Crispy Oven-Baked Chicken Thighs have delicious crispy skin and are moist and tender inside. This simple recipe requires trimming, patting dry, seasoning, and baking. Follow the easy step-by-step photo instructions for perfect chicken thighs every time in your oven, whether using convection or not.
🐓Ingredients
Chicken thighs—bone-in or boneless thighs
Seasoning—salt, black pepper, and garlic powder mixture (All-Purpose Seasoning) OR
Optional seasoning of your choice OR BBQ sauce
Jump To (scroll for more)
- 🐓Ingredients
- 👨🍳How to Bake Chicken Thighs—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
- ⏰ How long to bake chicken thighs
- 🐓Baking skinless, boneless chicken thighs
- 🧂Seasoning options
- 🌡️The best final internal temperature for thighs is 185°
- 🐓Related chicken recipes
- 🍽️Serving chicken thighs
- ❄️Storing and reheating leftovers
- ❓FAQs
- 🔥What to do about smoking ovens
- ⚕️Food safety
- 📖The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions
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."
Make them right every time! There are only a few secrets to making the best baked chicken thighs.
- Use a high-temperature oven, preferably with convection.
- Use a rack to elevate the chicken thighs above the drippings, if possible.
- Lastly, and most importantly, cook to the proper internal temperature of 185° to melt the connective tissue—don't stop at 165°.
Make this recipe for chicken thighs in your oven with the easy step-by-step photo instructions with only 5 minutes of preparation and 30 to 35 minutes of baking time.
👨🍳How to Bake Chicken Thighs—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
1. Pat dry and trim off loose skin and easily trimmed fat.
2. Prep a sheet pan with aluminum foil and a rack—coat with and PAM cooking spray.
3. Spice both sides with the seasoning of your choice.
4. Bake in a preheated oven at 425°F convection until the internal temperature is 185°F—about 30-35 minutes.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
⏰ How long to bake chicken thighs
It will take 30 to 35 minutes to bake chicken thighs at 425° convection. The time will vary depending on the weight and thickness of the thighs and your oven temperature.
Times are approximate and provided for planning only. Cook to a final internal temperature of 185° using a meat or instant-read thermometer.
- Chicken thighs baked at 350°F conventional takes about 50-55 minutes—will dry more.
- Chicken thighs baked at 350°F convection or 375°F conventional takes about 45-50 minutes.
- Chicken thighs baked at 375°F convection or 400°F conventional takes about 40-45 minutes.
- Chicken thighs baked at 400°F convection or 425°F conventional takes about 35-40 minutes—recommended.
- Chicken thighs baked at 425°F convection or 450°F conventional takes about 30-35 minutes—recommended.
ALWAYS COOK TO A FINAL INTERNAL TEMPERATURE. PLEASE, NEVER BY TIME ALONE.
🐓Baking skinless, boneless chicken thighs
This recipe assumes skin-on bone-in chicken thighs. Skinless chicken thighs, with or without bone, will also work well—brush them with vegetable or olive oil. They tend to be smaller and thinner, which will decrease the cooking time. And, if boneless, the cooking time will decrease even more.
Remember, you are cooking to a final internal temperature of 185°+, not by time. The cooking time will probably be 5 to 10 minutes less.
🧂Seasoning options
A good sprinkle of kosher salt and black pepper for seasoning will be enough. I usually use my All Purpose Seasoning, which has kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
You may also use other spices, such as paprika, oregano, thyme, Italian spice mix, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and spice rubs.
Make great baked BBQ chicken thighs with a BBQ dry rub and brush with your favorite BBQ sauce for the last 5 minutes of cooking. Or make some tasty marinaded chicken thighs with my butter, garlic, and lemon chicken marinade or any marinade you love.
Save this recipe!
Enter your email address and we'll send the link straight to your inbox!
🌡️The best final internal temperature for thighs is 185°
According to American Test Kitchen (subscription required), the best final internal temperature for chicken thighs is 185° to 195°F*. You need to melt some connective tissue for the best texture.
