Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs

Simply seasoned and baked giving way to the perfect crispy skin and juicy bite.

Table of Contents:

• Why you’ll love this recipe
• Tools needed
• Tips for making this recipe
• Crispy chicken thigh ingredients

These crispy chicken thighs are so juicy, delicious & easy to prepare. With the perfect crispy skin, this is easily on my top 10 simple dinners to enjoy.

Don’t worry, you won’t be missing out on the fact that they aren’t deep fried! I love that with just a few steps, you can achieve a similar crispy & flavorful exterior compared to fried chicken.

I am definitely in the era where I enjoy finding healthy alternatives to the foods I once adored, fried chicken being one of them. Before I learned this easy method of essentially oven frying chicken, I would often end up with soggy or dry oven baked chicken that left me feeling frustrated.

This simple guide to making the perfect crispy oven baked chicken thighs will be sure to enhance any occasion. Easily pair them with your favorite side dishes like roasted veggies, baked beans, mac and cheese, potato salad and more!

I also love the fact that since I prefer to use high quality oils such as tallow or avocado oil, making your chicken this way saves lots of cash.

Ready in around an hour from start to finish, these Crispy Chicken Thighs will be one of your new favorites!

Why you’ll love this recipe:

• Wholesome & delicious: you’re sure to enjoy these chicken thighs even more knowing they are baked crispy rather than fried.
• Simple to prepare: this recipe is only hands on for around 10 minutes, leaving you with time to get other things done in the kitchen or around the house while they’re in the oven.
• Uses quality fats: this recipe calls for beef tallow or avocado oil, making it a healthier alternative to highly oxidized seed oils.

Tips for making crispy baked chicken thighs:

• let chicken thighs come near or at room temperature before preparing to ensure it cooks evenly and thoroughly in the allotted time frame.
• be sure to pat chicken thighs dry before coating them with oil and seasonings. This is going to ensure that the skin gets nice and crispy.
• allowing the chicken to sit an extra 20-30 minutes in the oven at a low temp is vital. This is a huge part in also getting that crisp exterior that we’re going for.
• feel free to play around with the seasoning blend if you’d like (more or less etc.).

Tools Needed:

• Large baking sheet
• Tongs
• Small bowl
• Measuring spoons

Crispy Baked Chicken Thigh Ingredients:

• Chicken thighs: Use bone in skin on chicken thighs for this recipe.
• Oil: I prefer a higher quality oil like avocado or tallow, but use any high heat oil you have on hand.
• Seasonings: salt, ground pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper.
• Paprika: I used regular paprika but feel to use smoked or hot as well.

How to make Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs:

1. Preheat your oven to 400. Remove the chicken thighs from packaging and line up on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper so that each thigh is not touching one another. About a 1/2-1 inch apart. Pat dry each side of chicken with a couple of paper towels.

2. Add all of your seasonings to a small bowl (salt, pepper, paprika, onion, garlic, cayenne) & mix together until combined.

3. Drizzle oil on each side of the chicken thighs and rub in.

4. Sprinkle half of your seasoning mix evenly across the chicken skin side up and gently press into each piece of chicken.

5. Flip each piece of chicken skin side down and repeat the last step with the remaining seasoning, pressing in gently afterwards.

6. Place chicken thighs into your preheated oven & set a timer for 20 minutes. Once the timer goes off, remove the chicken from the oven and gently flip to skin side facing up. Place back into the oven for another 25 minutes. After the timer goes off again, turn the temperature down to 225 degrees and let the chicken thighs sit into the oven for another 20 minutes.

7. After your last timer goes off, remove your Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs from the oven, let cool for 5 minutes and then enjoy!

Storage:

Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

How to reheat:

The best option to reheat these crispy chicken thighs is to use either a toaster oven or oven to retain the crispy skin. Preheat oven or toaster oven to 400 degrees & reheat for 8-10 minutes on parchment lined baking sheet until warmed thoroughly.