
Prefer a marinade? Try my butter, garlic, and lemon chicken marinade or any marinade you love.
🔥How to Prevent Smoking Ovens
High heat and fatty cuts like chicken thighs can sometimes cause your oven to smoke. It’s not dangerous—but it can be annoying. Here’s how to reduce the risk:
- Trim excess fat and loose skin before baking
- Use a pan with sides to catch splatter
- Make sure your oven is clean—old grease is a common smoke source
- Add a little water under the rack (optional) to cool drips—reduces smoke, but may soften the skin slightly
- If your oven has both convection roast and bake, choose convection bake—it uses less top heat and smokes less
- You can also lower the oven temp by 25° to 50°F—this reduces smoke but increases cook time and may dry the chicken more
✅ No matter what, always cook to an endpoint of 185°F, not by time.
🍽️ Serving Chicken Thighs
Pair your chicken thighs with simple sides like:
❄️ Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freeze for up to 3–4 months—just wrap tightly to avoid freezer burn.
♨️Best Ways to Reheat
- Oven: Reheat at 350°F for about 15 minutes. Best texture.
- Air fryer: Works great for restoring some crisp.
- Microwave: Fast, but the skin will be soft and the texture less appealing.
✅ If frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
❓FAQs
Chicken thighs, especially skin-on thighs, release quite a bit of fat while cooking. That’s normal. Trim excess fat and loose skin before baking, and always use a rimmed baking pan to contain the drippings.
No, but I recommend one. It keeps the chicken above the rendered fat and helps the skin stay crisp. Spray the rack with cooking spray for easier cleanup.
Yes. Use the same temperatures and cook to 185°F, not by time alone. Be sure to use a pan with sides to contain the rendered fat.
🐓Related chicken recipes
Baked and indoor favorites:
Grilled options:
📖The Recipe Card
Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Thighs
Video Slideshow
Ingredients
- 2 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs - do as many as you want
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste - or seasoning of your choice
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prep
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Use convection if available.
- Pat dry the chicken with paper towels. Trim off any loose skin and easily trimmable fat.
- Prep a sheet pan by lining it with aluminum foil. Add a rack if you have one and a heavy coat of PAM cooking spray.
Season
- Place thighs skin down and sprinkle lightly with the spices of your choice. Flip and tuck in any thin parts underneath and sprinkle the skin side. Just Kosher salt and black pepper are fine, or the seasoning you like. We use our homemade 7:2:2, which adds some garlic.
Bake
- Bake skin-side up until the internal temperature is 185°F—about 30–40 minutes. Convection usually takes about 30–35 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- Pat dry for crispy skin—don’t skip it.
- A rack helps, but you can bake without one.
- Cook to 185°F, not just until it “looks done.
- A convection oven is recommended but not required—see the post for alternate oven temps.
- Spice as you want. I often add a touch of Cayenne.
- Scale to any amount you need.
- This recipe can also be done in a toaster oven or an air fryer.
- Skip the seasoning and brush with your favorite BBQ sauce for 5 minutes to make great oven-baked BBQ thighs.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Editor's Note: Originally Published January 24, 2014. Updated with re-edited photos and added information since the original version.
Karen says
Hi. Love this chicken recipe. I now have chicken lollipops with skin on . How would I adjust the timing? Thank you. Take care, Karen
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Karen,
Welcome to the blog.
The timing is as short as you can get without overcooking the skin. You will find approximate adjustments for lower temps in the post.
Dan
Peter says
You don't mention your 7-2-2 seasoning any more. I use it all the time. It is very easy to use and really works.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Peter,
It is now called All-Purpose Seasoning and it is in there several times. Sometime will will add the 7:2:2 to the name. Still use mine all the time also, Just make a knew batch Monday.
Dan
DrPat says
Hi DrDan
Followed your procedure for these baked chicken thighs. They turned out perfectly! Convection bake (not convection broil) and 35 minutes @ 425 in my Viking range, hit 185 internal temperature exactly. (Now I know why my previous preps have been a bit on the tougher side--need to get up to 185.)
Didn't have the spatter issue others reported. I trimmed the skin and excess fat as suggested and positioned the food in the middle of my oven, in front of the convection fan. All the spatter ended up on the door, none on the ceiling or anywhere else. I just wiped off the door when the oven was cool.
Thanks for all the tips and photos. They really help. You clearly put a lot of work into documenting the details to make the prep as foolproof as possible.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi DrPat,
Welcome to the blog.
It is relatively simple cook, as long as you have a few tips.
I try to be detailed.
Again, thanks for the note and rating.
Dan
Kels says
I used my convection setting on my toaster oven and they came out wonderful.
Used salt, pepper, thyme, garlic powder, and onion powder on the skin. So crispy!
That I can use my toaster oven would be appreciate it thank you says
I like to use my toaster oven it helps my light bill not to be so high and the heat not to be so intense like a large conventional oven since I cook only for one maybe two people sometimes I only need the toaster oven any recipes That I can use my toaster oven would be appreciate it thank you
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Welcome to the blog.
Many (most?) recipes can work in toaster ovens. The big "maybe" is your toaster oven being big enough and being able to control the temperature (most important). I highly recommend a couple of thermometers to get an idea of what you can do and to monitor the results. All my recipes are cooked to an endpoint almost always an internal temperature. So an instant-read thermometer and an oven thermometer to know the temperature you are generating.
