Baked Chicken Thighs

4.46 from 238 votes
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Baked chicken thighs with crispy skin, brown sugar, garlic and cayenne pepper. This is one of the best chicken thigh recipes that takes 10 mins prep time!

Baked chicken thighs in a serving platter.
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Chicken Thigh Recipes

One of the best ways to cook chicken thighs is using the oven.

Chicken thighs always turn out extremely juicy, tender and moist after roasting and baking them the oven, for example: Cajun Chicken.

Bake chicken thighs recipe is also one of the easiest chicken thigh recipes, with short active prep time of just 10 minutes.

One of the best chicken thigh recipes is baked chicken thighs in oven.

Ingredients

Ingredients for baked chicken thighs.
  • Bone-in chicken thighs with skin on
  • Brown sugar
  • Garlic
  • Salt
  • Cayenne pepper
  • Parsley

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.


How To Make This Recipe

Chicken thighs, brown sugar, salt, cayenne pepper in a bowl mixed using a spatula.

Step 1: Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Score the bottom part of the chicken thighs with a few slits. Rub the bottom part of the chicken and the skin with the garlic, leave them on (the garlic should get inside the slits and flavor the chicken thighs). Add brown sugar, salt, cayenne pepper, stir to mix well.

Baked chicken thighs garnished with parsley on a pair of tongs.

Step 2: Bake in the oven for 35 minutes or until the skin turns crispy and brown. Remove from heat, garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediately.


Cooking Tips

Oven baked chicken thighs is one of the best chicken thigh receipes.
  • You can use skinless and boneless chicken thighs or bone-in chicken thighs. Personally, I prefer bone-in thighs. After baking the chicken thighs in oven at high temperature, the skin crisps up to golden brown color and becomes crispy.
  • If you use skin on thighs, the skin adds grease to the chicken so you don’t need butter or oil in the recipe. The chicken meat will also be tender and juicy.
  • Score the bottom of the thighs a few times. This will make more flavorful with the marinade.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long to bake chicken thighs?

Bake thighs takes about 35-40 minutes in the oven, at 425° Fahrenheit (220° Celcius).
The total time depends on the size of the bone-in chicken thighs.
The skin will turn crispy and brown and the internal temperature of cooked chicken thighs is 165° Fahrenheit.

Do I need to bake the chicken with foil?

This recipe produces juicy and tender chicken thighs so you don’t need to use foil.
Plus, you want crispy skin so do not wrap or cover the chicken with aluminum foil.

Can I use boneless and skinless chicken breasts?

Chicken breasts are great for this recipe, especially if they are boneless and skinless.

How many calories per serving?

This baked chicken thighs recipe is only 402 calories per serving.

One of the best baked chicken thighs recipes, so tender and juicy.

What To Serve With This Recipe

Baked chicken thigh recipe oven, ready to serve.

This recipe is great with rice and vegetables. I love serving them with cilantro lime rice and a healthy vegetable dish.

For a healthy meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.

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4.46 from 238 votes

Baked Chicken Thighs (Extra Juicy!)

Baked chicken thighs with crispy skin, brown sugar, garlic and cayenne pepper. This is one of the best chicken thigh recipes that takes 10 mins prep time!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 4 Servings
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Ingredients  

  • 1 1/2 lbs. (750g) bone-in chicken thighs, 5 small thighs or 4 big thighs
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 dashes cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C). Score a few slits in the bottom part of the chicken thighs. Rub the garlic onto both the bottom and skin of the chicken, ensuring the garlic gets inside the slits to flavor the meat. Add brown sugar, salt, and cayenne pepper, and stir to mix well.
  • Bake in the oven for 35 minutes, or until the skin is crispy and browned. Remove from heat, garnish with chopped parsley, and serve immediately.

Video

Notes

  • You can use skinless and boneless chicken thighs or bone-in chicken thighs. Personally, I prefer bone-in thighs. After baking the chicken thighs in oven at high temperature, the skin crisps up to golden brown color and becomes crispy.
  • If you use skin on thighs, the skin adds grease to the chicken so you don’t need butter or oil in the recipe. The chicken meat will also be tender and juicy.
  • Score the bottom of the thighs a few times. This will make more flavorful with the marinade.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g, Calories: 402kcal, Carbohydrates: 8g, Protein: 28g, Fat: 28g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Monounsaturated Fat: 12g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 167mg, Sodium: 570mg, Potassium: 387mg, Fiber: 0.3g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 487IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 26mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Please rate and comment below!

About Rasa Malaysia

Bee is a recipe developer and best-selling cookbook author, sharing easy, quick, and delicious Asian and American recipes since 2006. With a strong following of almost 2 million fans online, her expertise has been featured in major publications, TV and radio programs, and live cooking demos throughout the United States and Asia.

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54 Comments

  1. Lori says:

    Im making skinless chicken thights. do i need toput foil on top? Making them today.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      You can do without it, however it doesn’t hurt to keep it moist.

  2. Elise says:

    Hi
    Thank you for sharing.
    What should i do to ensure the chicken is juicy but the skin crispy?

  3. Dominique says:

    Can I substitute paprika or chili powder for cayenne pepper?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Sure just use a little bit.

      1. KEN TRANT says:

        I’m cooking for 1, how would you suggest I modify the recipe?

        Thanks,

        Ken

        1. Rasa Malaysia says:

          Just cut into half.

  4. erik c jackson says:

    5 stars
    Followed the exact recipe and it came out amazing. This recipe is a keeper.

  5. Erik says:

    Wow! This came out incredible. Super easy and quick to make and the flavor was sweet and spicy. Will definitely be making this again.

    1. Admin says:

      Thanks!

      1. Scott Bryan says:

        Reckon how a little fresh ginger would be in that.

  6. Sky says:

    Just wanted to say that Iโ€™ve made this recipe countless times and itโ€™s become a household essential. We like to add a chopped onion to the baking pan and itโ€™s super good. Thank you so much for this recipe.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Yummy, thanks for your support!