These baked chicken thighs are coated in olive oil, garlic and herbs, then oven roasted until tender and golden brown. A super easy way to prepare chicken thighs that always gets rave reviews!
Chicken is often on our dinner table, and I try to mix things up a bit with different flavor combinations including rosemary chicken, chicken scallopini, and these Greek style chicken thighs.
Chicken thighs are inexpensive, easy to prepare, and tend to be more flavorful than chicken breasts. My favorite way to prepare this cut of meat is with baked chicken thighs bathed in a zesty marinade.
How do you make baked chicken thighs?
The first step in this recipe is to make a marinade of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano and spices. The chicken thighs are tossed in the olive oil mixture. I like to let the chicken sit in the marinade for at least 30 minutes if I have the time. The chicken thighs go onto a sheet pan to roast until they’re golden brown and cooked through. Add a sprinkling of fresh parsley and some lemon wedges and dinner is served!
Tips for the perfect chicken
- I prefer to use bone-in skin-on chicken thighs for this recipe because they are super flavorful and they don’t dry out in the oven. Boneless chicken thighs will work too, but you’ll need to cook them for less time.
- This recipe also works with chicken drumsticks or bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts. The bone-in chicken breasts will take longer to cook than the chicken thighs, so keep that in mind.
- If you’d like, you can reserve a tablespoon or two of the marinade before you add the chicken, then drizzle that reserved marinade over the cooked dish for added flavor.
- This dish is great for meal prep; it will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- If you like your chicken skin especially crispy, feel free to broil the chicken for a few minutes before you serve it.
How long does it take to bake chicken thighs?
It takes approximately 45 minutes to bake chicken thighs at a temperature of 400 degrees F. The bake time can vary depending on the size of your thighs. This bake time assumes an average sized chicken thigh that weighs about 6 ounces.
How do you know when is chicken done?
You can tell that your chicken is done when the juices run clear and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken thigh registers at least 165 degrees F. I use a digital probe thermometer with a remote so that I can monitor the progress of the chicken while it’s in the oven.
Baked chicken thigh flavor variations
You can add other ingredients to your baked chicken thighs to create flavor variations that suit your tastes.
- Vegetables: During the last 15 minutes of the baking time, you can add vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower or zucchini. You can also include potatoes at the start of the cooking time for a one pan meal.
- Cheese: Sprinkle 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese or 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese over the finished dish.
- Herbs: Instead of garnishing your chicken with fresh parsley, you can use green onions, chives, dill or basil.
This is a must-try recipe; it’s simple, yet totally satisfying!
More chicken recipes to try
Baked Chicken Thighs Video
Baked Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika I prefer to use smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- lemon wedges for garnish
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, pepper, garlic, oregano and paprika in a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Add the chicken the bowl; toss to coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours.
- Coat a sheet pan with cooking spray. Arrange the chicken thighs on the pan in a single layer.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until chicken is browned and cooked through.
- Sprinkle with parsley. Garnish with lemon wedges and serve.
Lisa Sauer says
This recipe is amazing. What did you serve with the chicken in the picture?? It looks delicious .
Sara says
It’s a box of pearl couscous mix with corn, bell peppers and parsley added to it!
Stephanie Smith says
Absolutely delish and quite flavorful. Thank you for such an easy and savory marinade/recipe!!
Olivia says
I made this for dinner, followed the recipe exactly and it was delicious! The whole family loved it!
Sue G says
I just have to tell you how much I love your recipes! Have tried several & every time its awesome. But this chicken marinade recipe is the Bomb. I have a very picky 14yr old son & was tired of the same old chicken strips for him, i decided to marinate the tenderloin strips & grill them. First time in his life he ever asked for seconds, also asked me to make them again the next day! Keep up the great recipes, I appreciate them so much
Susan says
just as a side to my previous comment, i didn’t have plain oregano, so i used 1/2 pizza seasoning & 1/2 italian seasoning which both have oregano in the mix
Michelle says
The chicken was so flavorful! We really enjoyed this recipe, thanks!
Mary says
Yum! Even better than I thought. Going to try it with chicken breasts next.
Julia says
Chicken breasts always take less time to cook than dark meat. Also, marinating chicken breasts longer than an hour will not toughen the meat.
Ruma C. says
In a prior recipe using lemon in the marinade, you said letting it sit for more than an hour will toughen the chicken. If I do this one ahead of time for mea prep, would I still include the lemon juice?
Ideally, I’d like to pre-freeze this dish for an RV trip. Would it work?
Sara says
It should be fine, bone-in thighs take longer to soak up the marinade because it’s a denser piece of meat. Freezing this one will work!
Jennifer says
What delicious, savory chicken thighs. I love how easy they were to make, and the flavor was so rich! Delicious!
Gabby says
This was such a delicious recipe and I’ll definitely be making it again! Chicken thigh is so much tastier and this flavour combination is perfection.
Biana says
This is such a great idea! I love trying different chicken recipes, and this one looks amazing!
Irina says
Your website is full of creative chicken recipes, and once I want to make chicken, I know where to search for something new. We made this chicken meal for our lunch today: the recipe is our new favorite. Thanks!
Jill says
I had to make this recipe because your photos were so enticing. This recipe did not disappoint. So much flavor – loved them!
Jacque says
I have always preferred chicken thighs over any other cut of meat; so tender and juicy! Loved the marinade; 100% worthy of a restaurant!
Cathy says
I never know quite what to do with chicken thighs. This is great!
Beth says
These are so delicious and have a lot of flavor! I can’t wait to make these again!
Beti says
Such a fantastic chicken thighs recipe!! I can’t wait to try it!!
katerina @ diethood.com says
These chicken thighs are incredibly delicious!! YUM!
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says
These baked chicken thighs are look so fun and tasty!
Toni says
We love baked chicken thighs and the flavors in this recipe are SO good! This will be on frequent dinner rotation at our house.