4.30 from 634 votes
Moist, tender, and crispy Oven Baked Chicken Thighs are quick and easy. Roasted to perfection in 30 minutes with your convection oven at 425° for crispy skin.
Jump To:
- 👨🍳How to Oven Bake Chicken Thighs
- ⏰ How long to bake chicken thighs
- 🐓Chicken Thighs
- Seasoning tips
- 🌡️The best final internal temperature
- ❓FAQs
- 🍴Serving and Leftovers
- Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
- Recipe Card
Economical baked chicken thighs are delicious, moist, and flavorful. With simple spicing and no marinade needed, you will make an easy dinner that the whole family, even picky kids, will love.
With quick and easy step-by-step photo instructions,you only need 5 minutes of preparation and about 30 minutes of baking time.
For better texture, this recipe suggests a rack to get the thighs out of the draining fluids, and roasting to 185° internal temperature to melt the connective tissue for extra tender meat.
Your convection oven will make the skin extra crispy, or use a regular oven if you don't have convection.
Serve your crispy chicken thighs with Baked Mac and Cheese, or Baked French Fries. You can also fire up the grill for Grilled Chicken Thighs or Grilled Chicken Drumsticks.
For other inside quick chicken recipes, check out Baked Chicken Drumsticks, Seared and Baked Chicken Breasts or Chicken Breasts in a Convections Oven.
👨🍳How to Oven Bake Chicken Thighs
- Preheat the oven to 425°F convection or 450°F conventional oven if you don't have convection.
- Pat dry and trim chicken thighs.
- Season both sides of the thighs with salt and pepper or All-Purpose Seasoning, which adds garlic, or use the seasoning of your choice.
- Place them on a baking sheet with a rack and a heavy spray of PAM.
- Bake until an internal temp of 185°F—about 30-35 minutes of cooking time.
- Rest for 5 minutes or more before serving.
⏰ How long to bake chicken thighs
The best oven temperature to bake chicken thighs is 425° convection which will take about 30 minutes to reach 185° (the best internal temperature). This will vary by the weight and thickness of the thighs and your oven.
- Chicken thighs at 350°F conventional – about 50-55 minutes—will dry more
- Chicken thighs at 350°F convection or 375°F conventional – about 45-50 minutes
- Chicken thighs at 375°F convection or 400°F conventional – about 40-45 minutes
- Chicken thighs at 400°F convection or 425°F conventional – about 35-40 minutes—recommended.
- Chicken thighs at 425°F convection or 450°F conventional—about 30-35 minutes—recommended.
Times are approximate and are provided for planning only. Cook to a final internal temperature of 185° and use an instant-read thermometer or meat thermometer.
ALWAYS COOK TO A FINAL INTERNAL TEMPERATURE. PLEASE, NEVER BY TIME ALONE.
🐓Chicken Thighs
This recipe assumes bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs. Just trim any loose fat and pat dry.
If using skinless boneless chicken thighs, give them a brush of vegetable or olive oil. They will tend to be smaller and thinner, and there is no bone to absorb heat. Cooking time will be faster, generally by 5-10 minutes. But remember, you are cooking to a final internal temperature of 185°+ and not by time.
Seasoning tips
- For seasoning, a good sprinkle of kosher salt and black pepper will be enough. I usually use All Purpose Seasoning - 7:2:1 and 7:2:2.
- Feel free to season to your taste. Typical seasonings include paprika, oregano, thyme, Italian spice mix, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and other spice rubs.
- To make great baked BBQ chicken thighs, skip the seasoning and brush with your favorite BBQ sauce for the last 5 minutes of cooking.
🌡️The best final internal temperature
The best final internal temperature for chicken thighs is 185°+. You are melting some connective tissue, and cooking up to 195° will still be okay, according to American Test Kitchen (subscription required).
The USDA's minimum safe internal temperature is 165°. But there is a difference between safe and done. Pork butt is safe at 145°, but you sure won't want your pulled pork to be cooked to 145°F. It would be terrible. 165° is perfect for white meat like chicken breasts, but dark meat with connective tissue will still be stringy and tough.
