Easy Baked Chicken Thighs Recipe

Whether it’s a cozy dinner or a fancy feast, this easy baked chicken thighs recipe promises a satisfying meal each and every time. After all, what’s better than juicy chicken with crispy skin that’s been infused with intense spices and baked to golden perfection?

Even better, despite its restaurant-worthy appearance, this dish actually comes together with minimum effort. Just prepare the ingredients and leave them in the oven to cook up a beautiful treat that will have everyone captivated.

Is This Baked Chicken Thighs Healthy?

Yes, it is.

Featuring chicken thighs as the main ingredient, this dish is loaded with complete protein. This dark meat cut is also a good source of minerals such as heme iron, zinc, and selenium, as well as vitamins A, E, and B complex.

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To balance the dish out, we also added some potatoes and green beans. They provide a decent amount of fiber, which is most commonly known for its positive effects on the digestive system, weight management, and several potential heart health benefits.

In addition to choosing nutritious ingredients, we also kept an eye on their amounts to follow the standards set by our nutrition guidelines. As a result, each serving contains approximately:

• 501 calories
• 7.3 g saturated fat
• 518 mg sodium

Ingredients You'll Need

For this recipe, we kept it simple with the meat and veggies but diversified our use of spices. Each serving will require the following ingredients:

• Chicken Thighs: We went with bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs to ensure the most flavor and texture. When cooked, the bone marrow seeps into the meat, resulting in extra flavorful and succulent meat. As for the skin, it goes without saying that the crispy skin just makes the dish look and taste infinitely better. That being said, you can still use boneless and skinless thighs if you prefer. Just remember to cut the cooking time down by half.
• The Vegetables: The chicken is served with potatoes and green beans on the side. They are baked alongside the chicken, so the whole dish is tied together with a rich and savory taste that excites the taste buds with every bite.
• The Seasonings: Since chicken is generally quite subtle in flavor, we went with some intense spices to enhance its flavor and give the dish a hint of spiciness. As such, the chicken was seasoned with salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, cayenne, and paprika.
• Lemon Juice: In addition to the spices, we squeezed some lemon juice into the seasoning mixture to both add a zesty touch and tenderize the chicken.

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Tips for Making

For a tender, juicy, and delectable dish of baked chicken thighs, check out these simple tips that could make all the difference:

• Use chicken thighs of similar sizes so they will evenly cook and finish at the same time.
• When preparing, make sure to pat the thighs dry with paper towels to remove any excess moisture. This will ensure that the skin can brown nicely, resulting in a crispier texture.
• For an accurate estimation of when the chicken is cooked, stick a meat thermometer in its thickest part. For baked chicken thighs, the internal temperature should reach at least 165 °F.
• Let the chicken rest for around 5-10 minutes after it’s removed from the oven to let the juice inside settle. Cutting into it right away causes the juice to drip all out, which may result in a dry product.

How to Store and Reheat the Leftovers

These baked chicken thighs should last for up to 3 days when kept in airtight containers in the fridge. To reheat, preheat your oven to 325 °F and bake them for 10-20 minutes until thoroughly heated. You can also microwave them for around 2-3 minutes.

You can also shred the leftover meat and add it to other dishes like salads, pasta, soups, sandwiches, tacos, rice bowls, and many more.

Side Dishes

This dish is already quite filling and flavorful as it serves the chicken thighs with a hefty side of potatoes and green beans, so we suggest taking it easy on the side dishes and going for a light salad. Here are a few recommendations to check out:

• Mixed Greens Salad Recipe
• Romaine Salad Recipe
• Berries Salad Recipe
• Spring Salad Recipe
• Caprese Salad Recipe

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More Baked, Grilled Chicken Recipes

This Cajun Chicken is smudged with a chili, paprika, Cajun, and garlic dry rub and served with sweet potato and carrot strips. All you have to do is season the chicken and leave the rest to the air-fryer.

Our carnitas bowl has a lot of ingredients, but the effort is worth your while. Each serving is a big plate with cooked rice, beans, corn, grilled chicken, tomatoes, and a rich yogurt sauce. We serve it with tortilla chips and guacamole dip on the side, all giving a plethora of flavors.

How to Make Baked Chicken Thighs

5 from 1 vote

This baked chicken thighs recipe promises a satisfying dish of juicy chicken with crispy skin that's been infused with intense spices and baked to golden perfection. Everything comes together in the oven, making it a no-fuss dish you can make for any occasion.

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• cook TIME 47 mins
• prep TIME 10 mins
• total TIME 57 mins

• COURSE Main Course
• CUISINE American
• SERVINGS
  4

  servings
• CALORIES 501 kcal

INGREDIENTS

1x2x3x

• 30 oz skin-on bone-in chicken thighs
• 24 oz potatoes (sliced into wedges)
• 8 oz green beans (ends removed)
• 1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil (divided)
• 1 tsp Cajun seasoning
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tbsp parsley (chopped)

INSTRUCTIONS

Image instructions

Prep:

1

Prepare the Chicken: Use a sharp knife to trim off the excess fat then pat dry with paper towels.

2

Slice the Potatoes: Peel off the skin, then slice the potatoes in half lengthwise. Lay each half flat then continue slicing them lengthwise into 1/2 inch wedges. Soak the wedges in water to remove the excess starch.

3

Chop the Parsley: Cut off the stems, then bunch the leaves together and thinly slice. Then rock the knife up and down a few times to chop the leaves into fine pieces.

Cook:

1

Microwave the Potatoes: To a microwave-safe bowl, add 24 oz potatoes and cover them with plastic wrap. Microwave at full power for 10 minutes.

2

Make the Seasonings: Mix 1/2 tbsp lemon juice, 3/4 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp cayenne, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning, 1 tsp Cajun seasoning, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and 1/2 tsp dried oregano until well-combined.

3

Slice and Season the Chicken: Use a chef’s knife to make small slits into the 30 oz skin-on bone-in chicken thighs so that the seasonings can seep through. Dry rub chicken on both sides with the seasoning mixture from step 2.

4

Spread the Chicken and Potatoes Onto the Sheet: On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, line the seasoned chicken thighs then spread the microwaved potatoes in the remaining space.

5

Oil the Potatoes: Brush 3/4 tbsp olive oil over the potatoes.

6

Bake the Food: Place the food tray on the middle rack and bake the chicken thighs and potatoes at 400 °F for 30 minutes.

7

Add the Green Beans: Remove the tray, then layer 8 oz green beans over top.

8

Bake the Green Beans: Place the tray on the middle rack and bake at 425 °F for another 7 minutes.

9

Serve the Food: Remove the food from the oven, transfer onto serving plates, sprinkle in 2 tbsp parsley then serve hot.

NUTRITION

Nutrition Facts

How to Make Baked Chicken Thighs

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 501Calories from Fat 264

% Daily Value*

Fat 29.3g

45%

Saturated Fat 7.3g

46%

Polyunsaturated Fat 6g

Monounsaturated Fat 14g

Cholesterol 139mg

46%

Sodium 518mg

23%

Potassium 1143mg

33%

Carbohydrate 33g

11%

Fiber 6g

25%

Sugar 4g

4%

Protein 27g

54%

Vitamin A 927IU

19%

Vitamin C 26mg

32%

Calcium 66mg

7%

Iron 3mg

17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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