Chicken thighs are a wonderfully economical way to get dinner on the table, and unlike chicken breasts they’re always juicy and tender, not that any of us have ever had an overcooked chicken breast. I’m not really sure why people avoid dark meat chicken, except that it’s gotten a bad rap for having higher saturated fat content than it’s white meat brother. But otherwise, there are a ton of nutrients found in dark meat – I’m not going to dive into the details, but this blog does, in a simply stated way, if you’re interested in knowing more!

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 35 minutes

Serves: 4

6 chicken thighs, bone-in & skin on

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon BBQ spice (I used Penzeys’ BBQ 3000)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel and then place them skin side up on a baking sheet. Spread about a tablespoon of olive oil on each, and then sprinkle with salt and pepper, followed by a generous amount of the BBQ spice.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted reads 170 degrees. Remove the chicken from the oven, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and allow it to sit for 10 minutes before serving – the chicken will cook another 5-10 degrees while it’s resting.