❓FAQs
Should chicken thighs be covered while baked in the oven?
No. It will interfere with the crisping of the skin. So no aluminum foil or lids.
Should I brush the chicken thighs with oil?
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.
Why use a baking rack for baking chicken thighs?
A baking rack is highly recommended. There will be rendered fat drainage, 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.
Can I bake chicken thighs in a toaster oven?
Most toaster ovens will be able to cook chicken thighs. The oven must have a controlled higher temperature and account for drainage. And like in bigger ovens, you are cooking 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 temp cooking. I haven’t had a problem, BUT it is probably related to multiple factors.
1) If there is trimmable fat, trim it.
2) Use a pan with some side to keep any splatter contained.
3) If your oven has a convection roast and convection bake, use the bake mode. Or skip the convection entirely.
4) You could turn down the oven by 25°-50°. This will increase the cooking time some and may cause some drying out. Remember to cook to an endpoint, not by time.
5) The oven should be clean, so the smoke isn’t coming from a previous splatter.
6) Adding some water to the pan under the rack will prevent the smoking issue. It will cool the fat when it drips. This always works, but the moisture may interfere with some crispiness.
🍴Serving and Leftovers
Serve with mac and cheese, French fries, or other potato dishes, and vegetables like a fresh salad, green beans or corn on the cob. Finsh the meal with Fresh Strawberry Pie or Apple Crisp.
Store leftovers 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 tend to adversely affect the texture.
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101's Best Recipes, Chicken Recipes
Step-by-Step Photo 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 with no meat. Also, remove any fat that is easily removed. Rinsing chicken is no longer recommended due to the health risks of splattering the work area. SeeChicken… To Rinse or Not To Rinse?for more information.
Prep a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil, and 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 coarse 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.
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Recipe Card
Oven Baked Chicken Thighs
From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Moist, tender, and crispy Oven Baked Chicken Thighs are quick and easy. Roasted to perfection in 30 minutes with your convection oven at 425° for crispy skin.
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4.30 from 634 votes
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Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes minutes
Servings #/Adjust if desired 2 servings
Ingredients
US Customary - Convert to Metric
- chicken thighs - do as many as you want
- coarse salt and pepper to taste - or seasoning of your choice
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 with no meat. Also, remove any fat that is easily removed.
Prep a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil, and 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 coarse 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.
See the step-by-step photos in the post.Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.
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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. It also gets them out of the drained fat. You can do this without a rack, but it is nicer with a rack.
- Cook at high temp and use a thermometer to be sure you get to 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 which is just a small convection oven.
- Skip the seasoning and brush with your favorite BBQ sauce for the last 5 minutes to make great oven-baked BBQ thighs.
Always cook to a final internal temperature. Please, never by time alone.
Smoking ovens have been an issue for some due to high temp cooking. I haven’t had a problem, BUT it is probably related to multiple factors.
- If there is trimmable fat, trim it.
- Use a pan with some side to keep any splatter contained.
- If your oven has a convection roast and convection bake, use the bake mode. Or skip the convection entirely.
- You could turn down the oven by 25°-50°. This will increase the cooking time some and may cause some drying out. Remember to cook to an endpoint, not by time.
- The oven should be clean so the smoke isn’t coming from a previous splatter.
- Adding some water to the pan under the rack will prevent the smoking issue. It will cool the fat when it drips. This always works, but the moisture may interfere with some crispiness.
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
Calories : 245 kcal (12%)Protein : 25 g (50%)Fat : 15 g (23%)Saturated Fat : 4 g (20%)Polyunsaturated Fat : 3 gMonounsaturated Fat : 6 gCholesterol : 92 mg (31%)Sodium : 686 mg (29%)Potassium : 220 mg (6%)Vitamin A : 150 IU (3%)Calcium : 10 mg (1%)Iron : 1.3 mg (7%)
Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
Course : Main Course
Cuisine : American
© 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.
Editors Note: Originally Published January 24, 2014. This recipe is part of my family of chicken recipes. There have been updating photos and added information since the original version.
