Wishing tonight’s dinner was simple, cheap, and fairly troublesome to mess up? Bonus factors if it’s wholesome? Time to make Baked Hen Thighs! These baked rooster thighs have crispy pores and skin, juicy meat, and loads of taste.

Why You’ll Love This Baked Hen Thighs Recipe

• By no means Dry or Rubbery. Whereas baked boneless skinless rooster breast would possibly occupy the default setting in your grocery buying method, it’s properly price selecting up a pack of bone-in, skin-on rooster thighs from time to time. Darkish rooster thigh meat is juicier and much much less vulnerable to drying out than white breast meat, which suggests cooking these crispy baked rooster thighs is stress-free!
• Packed With Vitamins. Whereas many suppose chicken is more healthy, that is hardly the case. Hen thighs are filled with vitamin. In comparison with chicken, darkish meat has extra iron, zinc, vitamin B-12, thiamine, and different vitamins too. (Sure, darkish meat has extra fats than white, however it’s nonetheless a really lean, wholesome protein.) Deliver on the rooster thigh recipes!
• Tremendous Flavorful. Baked bone-in rooster thighs (and Baked Hen Legs) have extra taste and are juicier than boneless skinless rooster thighs as a result of the bone flavors the meat from the within and helps retain moisture (it’s why you possibly can skip brining when making Baked Bone-In Hen Breast, however it’s obligatory for juicy boneless Grilled Hen Breast or Air Fryer Hen Breast).
• Funds-Pleasant. Making oven-baked rooster thighs for dinner is a cut price! Per pound, darkish meat is inexpensive than chicken, and bone-in rooster is inexpensive than boneless.

Extra About These Simple Baked Hen Thighs

As we speak, I’m supplying you with my finest 5-star, juicy rooster thighs within the oven recipe with dried Italian herbs (be happy to swap for recent herbs in case you have them), garlic, and lemon.

Old style baked crispy rooster thighs within the oven are equally as make-ahead pleasant as they’re last-minute wholesome dinner materials. (Although for the quickest technique for making ready rooster, attempt Pan Fried Hen Breast.)

• I like to recommend 60 minutes of marinade time, however you possibly can cut back it to half-hour in the event you want a shortcut.
• On the alternative aspect of the timeline, you possibly can fully prep them the night time earlier than and pop them into the oven when it’s supper time.

That is one tasty (and wholesome) baked rooster thighs within the oven recipe you possibly can serve with satisfaction.

How one can Make Hen Thighs within the Oven

The Substances

• Hen Thighs. Flavorful and succulent, rooster thighs are a incredible, wholesome ingredient (attempt them in Hen Cacciatore). I used bone-in, skin-on rooster thighs, that are wholesome, inexpensive, and almost unattainable to mess up.

• Italian Marinade. A mix of olive oil, paprika, garlic, Italian seasoning (which incorporates oregano, basil, marjoram, and extra), salt, pepper, and lemon. It imparts gentle and shiny Italian taste onto the rooster and helps make it further juicy. This shiny Hen Marinade is one other marinade you should use for rooster within the oven.
• Onion. My particular trick for this recipe is to thinly slice an onion and scatter it across the rooster thighs as they bake within the oven. As soon as roasted, the onions turn into deliciously caramelized and candy.
• Contemporary Herbs. Contemporary parsley, tarragon, or thyme is the right completion.

The Instructions

1. Marinate. Mix the marinade components and marinate the rooster thighs for a minimum of half-hour or refrigerate for as much as 12 hours.

2. Season the Onions. Place the onions on a sheet pan and toss to coat with oil, salt, and pepper.

3. Prepare. Nestle the rooster thighs into the onions pores and skin aspect up.

4. Prepare dinner. Bake rooster thighs for quarter-hour, stir the onions, and bake for 10 to twenty extra minutes, or till the interior temperature of the rooster reaches 165 levels F. Let relaxation on the pan for five minutes.
5. End. Stir the onions and broil 1 to 2 minutes to crisp the rooster pores and skin. Garnish with herbs, then serve sizzling and ENJOY!

Recipe Variations

• BBQ Hen Thighs within the Oven. Season the thighs together with your favourite BBQ spice mix (similar to smoked paprika, chili powder, garlic and onion powder). Bake per the time and temperature instructed within the recipe (with or with out the onions). Serve with Barbecue Sauce.
• Outdated Customary Hen Thighs within the Oven. Hold the style pure and easy with salt, pepper, and paprika. Serve with Simple Drop Biscuits and your favourite gravy.
• Southern Hen Thighs within the Oven. Season the rooster with a mix of garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, seasoned salt, a bit cayenne, and dried rosemary.
• Curry Hen Thighs within the Oven. Season the thighs with curry powder, cumin, chili powder, black pepper, and salt. (This variation can be delicious with Turmeric Rice.)

Storage Ideas

• To Retailer. Place baked rooster thighs in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3 days.
• To Reheat. Gently rewarm leftovers in a baking dish within the oven at 350 levels F or within the microwave.
• To Freeze. Freeze rooster thighs in an hermetic, freezer-safe storage container for as much as 3 months. Let thaw in a single day within the fridge earlier than reheating.

What to Serve with Baked Hen Thighs

Recipe Ideas and Tips

• Don’t Cowl the Hen. Some rooster thighs within the oven recipes require overlaying with aluminum foil. This isn’t one among them. When baking rooster thighs with the pores and skin on, you’re making an attempt to realize crispy rooster thighs within the oven. Due to this fact, leaving them uncovered ensures a crispy pores and skin that turns completely golden. YUM!
• Stick With Excessive and Quick. AKA the alternative of low and gradual. I discover it finest to bake bone-in rooster thigh recipes like this one at a excessive temperature—425 levels F. Since rooster thighs are lean, they don’t profit from low, gradual cooking the way in which harder, extra marbled cuts like Gradual Cooker Pulled Pork do. A shorter cook dinner time with excessive warmth is the transfer for rooster thighs within the oven.
• Or Regulate the Temperature As Wanted. If wanted, you possibly can regulate the oven temperature all the way down to as little as 400 levels F to accommodate different dishes—say you’re cooking the rooster thighs within the oven similtaneously a pan of Roasted Brussels Sprouts or Roasted Butternut Squash. Merely lengthen the cooking time by a couple of minutes (or go for 415 levels F—proper in between). Or, you may make a sheet pan Rosemary Hen Thighs, which embody veggies on the identical pan.
• Know When Baked Hen Thighs Are Finished. The very best (and I’d say solely true) solution to inform in case your rooster is cooked correctly is to make use of an instant-read meat thermometer inserted on the thickest half. Hen must be cooked to 165 levels F, however its temperature will rise after it’s faraway from the warmth. I take away oven-baked rooster thighs 5 to 10 levels early (155 to 160 levels F).
• Don’t Overlook the Relaxation. Resting permits the meat to come back to a secure temperature. Resting is important in order that the juices have time to reincorporate into the baked rooster thighs.