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This is my go-to recipe for baked boneless chicken thighs! It's so easy, making it perfect for weeknight dinners.
Simply apply olive oil and spices to the chicken pieces and bake them for 30 minutes in the oven. It's as easy as can be and so delicious.
Chicken is easy and affordable, but it can get boring, especially when you make it often, as I do. That's why I'm always trying new ways to make it more interesting.
This recipe for baked boneless chicken thighs is amazing. It's full of flavor! I make it often because it has a winning combination of a truly easy recipe that's also delicious. Even the leftovers are good, although I prefer to enjoy them cold rather than risk drying the chicken out when reheating it.
Jump to:
- Ingredients
- Variations
- Instructions
- Expert Tip
- Recipe FAQs
- Serving Suggestions
- Storing Leftovers
- More Chicken Recipes
- Foodie Newsletter
- Recipe Card
Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this recipe. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Fresh chicken: I use boneless, skinless chicken thighs in this recipe. It's one of my favorite chicken parts because it's cheap, readily available, easy to cook and eat, and wonderfully juicy!
- Olive oil: I love cooking with this delicious oil. If you prefer an oil with a higher smoke point, you can use avocado oil instead. But it won't be as flavorful as olive oil.
- To season: I use quite a few spices and recommend using them all. They add wonderful flavor! I use kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper.
Variations
The best way to vary this recipe is to experiment with different spices. While the spice combination used here is pretty much perfect, a generous pinch of dried thyme or oregano is always a welcome addition. I tried both and enjoyed them.
You can also use melted butter or ghee instead of olive oil. Melted butter is especially good. You can use salted or unsalted butter - I tried both, and both work equally well.
Instructions
Oven-baking is my favorite way of preparing boneless chicken thighs. It's easy, but you don't sacrifice any flavor. Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps for making this recipe:
Season the chicken. Your first step is to place the chicken pieces in a large bowl and add olive oil and spices.
I use my hands to ensure the thighs are well-coated:
Arrange in a baking dish. Arrange the chicken in a rimmed baking dish. A 9 X 13-inch pan works well.
Bake. The last step is to bake the chicken in a 400°F oven until cooked through. Depending on how hot your oven is, this should take about 30 minutes.
Expert Tip
If you buy them in pre-packaged trays at the supermarket, boneless chicken thighs come in various sizes, as shown in the photo below. It's OK to bake them all together until the biggest ones are cooked through. The small ones will still be juicy and delicious!
Recipe FAQs
Can I use chicken breasts in this recipe?
I don't recommend it. Chicken breasts are drier than thighs. They're also typically larger and thicker. They require a different cooking temperature and a different cooking time. Here's a good recipe that was written specifically for baked chicken breast.
How do you bake boneless chicken thighs without drying them out?
The good news is that chicken thighs are juicy and won't dry out easily. I do recommend leaving the visible fat on and not trying to trim it. It helps protect the chicken from drying out. I also recommend being generous when coating the chicken with oil or butter.
Should I trim the fat?
You can trim the fat, but I don't, as shown in the photo below. Most of it melts away during baking, and what remains is delicious. As explained above, the fat also helps protect the chicken from drying out in the oven.
Serving Suggestions
Since I bake the chicken in a400°F oven, I like to serve it with a side dish I can cook in the same oven. So, I often serve it with any of the following:
- Baked shiitake mushrooms
- Zucchini casserole
- Broccoli tots
- Jicama fries
- Roasted asparagus
- Roasted carrots
- Roasted cabbage
- Mini peppers
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. I usually shred them and add them, cold, to a salad such as this arugula salad.
If you'd like to reheat them, it's best to do so gently, in the microwave, covered, at 50% power. The chicken will dry out if you reheat the leftovers too aggressively, especially in the microwave.
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Recipe Card
4.99 from 5204 votes
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Baked Boneless Chicken Thighs
This is my go-to recipe for baked boneless chicken thighs! Simply apply a rub of olive oil and spices and bake the thighs for 30 minutes.
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time30 minutes mins
Total Time40 minutes mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 254kcal
Author: Vered DeLeeuw
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or ½ teaspoon of any other salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 400°F. Place the chicken thighs in a large bowl.
Add the olive oil and spices. Use your hands to coat the chicken pieces.
Arrange the seasoned thighs in a single layer on a rimmed baking dish, such as a 9 X 13-inch baking dish. If there's some residual oil and spice mixture in the bowl, brush it on the chicken pieces.
Bake until the thighs are cooked through, juices run clear, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the middle of the largest thigh reads 165ºF. In my oven, this takes about 30 minutes.
Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- If you buy them in pre-packaged trays at the supermarket, boneless skinless chicken thighs come in various sizes. It's OK to bake them all together until the biggest ones are cooked through. The small ones will still be juicy and delicious!
- You can trim the fat, but I don't. Most of it melts away during baking, and what remains is delicious. The fat also helps protect the chicken from drying out in the oven.
