Easy Oven Fried Chicken Thighs With Perfectly Crispy Skin
These easy oven fried chicken thighs will become a fast favorite in your house. The perfectly crispy skin is delicious and worth fighting over!
In the springtime our schedule gets a little bit nuts. Actually, it’s a lot nuts.
My husband is a lacrosse coach, which means some weeks he’s home around 7:30 p.m., and other weeks he’s not home until 10:00 p.m. or later.
Couple that with my oldest’s after school activity schedule, and this makes cooking a family dinner kind of interesting. By “interesting” I mean challenging. And by “challenging” I mean impossible.
Unless we wanted to live like the families in The Night Circus. Or if we wanted to live like vampires.
Except I’m not sure that either lifestyle would mesh well with the kids’ school and our day jobs.
So instead I’ve been trying to cook meals that the kids and I can eat together, but will also save well for a late night re-heat for the husband.
Or, on days where he’s home a little earlier I’ll feed the kids first and then the two of us will eat our dinner together, later.
Here’s a simple favorite that reheats well: easy oven fried chicken thighs (yes, with perfectly crispy skin!). I like to pair it with creamy buttered mashed potatoes, and steamed corn. Mmmm….
Easy Oven-Fried Chicken Thighs with Perfectly Crispy Skin
These easy oven-fried chicken thighs with perfectly crispy skin are really easy to make and so good!
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs, bone-in and skin on
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Place the chicken thighs on a baking sheet and drizzle them generously with olive oil.
- Sprinkle each chicken thigh with garlic salt, pepper and parsley.
- Bake for 50 minutes, until the skin is golden and crispy.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Liza Hawkins
Hi, I'm Liza, a self-proclaimed word-nerd who loves getting sucked into whimsical stories and epic movies. I have laid-back, practical attitude towards life, and as a foodie at heart, I relish the chance to both cook and eat. (No picky-eater here!) I'm always on the hunt for the perfect mojito, inspiration for another tattoo and time to finish my novel.
76 Comments
Damian Bathory
You weren’t kidding about it being easy. The best part is that the end product looks like something out of a catering bristol menu. That’s very impressive kitchen magic.
Karin
Looks yummy. Will try it for dinner tonight and let you know how hubby likes it. 🙂
Liza Hawkins
Terrific! Enjoy!
Restaurant bars in singapore
You have given excellent recipe of easy oven fried chicken thighs. The recipe is very good
jhoff
Made this tonight for dinner! Your recipe saved me on this busy evening! Thank you!!! 🙂
Liza | @aMusingFoodie
@jhoff – yay! Glad you liked them! My family considers this a favorite, and I switch up the seasonings often – sometimes use a little chili powder or BBQ seasoning, maybe Old Bay. So easy!
Anonymous
First time I made thighs. Used this recipe and they were delish!! The while family loved them, thank you!!
Liza Hawkins
I’m so glad you loved them!
Saph@frugalwifeblog
Made this last night and wow! Yummy and oh so easy!!
Saph@frugalwifeblog
Forgot to say this is going on my rotation of dinner recipes! Thanks for the recipe!
(a)Musing Foodie
Yay! So glad! We love it too. 🙂
Maggie
I have been looking for just such a recipe for a long time. Thank you very much!!!!!!!
(a)Musing Foodie
You’re very welcome, Maggie!!
David
Reheats yes, stays crispy no. Very good ( and crispy ) right out of the oven. Pairs well with garlic mashed potatoes.
(a)Musing Foodie
That’s true, David! Glad you enjoyed the crispness straight from the oven!
Suzanne
Reheat in toaster oven. Skin crisps back up nicely 🙂
Liza Hawkins
BRILLIANT.
Shana Faust
My husband loves this chicken. The recipe was so easy thank you
(a)Musing Foodie
Shana – I’m so glad! It’s still a favorite in our house too. Mmm….
Sarah Scott
You had me at ‘super crispy skin’ thanks for sharing
(a)Musing Foodie
Sarah – you won’t be disappointed!
Joelyn Morgan
I will have to pick up some thighs at Costco this week! Thanks!
(a)Musing Foodie
Joelyn – hope you like them!
vetsmomrgv
Heck, we leave on the skin most of the time… looks delicious! Thanks for sharing.
Gonna pin and use it next week, I found a pack of legs on quick sale last week and my hubby has been begging for fried chicken!
