Description
These crispy baked chicken thighs are seasoned to perfection and easy to prepare, making them a family favorite!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons paprika (or use a combo of 1 tsp paprika + 1 tsp smoked paprika)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (for a flavor variation, substitute with ground cumin)
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)
- pinch cayenne pepper (optional and to taste if you prefer a tiny bit of heat or about 1/2 to 1 tsp chili powder)
- 6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (about 6 ounces each; other types of chicken may be substituted)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Fresh herbs such as parsley (basil, cilantro, finely minced; optional for garnishing)
- Lemon wedges (optional for serving)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F and either spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray or spray a baking sheet (line it with foil and slightly curl up the edges to prevent juices from running off); set pan aside.
- To a medium bowl, add the brown sugar, all the spices, salt, pepper, optional cayenne or chili powder, and mix to combine.
- Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towel. Do not skip this because a dry surface helps the skin crisp up while baking.
- Place chicken in a bowl and evenly drizzle with the olive oil, rubbing it in on the top of each piece of chicken.
- Evenly sprinkle the seasoning blend over the chicken, concentrating on the top and sides, then pat it in with your fingers.
- Bake uncovered for about 35-40 minutes, or until a thermometer registers 165F. Rotate your baking pan once midway through baking to ensure even cooking and start checking at 30 minutes if your pieces of chicken are smaller than 6 ounces each.
- Baking Tips: Baking will probably take a bit quicker on a baking sheet than in a baking dish by maybe 5 minutes. Boneless chicken thighs and breasts will likely bake quicker too, 25-35 minutes, depending on the size. Don’t rely solely on time; use the internal temperature of 165F.
- Optionally, if you’d like to crisp up the skin even more, set your broiler to HIGH and broil on the top oven rack for about 1 minute (maybe 2 minutes), or as needed. Be watchful, as it can go from crispy to burnt quickly!
- Allow chicken to rest for about 5 minutes, optionally garnish as desired, and optionally serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
- Be extremely watchful when broiling to avoid burning!
- Allowing the chicken to rest helps keep it juicy.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 thigh
- Calories: 300
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 600mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 10g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 25g
- Cholesterol: 100mg