Hope that helps.
Dan
Julie says
This is the only way I make chicken now! Question, the first time I made this, the skin was delightfully crackly crispy. I used a convection oven. Every time since, I’ve cooked them in a non convection oven. The skin is not as crispy. They do get up to 185. Should I try broiling them for 5-10 minutes? I don’t want to overcook them. Thanks!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Julie,
The broiler will crisp it some but it will not be quite the same as convection. That air movement with convection causes that crackly skin but just a few minutes of broiling will get a crispier skin. Start the broil a bit before they reach the final temperature.
Dan
Dbarrett57 says
What is 7:2:1 and 7:2:2 seasoning?. I have never heard of it before. Will Lawry’s Seasoned Salt work with this recipe?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Welcome to the blog.
7:2:2 is our homemade all purpose seasoning It is linked in the post and covered in the FAQs/Help area in the menu. It is a ratio of Diamond crystal salt to pepper to granular garlic powder. All salt is not equal, so if you use Morton or similar the use 4 parts not 7.
Having said that, season however you want and it will be good. I think Lawry's is a fine choice—I use it a lot for many things.
Dan
Gretchen says
This is by and far my FAVORITE recipe. I’ve always hated chicken thighs and now I know why… the internal temperature. I generally will modify a recipe to my liking, however yours is hands down sensational. I also would like to note that I appreciate how much time and effort you put in to your recipes to give step by step instructions. Everything is so easy to follow and you answer all of the questions. Thank you for your time!
Robin says
Going to try this as soon as I can get to the store to buy chicken. But I just had to let you know how much I appreciate all the pictures of the steps in your recipe. Most sites don't do that and I pretty much have quit looking at those recipes as they usually don't turn out so well for me and I consider myself a pretty knowledgable cook. I'm so appreciative that you take the time to do that and don't just show a hundred pics of the end result. Every one of your recipes I have tried have turned out wonderful. Love simple, economical and tasty recipes. You should be quite proud!
Ms. Dale Goodloe says
I just have a regular, cheap electric oven (live in an apartment). After reading the comments, I'm concerned about fixing these and having splatter on the inside of the oven. May just reduce the temp.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Welcome to the blog.
There are a couple of things you can do to decrease splatter.
1-use a pan with a higher edge... like a cake pan
2-trim all the fat you can before cooking.
3-and the stuff in the smoking oven suggestions which includes decreasing the temp a bit.
Dan
suescatlady says
I never leave comments. I've used this recipe twice now and it is the best. Trimming the excess skin really helps to control the amount of mess. I'm not a fan of fried chicken or the mess it makes. Really try to keep meals low in fat. On the other hand my husband loves fried chicken. I refuse to fry. This recipe is wonderful. The skin is very crispy and the meat isn't fatty at all. We are both satisfied.
I rub the rack with vegetable shortening and clean up is a breeze. Tried using coconut oil but that didn't help at all.
Thanks for the wonderful recipe. I'm guessing drumsticks could probably be cooked the same way.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Welcome to the blog. So glad you find it useful.
Drumsticks are basically the same. A little more trimming on the thighs. The drumstick is the original recipe and people kept asking for thighs. I couldn't convince them it was about the same so after a few years, I added more trimming and discussion then made it a separate recipe.
The drumsticks are https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/the-art-of-drummies-oven-baked-chicken/ and it really came from the "chicken for a hundred" recipe which was a large cooking and I had to experiment with techniques to get it done right and safely.
Dan
Julie says
I am never doing chicken another way! Normally I eschew chicken skin. I not only did I eat the skin from my piece, but from a leftover piece! 425 and 185 is my new mantra. Thank you. It was scrumptious!
j says
thanks looks good and i'm cooking them right now!
Deborah L. says
I'm about to make Chicken thighs. But looking at the picture of Molly and Lily, it's hard to believe they were taken in January. Heat advisories here on the east coast and the girls look like I've been feeling. Hot, hot, hot. Almost too hot to look for veggies in my garden. Running the chicken in a pan out to the grill, Closing the lid. and hoping for the best. By Thermopen, of course. We bought ours through your website. I consider myself an experienced cook and occasionally it proves me wrong. So very wrong...
Will rate when this grill experiment is over.
Julie says
Therms pen is the best! I have two!
Marianne says
Just finished making your oven baked chicken thighs. This was fabulous! I marinated the chicken first and then followed your instructions allowing some more spices to be added. I must say that this was the most tender chicken we have eaten in some time. I usually cook it too tough or dry. Looking forward to trying some of your other recipes. Thank you for posting these recipes.
Lilianne says
The chicken thigh recipe was great, but it splattered the ceiling of the oven and we could not get it clean. I've been afraid to try any chicken in the convention oven with skin on it again.😔
Elisabeth says
This happened to me, too. The next time I cooked them, I put the chicken on a rack in the middle of the oven. Then I put another rack as close to the top of the oven as it would go and placed a sheet of parchment paper on it. (I weighted the paper with a small ramekin filled with pie weights to keep it from shifting in my convection oven when the fan was on.) This was effective at preventing any splatter from hitting the ceiling of the oven. Any splatter that hit the top rack was easy to remove with a scrubby sponge.
Elisabeth says
Can this be done with skinless thighs?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Elisabeth,
Welcome to the blog.
I have that covered in the discussion in the post. So yes with some adjustments.
Dan