(a)Musing Foodie
I always buy the thighs, but I bet legs would work well too! You’ll have to come back and report! 🙂
@klwschmidt
This does look easy and yum!!! Thanks for sharing.
kia
Great easy recipe. Thanks! I also get the funky schedule messing with family meal time. We juggle here and plan for it accordingly every week.
(a)Musing Foodie
Kia – as the kids get older, I only see it getting crazier! Goal is to eat most dinners as a family, with the reality that it’s not always possible (and that’s okay too).
Just Jeanae
Oh, gosh, you get it! It can be close to impossible to juggle my husband’s work & military schedules with Superkiddo’s homework & extracurricular activities. I typically eat with the kiddo, get him bathed, and put to bed. Then I steal bites from the hubby’s salad plate when he gets home. 🙂 I cherish weekends when we can all finally eat together.
I think that my family will love this recipe; I am adding it to our list for next week.
(a)Musing Foodie
Let me know what you think! My daughter doesn’t like the skin, so she takes it off – which leaves more crispiness for the rest of us! 🙂
Dee
Wow! That looks so delicious and sounds so simple. Definitely a keeper recipe. Thanks!
(a)Musing Foodie
It’s SO simple. The hardest part is waiting 50 minutes for it to be done! 😉
Stacy
Making this tonight, my husband is the same as yours with the schedules! This will be just perfect. Thank you xo(:
(a)Musing Foodie
Stacy – hope you love it as much as we do! It’s become a staple in our house. 🙂
Faith
Needed a recipe for chicken thighs but wanted a baked with a crispy yet not “fried” crust. I saw your recipe and read the reviews. Looks awesome and will give it a try for tonight’s dinner. Will definitely let you know my thoughts. Looking forward to it. Thinking of serving it with red beans and rice and a salad. Thanks for the recipe!
(a)Musing Foodie
Hope you love it!
Maria
Great recipe! Tried it tonight and the skin came out perfectly! Thanks!
(a)Musing Foodie
Maria – glad to hear it! I love how easy it is! 😀
B Bear
Thank you for this recipe. Finally I got chicken with crispy skin! This recipe is so easy and so good. I used fresh garlic and rubbed some under the skin to keep the skin dry. I had no parsley so I used some dry basil and it came out very well. Everyone loved the chicken.
Liza Hawkins
Thank you!! My youngest is a BIG fan of that crispy skin. It’s one of his favorite things!
Lisa
Love this recipe! It’s my favorite!
Liza Hawkins
It’s one of ours, too. We have it a few times a month!
YiChen
Wow, this is a winner! So easy and my husband loves it! 😀 Thanks for sharing!
Liza Hawkins
Thanks!
Jen
These were perfect, thanks! I used duck fat instead of olive oil, and broiled for a minute when they were done. Lovely!
Liza Hawkins
Oooooh – duck fat. How fancy! Yum!
Jan
I’m going to make this recipe for oven-friend chicken legs and thighs tonight, Liza. It only has 5 ingredients…that’s MY kind of recipe! I love looking at your recipes. You’re a creative cook!
Liza Hawkins
Thanks, Jan! What’d your family think?
Shellbeee
I can’t wait to try this recipe! The only thing is that I have a big family. Can I easily just triple the recipe? What kind of pan? And would it be the same time and temp in oven?
Liza Hawkins
Hi! Yes, this recipe is sooooo easy to double or triple. The only watch-out is about crowding the thighs. If they’re too smooshed together, then the skin won’t get nice and crispy all over — you want at least a 1/2″ between them. So, I’d use two sheet pans (with edges), and put one on each oven rack to bake. You might get a little smoke since the skin pops a bit as it’s cooking, and your sheets will be close to the top of the oven (and the bottom to the top sheet). Hopefully this makes sense!
shellbeee
great to know and great tips yay! The only thing is that I am a beginner cook and you totally lost me on your last line. Eek! I’m not quite sure what you mean so sorry! Also, So it will bake evenly even if I put both pans on the racks? Should I switch them mid way so the bottom one can go on top for some time and vice versa? I apologize for all the questions I’m just excited to try this as first time to bake chicken like this. Thank you!
Liza Hawkins
No apologies! 🙂 You shouldn’t need to switch racks mid-baking, unless you notice the top (or bottom) pan of chicken is browning faster. In terms of the “smoke” comment, I was referring to a really hot oven. and how the chicken may spatter a bit while it’s cooking (mmm…crispy skin), and when you use both racks, or if you have one rack close to the top, then it can make things smokier. Doesn’t hurt anything, though.
plasterer bristol
we made these last night, they tasted just perfect. Thanks for sharing.
