How long to roast chicken thighs at 375

Perfect oven baked chicken thighs are ready in only 35 minutes. With deliciously crispy skin and juicy inside, baked chicken thighs are economical, tasty, and require almost no skill.

Table of Contents

• 👨‍🍳Preparing Chicken Thighs to Bake
• 🧂How to Season
• 🌡️The Best Final Internal Temperature
• ⏰How Long to Bake
• 🔥Smoking Ovens and What to Do About It.
• ❓FAQs
• 📖Related Chicken Recipes
• 🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
• 📖Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Introduction

Just one pan and a bit of seasoning will get you the best baked chicken you will ever taste—an excellent recipe for two or a crowd.

This is an easy recipe with simple step-by-step photo instructions to get great tender and juicy thighs every time. So easy, it will be one of your regular rotation of recipes.

This is a modification of my Oven Baked Chicken Legs – The Art of Drummies recipe. People kept asking for a thigh-specific recipe. The baking time differs slightly, but trimming and dealing with the fat is the most significant difference.

🐓Why some people prefer chicken thighs?

• The chicken's dark meat is moist and flavorful. Why? Mostly the fat keeps it that way.
• They are economical and always available.
• Are delicious.
• Make great leftovers.

How much fat is there in chicken thighs?

Since we are dealing with a natural product, there is some variability but think of a thigh having about two to three times the fat of chicken breasts.

Here are the numbers from the National Chicken Council. Roasted, a skin-on thigh has 15.5 grams of fat, while a skin-on split chicken breast is 7.8.

My Rating

A very strong five.

👨‍🍳Preparing Chicken Thighs to Bake

This recipe assumes bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs. Boneless skinless chicken thighs are discussed below.

Rinsing chicken is no longer recommended due to the health risks of splattering the work area. See Chicken… To Rinse or Not To Rinse? for more information.

A good pat dry with a paper towel will help get crispy skin. After you pat dry the chicken thighs, trim off any trimmable fat and excess skin.

🧂How to Season

Just a good sprinkle of kosher salt and black pepper will be enough. I usually use All Purpose Seasoning - 7:2:1 and 7:2:2. If you want a little heat, I also add a pinch of cayenne pepper.

Feel free to season to your taste. Common flavors like paprika, oregano, thyme, Italian spice mix, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, or other spice rubs. Some people will use things like BBQ sauce, mustard, or honey, but, of course, the skin will not be crisp.

🌡️The Best Final Internal Temperature

The best final internal temperature for chicken thighs is 180°-185*. You are melting some collagen and connective tissue, and cooking up to 195° will still be okay, according to American Test Kitchen (subscription required). I have been using and recommending 185° for 12 years, long before ATK got on board.

Many will argue for 165°, the USDA's minimum safe internal temperature suggested. But there is a difference between safe and done. Pork is safe at 145°, but you sure won't want your pulled pork to be cooked to 145°F. It would be terrible.

Also, some recipes call for cooking "until fluids run clear" or "no pink at the bone." How are you supposed to do that? Also, I suspect it may even be below the safe minimum temperature since the pinkness disappears at about 155°F.

⏰How Long to Bake

At 425°, chicken thighs will bake to 180° in 30 to 35 minutes. This can depend on the weight and thickness of the thighs and your oven.

The best oven temperature to bake chicken thighs at is 425° convection but use 425° conventional if you don't have convection. Using 450° without convection is okay but will tend to smoke more.

You can use the different oven temperatures listed below.

Times are provided for planning only and assume a final internal temperature of 180°-185°. Use an instant-read thermometer or meat thermometer of some type.

🔥Smoking Ovens and What to Do About It.

Smoking ovens have been an issue for some due to high temp cooking. I haven't had a problem, BUT it is related to multiple factors.

• First, if there is trimmable fat, trim it.
• Use a pan with some side on it to keep any splatter contained.
• If your oven has convection roast and convection bake, use the bake mode.
• You could turn down the oven by 25°-50°. This will increase the cooking time some and may prone to drying out some. Remember to cook to an endpoint, not by time.
• Of course, the oven should be clean, so the smoke isn’t coming from a previous splatter.
• Some water in the pan under the rack will prevent the smoking issue. Fat drips and then hits the water and will be 212° immediately and will not smoke.

❓FAQs

What type of baking pan or tray to use?

I usually use a sheet pan covered with foil to help clean up. But a more traditional baking dish will be fine as long as the thighs fit without touching.

Do I have to use a rack for baking chicken thighs?

I highly recommend using a rack. There will be rendered fat drainage, and the rack will get the thighs out of that for better texture.

You can cook this without a rack, but you will be happier with a rack.

Can I use skinless boneless chicken thighs?

If using skinless boneless chicken thighs, give them a brush of vegetable or olive oil.