The USDA's minimum safe internal temperature is 165°, perfect for white meat like chicken breasts, but dark meat with connective tissue will still be stringy and tough.
🐓Related chicken recipes
For other inside quick chicken recipes, check out Oven Baked Chicken Legs, Sear and Bake Chicken Breasts, or Chicken Breasts in a Convection Oven.
You can also fire up the gas grill for Grilled Chicken Breasts on a Gas Grill or Grilled Chicken Drumsticks.
Grilled Chicken Thighs
Perfectly Grilled Chicken Thighs are juicy and tender, with crispy skin and delicious char. They are fast and easy on your gas grill with only a few simple steps.
🍽️Serving chicken thighs
Serve with one-pot mac and cheese, Stovetop French fries, Oven Roasted Red Potatoes, or vegetables like a fresh spinach salad, green beans with almonds, or microwave corn on the cob.
Finish the meal with Fresh Strawberry Pie with Jello or Old Fashioned Apple Crisp.
❄️Storing and reheating leftovers
Leftovers can be stored sealed in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 days or frozen for 3-4 months.
To reheat leftovers, thaw overnight in the refrigerator if frozen. Leftovers will have a much better texture when reheated in the oven at 350° for about 15 minutes. An air fryer works well, also. A microwave can be used, but it affects the texture adversely.
❓FAQs
No. It will interfere with the crisping of the skin. So, no aluminum foil or lids.
It is not needed, and I don't. Thighs are high in fat, and that will generally be enough. But you can, and the skin will still be crispy, but a little thicker and with a different texture. So, brush a few and see which you like.
A baking rack is highly recommended. Fat drainage will be rendered, and the rack will get the thighs out of the drainage for better texture. You can cook this without a rack, but you will be happier with a rack.
Use the rack on a baking tray with sides since there is drainage during cooking. Add aluminum foil to help clean up.
Most toaster ovens can cook chicken thighs. The oven must have a controlled higher temperature and account for drainage. Like in bigger ovens, you cook to a final internal temperature and never by time.
🔥What to do about smoking ovens
Smoking ovens have been an issue for some due to high-temperature cooking. If you do have a problem, here are a few tips.
- If there is trimmable fat, trim it along with excess skin.
- The oven should be clean so the smoke isn’t coming from a previous splatter.
- Use a pan with some sides to keep any splatter contained.
- If your oven has a convection roast and convection bake, use the convection bake mode. Otherwise, skip the convection entirely.
- You could turn down the oven by 25°-50°. This will increase the cooking time slightly and may cause some to dry out. Remember to cook to an endpoint, not by time.
- Adding water to the pan under the rack will prevent smoking by cooling the fat when it drips. This always works, but the moisture may interfere with some crispiness.
⚕️Food safety
Raw chicken and other poultry should be considered contaminated and handled with care. Wash your hands carefully before and after touching raw chicken. We do not routinely wash raw chicken due to water splatter. See Chicken... To Rinse or Not To Rinse? for more information.
You must cook chicken to an internal temperature of 165° for safety—see the USDA for more information. You need to check this with an instant-read thermometer.
📖The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions
Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Thighs
Video Slideshow
Ingredients
- 2 chicken thighs - do as many as you want
- coarse salt and pepper to taste - or seasoning of your choice
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F convection. If you don't have convection, use 450°F.
- 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 and a heavy coat of PAM cooking spray.
- 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.
- With skin side up, bake until internal temp of 185°F—about 30-35 minutes of cooking time. Rest for 5 minutes or more before serving.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- DO NOT SKIP THE PAT DRY, or you will not have crispy skin.
- Trim off any trimmable fat or extra skin.
- Get the thighs up on a rack to let the rendered fat drain. This will also remove them from the drained fat. You can cook without a rack, but it is nicer with one.
- Cook at high heat and use a thermometer to ensure you reach 185°+. Do not guess. Thighs are safe to eat at 165°F but tender at 185°F.
- A convection oven is recommended but not required. Options for other oven temperatures are in the blog post above.
- 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)
Editors 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