Simon
Liza Hawkins
Great!
Rose
How would you adapt this to get a crispy skin BBQ chicken thigh?
Liza Hawkins
I’ve tried adding BBQ sauce once the skin is crispy, and it doesn’t stay crispy. I think you either need to use a thin BBQ sauce and just sort of mop it on at the very, very end OR you need to use a BBQ dry rub to season it before it bakes.
Rose
Do you think BBQ sauce at the end of the cook time and changing to broiler would work?
Liza Hawkins
It’s funny you say that — I just tried that broil method at the end last week, and while it got the BBQ sauce all nice and caramelized, the skin was still soggy afterwards. 🙁
Rose
ah…bummer. We’re doing a dinner for the local homeless shelter this Saturday and BBQ is the chicken of choice. Just hate to serve soggy skin 🙁
Liza Hawkins
I feel ya – it doesn’t bother me so much when the skin is thinner, but I’m not sure how much you can control that! I suppose you could take the skins off first?
Rose
Thank you kindly for your ideas. I was thinking about what you said about a dry rub. Kind of reminds me of my Mom using Shake ‘n’Bake BBQ. If memory serves, it was a dry rub that got kind of “saucy” and caramelized when done. I guess I could try a homemade dry rub to achieve a similar effect…?
Liza Hawkins
So, I’d do a dry rub using chili powder, paprika, mustard powder, salt, pepper, brown sugar (and/or any other yummy BBQ flavors), and then drizzle them with olive oil before baking as directed. I bet you’ll get a crispy and caramelized texture, even if it’s not saucy!
Rose
Olive oil on a patted dry skin first then seasoning? Or vice versa? This sounds like a great alternative!
Liza Hawkins
Oooh – good call. Probably olive oil first (so that the skins are nicely and evenly coated) then the dry rub. You might want to drizzle a little more olive oil on top afterwards, depending on how thick your dry rub ends up being on each thigh.
Rose
Many thanks for all the advice. I will give it a whirl!
Liza Hawkins
You’ll have to report back once you’re done!
Rose
You bet!
Rose
Well the story ends… I didn’t achieve a really crispy skin. What crisp I got was lost when BBQ sauce was applied. It wasn’t totally flabby skin but it wasn’t where I would have liked it to be. Someone suggested next time, that I try it at a high heat just to crisp the skin then turn it down to cook through and add a tiny bit of BBQ sauce at the end. I suppose I can try that.
I do appreciate all the help! It’s a work in progress 🙂
Liza Hawkins
Ah, yes. The BBQ sauce/crispy skin dilemma. I, too, haven’t found a way to marry them both (as you know). I thought you were going to try the BBQ dry rub approach?
Rose
I didn’t actually have a dry rub because I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand to make one. I did have the wet BBQ sauce. I remember making them last year and the sauce caramelized so nicely but the base was not crispy. So anyway, delicious flavor, cooked through, moist and juicy! So thank you! I will continue to experiment!
Maddie
Is it normal for it to be a bit smokey/steamy when cooking it in the oven?
Liza Hawkins
Two reasons that can happen: (1) If you’re using a rack and the drippings start to smoke in the bottom of the pan — you can remedy that by putting some water in the bottom of the pan before you put the pan into bake. If you’re not using a rack, this probably isn’t the problem. (2) If the oven rack you’re using is too close to the top of the oven the splatter from the skin can hit the top and cause some smoke since the oven’s so hot. Just be sure to use the position in the middle/lower portion of the oven.
Hope that helps!
Anna-Jean Cresswell Cresswell
I like cooking chicken thighs with bone in and skin on in the oven. I drizzled a bit of olive oil over them and then flipped them over and smeared them around in the oil. After that, I sprinkled on a very small amount of chicken rub (that I got from a Paleo website) on both sides of the chicken. Then, I popped them into the oven on a roasting rack at 425 degrees. After 35 minutes, I turned them over and cooked for another 15 minutes. The skin was perfectly crispy and flavoured. The meat was moist inside. These thighs are great with a salad for next day or in a wrap.
Liza Hawkins
I’ve never flipped mine mid-bake, but I’ll have to try that next time I make them! Glad you enjoyed!
KEVIN
What temperature for baking for 50minutes?
Liza Hawkins
Hi Kevin! The oven is at 425°F for 50 minutes. You can start checking at 40-45 minutes if your thighs are on the small side, but I find in most cases they need the full 45-50 minutes.