FAQs
Is it better to bake chicken thighs at 350 or 400? ›
It depends on how quickly you want the chicken thighs to cook. At 400F, bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs will need 40 minutes. At 350F, they will need around 50 minutes. While the lower temperature takes longer, it decreases the risk of them drying out.
How long to keep chicken thighs in oven at 400? ›To ensure that your chicken thighs are cooked through, bake them in a preheated oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30-35 minutes. Their internal temperature should reach 165° degrees Fahrenheit and you shouldn't see any blood or pinkness in the center of the thigh.
How long does it take to bake 2 chicken thighs at 400? ›How long and at what temperature should you bake the thighs? You'll want to bake these at 400 degrees for 35-45 minutes without moving or turning them during the process. This temperature and time ensure that crispy outside and juicy inside we're looking for.
Is it better to bake chicken thighs at 350 or 375? ›Baking chicken thighs at 375°F takes less time in the oven than cooking chicken legs at 350°F since the total cooking time is roughly 45 to 50 minutes. Use an instant meat thermometer to check the doneness of the meat before removing it from the oven.
Is 400 too high to bake chicken? ›Wondering if 400 degrees is the appropriate temperature to bake your chicken breast? Yes, it is. Baking chicken breast at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes guarantees the meat is completely cooked and moist. Nonetheless, bear in mind that cooking time might vary depending on the size and thickness of your chicken breast.
What cooking method is best for chicken thighs? ›Oven Roasting
Drizzle the thighs with oil and season with salt and pepper, then pop the dish into a 425°F oven for fully cooked veggies and succulent chicken thighs with oven-roasted, crispy skin. You could also use this cooking method without the vegetables and just roast your thighs straight-up on a sheet pan.
The key is to cook them slowly.
The goal is to keep the meat at an internal temp between 140 and 195 degrees—the collagen-breakdown sweet spot—for as long as possible. (That discovery is what led to the supple meat in our Mahogany Chicken Thighs and Grilled Spice-Rubbed Chicken Drumsticks recipes.)
The best way to bake thighs is skin up in a roasting pan or baking dish. Bake the thighs at 425°F for about 25-30 minutes, or just until the internal temp reaches 165°F.
How long does it take to cook chicken in a 400 degree oven? ›To Bake Chicken Breast at 400°F: This will take between 22 and 26 minutes depending on the size of the chicken breasts. You can cook chicken breasts at 350°F for closer to 25-30 minutes (although I prefer the higher heat above).
Do you have to cover chicken when baking? ›You never have to worry about covering chicken while baking, as it's OK to bake it uncovered.
How long does it take to cook chicken thighs at 400 Fahrenheit? ›
Arrange the chicken thighs skin side up in the pan. Bake at 400° F for 30 to 40 minutes, until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165° F.
What temp should chicken thighs be baked at? ›In our basic meal prep boneless chicken thighs recipe, they take about 25 to 30 minutes baked at 425 degrees F. You'll know the chicken thighs are done when they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
At what temp are chicken thighs most tender? ›Frequently Asked Questions About Chicken Thighs
While chicken leg and thigh meat are still safe at 165 degrees F, it is recommended to cook it to an internal temperature of about 170-175 degrees F to improve the flavor and tenderness.
It's difficult to overcook chicken thighs, so don't worry if the internal temp is higher than 165°F! Remove chicken from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving, slicing or shredding.
How long to cook chicken thighs in the oven at 350? ›In an oven preheated to 350, boneless chicken thighs should bake for 25-30 minutes. Bone-in chicken thighs will need to bake for 45-50 minutes.
What is the best temperature for chicken thighs? ›The Best Temperature to Bake Chicken Thighs
The key to achieving perfectly cooked chicken thighs is baking them at 375F (190C) or until the internal temperature reaches 175F (80C). The oven's temperature is just right for the chicken to cook evenly and get that golden brown glow.
The average time to bake chicken thighs at 350 degrees Fahrenheit is 50 minutes. This is for bone-in thighs. Note, the thickness of the chicken could effect the bake time. Always use a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
Is 350 good for baking chicken? ›A 4-ounce chicken breast should be roasted at 350°F (177˚C) for 25 to 30 minutes. Knowing how to properly prepare chicken can keep you safe and well-fed.