- You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. I usually shred them and add them, cold, to a salad. If you'd like to reheat them, it's best to do so gently, in the microwave, covered, at 50% power. The chicken will dry out if you reheat the leftovers too aggressively, especially in the microwave.
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Nutrition per Serving
Serving: 4ounces | Calories: 254kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 602mg
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Most of our recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate, and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read our Terms of Use carefully before using any of our recipes.
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About the Author
Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. Click to learn more about Vered.
Reader Interactions
Comments
Jenny
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I plan to try it this week. Wondering if the cayenne makes it spicy at all, or if I should leave it out for my 6 year old?
Reply
Vered DeLeeuw
Hi Jenny,
It's very little cayenne for two pounds of chicken, so the dish is not spicy. However, if you plan to serve it to a kid, I would skip the cayenne - the chicken is very flavorful without it.Reply
Jenny
Thank you so much! I will try that 🙂
Nina Sorentino-Messina
Delicious and full of flavor. My family loves this chicken dish. Thank you for sharing.Reply
Vered DeLeeuw
You're very welcome, Nina! So glad your family likes it.
Reply
Heidi
5-star rating is for several reasons: SO EASY, tasty, my son said, "that chicken was REALLY good"! thank you for the recipe!See AlsoBest Baked Chicken Thighs RecipeReply
Vered DeLeeuw
You're very welcome, Heid! Thanks for the comment!
Reply
Mav
Great recipe!
I have a question, my chicken didnt turn out as nicely browned as the one you made. Any tips for that, without overcooking the meat?Reply
Vered DeLeeuw
Hi Mav,
Try increasing the oven to 425°F. Start checking for doneness after 25 minutes.Reply
Heidi
I took my chicken out a little early (temp at 157) and then broiled them for 1-2 minutes to get that color! just be very careful you need to keep an eye on them because they can burn quickly under the broiler! great recipe!Reply
Nikki
Whole family approved! Even my 2 picky kids really enjoyed this recipe and asked me to save it to add to the regular rotation. High praise, especially from them. I omitted the cayenne.
Thanks for a recipe the whole family will eat!Reply
Vered DeLeeuw
You're very welcome, Nikki! Glad everyone enjoyed it!
Reply
William Guerriero
I made this last week and it was so good I made it again the other day. I did a little tweaking the second time: added a pinch of celery salt and a dash more cayenne. I don't think there's any way to get this one wrong.Reply
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad you've been enjoying this recipe, William! Thank you for sharing your tweaks.
Reply
Ashley
My fourth time making this recipe. I absolutely love the flavor of this. I also double the spices for some extra flavor and my family goes crazy for these! Thanks for the recipe!!Reply
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad you and your family love this recipe, Ashley! Interesting that doubling the spices works - thanks for the tip!
S. Newt
This is, by far, one of the best & easiest recipes for oven-baked chicken! Our chicken was very tender and was not dry like other recipes we've tried. Full of flavor. As the family says "this is a keeper" & "re-do soon". We paired the chicken with pan-roasted Brussel sprouts & steamed asparagus. This would be great to use for Chicken Tortilla Soup. Thanks for sharing this recipe with us!!Reply
Vered DeLeeuw
Yay! I'm so glad this was a success. Love the side dishes!
Reply
karen heringer
Very easy recipe. Would use try fresh garlic next time instead of garlic powder. Otherwise, will try again. Tasty with the mix of spices. Will do again, also could see using this if doing chicken taco for next day ..if there are leftovers.Reply
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm glad you enjoyed this recipe, karen!
Reply
Heather Knoll
Great recipe. Very flavorful and has a bit of a kick. I added onions and bacon to the bottom of the pan and added Parmesan cheese on top. Turned out delicious.Reply
Vered DeLeeuw
I love your additions, Heather! Thanks for sharing them.
Reply
Marion M.
Hi! If I make this into chicken soup the next day...will it get tougher? Does it still only last 3-4 days? Or should I freeze some of the soup right away?
Sounds great and easy! I'm not really a good cook, lol! (It's true, honest. Ask my hubby of 42 yrs!)Reply
Vered DeLeeuw
Hi Marion,
You can shred the baked chicken thighs and add them to hot chicken broth, store-bought or homemade. I don't recommend cooking them in water to make soup. And yes, you should count the four days from the day you baked the chicken thighs.Reply
Caroleen
Delicious and it will be a go to! Made it into chicken salad with red grapes and celery the next day. Would be delicious as base for tacos or whatever you would make with shredded chicken!Reply
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Caroleen! That salad sounds delicious.
Reply
LisaB
Delicious! I loved how quick and easy they were to make. I will definitely make these again.Reply
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Lisa! Thank you for leaving a comment.
Reply
Brett Swift
Delicious. Took my chicken off at 170°F and let it sit for a few minutes. Great flavor and juicy, big hit. Gonna do leftovers in a chicken wrap.Reply
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Brett! Thank you for leaving a comment.
Reply
Jami
Loved the ease of it and the taste is fresh and flavorful.Reply
Vered DeLeeuw
Glad you liked it, Jami!
Reply
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