They will tend to be smaller and thinner, and there is no bone to absorb heat. Cooking time will be faster, generally by 5-10 minutes. So you will need to adjust your estimated cooking time. But remember, you are cooking to a final internal temperature of 180°-185° and not by time.

Can I make barbecued chicken thighs instead?

Yes, easily. Skip the seasoning and brush with your favorite BBQ sauce for the last 5 minutes of cooking to make great oven-baked BBQ thighs.

Can I bake chicken thighs in a toaster oven?

Probably but since there is a vast range of what is called a "toaster oven," an absolute answer is impossible.,

Most toaster ovens will be able to cook chicken thighs. The oven must have a controlled higher temperature and account for drainage. And like bigger ovens, you are cooking to a final internal temperature and never by time.

How to store cooked chicken thighs?

Store airtight in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can also freeze cooked chicken breasts for 3-4 days but thaw them before reheating.

The skin will be much better freshly cooked.

Oven Baked Chicken Legs – The Art of Drummies

Grilled Chicken Drumsticks – The Art of Drummies

Easy Grilled Chicken Thighs

Chicken for a Hundred

This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°F convection. Pat dry the chicken.

Trim any loose skin with no meat off. Also, remove any fat that is easily removed.

Prep a baking sheet. Line with aluminum foil, add a rack and give a heavy spray of PAM.

Place thighs skin down and sprinkle lightly with the spices of your choice. I went with 7:2:1 or 7:2:2. If you don't have that, just a little salt and pepper to taste. A pinch of cayenne would be good also. Flip and tuck in any thin parts underneath and sprinkle skin side.

With skin side up, bake until internal temp of 180° to 185°F—about 30 minutes of cooking time. Then rest for 5 minutes or more before serving.

📖Recipe

Perfect oven-baked chicken thighs are ready in only 35 minutes. With deliciously crispy skin and juicy inside, baked chicken thighs are economical, tasty, and require almost no skill.

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Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Servings #/Adjust if desired 2 servings

• ▢ chicken thighs - do as many as you want
• ▢ 7:2:1 or 7:2:2 Seasoning - or kosher salt and pepper to taste

• Preheat oven to 425°F convection. Pat dry the chicken.

  

• Trim any loose skin with no meat off. Also, remove any fat that is easily removed.

  

• Prep a baking sheet. Line with aluminum foil, add a rack, and give a heavy spray of PAM. Use a baking sheet or pan big enough to hold all the thighs without touching.

  

• Place thighs skin down and sprinkle lightly with the spices of your choice. I went with 7:2:1 or 7:2:2. If you don't have that, just a little salt and pepper to taste. A pinch of cayenne would be good also. Flip and tuck in any thin parts underneath and sprinkle skin side.

  

• With skin side up, bake until internal temp of 180° to 185°F—about 30 minutes of cooking time. Then rest for 5 minutes or more before serving.

  

See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

Pro Tips

1. DO NOT SKIP THE PAT DRY or you will not have crispy skin.
2. Trim off any trimmable fat or extra skin.
3. Get the thighs up on a rack to let the rendered fat drain. It also gets them out of the drained fat. You can do this without a rack but it is nicer with a rack.
4. Cook at high temp and use a thermometer to be sure you get to 180°-185°. Do not guess. Thighs are safe to eat at 165°F but tender at 185°F.
5. Options for other oven temperatures are in the blog post above.
6. Spice as you want. I often add a touch of Cayenne.
7. Scale to any amount you need.
8. Skip the seasoning and brush with your favorite BBQ sauce for the last 5 minutes to make great oven-baked BBQ thighs.

Always cook to a final internal temperature. Please, never by time alone.

Smoking ovens have been an issue for some due to high temp cooking. I haven’t had a problem, BUT it is probably related to multiple factors.

1. If there is trimmable fat, trim it.
2. Use a pan with some side on it to keep any splatter contained.
3. If your oven has a convection roast and convection bake, use the bake mode. Or skip the convection completely.
4. You could turn down the oven by 25°-50°. This will increase the cooking time some and may prone to drying out some. Remember to cook to an endpoint, not by time.
5. Of course, the oven should be clean, so the smoke isn’t coming from a previous splatter.
6. Some water in the pan under the rack will prevent the smoking issue. It will cool the fat when it drips.

To adjust the recipe size:

You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

Calories : 245 kcal (12%) | Protein : 25 g (50%) | Fat : 15 g (23%) | Saturated Fat : 4 g (20%) | Polyunsaturated Fat : 3 g | Monounsaturated Fat : 6 g | Cholesterol : 92 mg (31%) | Sodium : 686 mg (29%) | Potassium : 220 mg (6%) | Vitamin A : 150 IU (3%) | Calcium : 10 mg (1%) | Iron : 1.3 mg (7%)

Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.

Course : Main Course

Cuisine : American

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Editors Note: Originally Published January 24, 2014. This recipe is part of my family of chicken recipes. There have been updating photos and added information since the original version.

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