Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs are one of my favorite things to cook. They’re affordable, forgiving, and especially well suited to baking. But while they’re easy to make, getting juicy meat and crisp skin requires the right approach. For this baked chicken thigh recipe, I rely on two simple techniques: an overnight dry brine that seasons the meat throughout and helps dry the skin, and a hot oven to finish the job. The result is juicy, well-seasoned chicken beneath beautifully crisp, golden skin.
What You’ll Need To Make Baked Chicken Thighs
Jennifer Segal
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Salt: Seasons the chicken more deeply as it rests and helps draw moisture from the skin, so it bakes up crisp and crackly.
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Paprika, Sage, Thyme, Black Pepper, Garlic Powder, and Onion Powder: This savory blend gives the chicken plenty of flavor, with paprika for warmth, herbs for earthiness, and garlic and onion powders for depth.
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Bone-In, Skin-On Chicken Thighs: Both the skin and bone are important here—the skin turns thin and crackly in the oven, while the bone helps protect the meat as the thighs roast to 185 degrees F, when the fat and connective tissue have had time to render and the meat becomes especially tender.
How To Make Baked Chicken Thighs
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Step 1: Season and dry-brine the chicken. Mix the seasonings together, then pat the chicken thighs very dry and season them evenly on both sides. Arrange the thighs skin-side up on a wire rack set over a foil-lined baking sheet and refrigerate uncovered for at least 12 hours or up to 24 hours. Don’t skip the uncovered rest—it gives the seasoning time to work its way into the meat while drying out the skin, which is key to getting it really crisp in the oven.
Pro tip: If your fridge is too narrow to accommodate a baking sheet, you can set the wire rack over a piece of heavy-duty foil.
Jennifer Segal
Jennifer Segal
Step 2: Roast the chicken. Keeping the thighs on the wire rack, roast until the skin is crisp and the thickest part of the meat reaches 185 degrees F, about 40 minutes. Go by temperature rather than the clock here; taking thighs to 185 degrees F gives the fat and connective tissue time to render, so the meat turns tender and juicy. If the skin is getting too dark before the chicken is done, loosely tent it with foil for the remainder of the cooking time.
Jennifer Segal
Step 3: Serve. Let the chicken rest for about 5 minutes before serving. Keep it on the rack while it rests so the bottom isn’t sitting in the rendered juices and the skin stays crisp. Transfer to a serving platter and enjoy.
Bone-in thighs are baked until they’re crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Jennifer Segal