Name: Baked Chicken Thighs (Garlic Butter, Crispy & Juicy)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 5 chicken thighs (skin on and bone in ); Salt and black pepper (to taste); 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1/4 cup butter; 5 cloves garlic (crushed); Fresh parsley (chopped)

Baked Chicken Thighs (Garlic Butter, Crispy & Juicy)

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 35

Total Time 45

Servings 5 people

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These baked chicken thighs have been a staple in my house for years and for good reason. Bone-in, skin-on thighs go into a cast iron skillet with garlic butter, then straight into the oven for 30 minutes. The result is incredibly crispy skin with juicy, tender meat underneath. You only need a handful of ingredients and 45 minutes to get dinner on the table.

close of up crispy chicken thighs in a cast iron skillet topped with fresh parsley

Photo of Olivia in her kitchen, founder of Primavera Kitchen

The Chicken Thigh Recipe My Family Fights Over

I’ve been developing chicken recipes for busy families for over 10 years on Primavera Kitchen, and I can tell you with confidence that bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs are one of the most forgiving and flavourful cuts you can cook.

They stay juicy even if you leave them in the oven a few minutes longer, something you simply can’t say about chicken breast. I’ve made this garlic butter version more times than I can count, and it never fails.

The key is the sear-then-bake method. I always start the chicken skin side down in a hot skillet before finishing it in the oven. This is what gives you that deeply golden, crispy skin that Pierre and Thomas absolutely fight over at the dinner table. The garlic butter sauce does the rest, keeping every single bite incredibly juicy and tender.

If you love cooking chicken thighs as much as I do, my Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs are just as easy and perfect for those days when you want dinner to cook itself. And if you’re more of a chicken breast person, my Garlic Butter Baked Chicken Breast uses the same flavour profile and is one of the most popular recipes on Primavera Kitchen.

For sides, I always serve this with my Creamy Mashed Potatoes cause they soak up that garlic butter sauce perfectly and my Parmesan Green Beans to round out the plate.

Key ingredients

Chicken Thighs – I use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs to get a crispy outside while keeping the inside moist and tender. Of course, if you only have boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts, you can use those too. Just remember to reduce the baking time to 20–25 minutes. However, after making this recipe many times, I’ve found that keeping the skin and bone in makes the chicken much juicier and more flavorful.

Garlic – I like to use freshly crushed cloves because they have a stronger, more vibrant flavor and aroma compared to store-bought pre-minced garlic. Store-bought garlic usually comes as a paste or finely minced, which means it burns much faster in the pan and can turn bitter before the chicken is done.

Butter – I prefer unsalted butter because it lets me control the salt level and lets the natural flavors of the other ingredients shine.

Olive Oil – I use a small amount of olive oil to sear the chicken before baking. It helps the skin get golden and crispy without burning.

Salt and Black Pepper – Simple seasoning makes a big difference here. I season both sides of the chicken thighs generously before they hit the pan — it’s the foundation of all the flavor.

Overhead view of ingredients on a wooden board.

How to Make Baked Chicken Thighs

1. Season the chicken: Preheat your oven to 400°F and move the rack to the center. Now, before you do anything else, pat your chicken thighs completely dry with paper towels. I know it sounds like a small thing, but trust me on this one! Any moisture left on the skin will turn into steam in the oven and you’ll end up with soft, pale skin instead of that gorgeous golden crispy skin we’re going for. Once they’re dry, season both sides generously with salt and black pepper. Don’t be shy with the seasoning! This is where all the flavor starts!

left: raw chicken thighs seasoned with salt and pepper. Right: seasoned raw chicken thighs in a cast iron skillet.

2. Sear the skin: Heat your olive oil in a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Place the chicken thighs skin-side down and leave them alone for about 5 minutes, no moving them around! My cast iron skillet is my best friend for this because it goes straight from the stovetop to the oven, which means less mess. Once golden, flip the thighs over, push them to one side, melt the butter, add the crushed garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Keep the heat at medium here, fresh garlic burns fast and turns bitter!

overhead view of Thighs with crispy skin in a cast iron skillet

No cast iron skillet? No worries! Sear in any regular skillet, then transfer to a baking dish to finish in the oven and pour the garlic butter sauce over the top.

3. Bake and finish: Transfer the whole skillet to the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 165°F at the thickest part. If the skin starts getting too dark, loosely tent with foil. When it comes out, spoon all that garlic butter sauce over each thigh. Don’t skip this! Let them rest for 5 minutes before serving, then finish with fresh parsley and dig in!

overhead view of Chicken Thighs with crispy skin in a cast iron skillet

How Long to Bake Chicken Thighs

Baking time depends on whether you’re using bone-in or boneless thighs, so I always keep this in mind before I start cooking. Here’s a quick guide I go back to all the time:

Cut	Oven Temp	Bake Time
Bone-in, skin-on	400°F	30–35 min
Boneless, skinless	400°F	20–25 min

Olivia’s Best Recipe Tips

Spoon out the excess fat. Bone-in, skin-on thighs release a lot of fat as they sear. If there’s too much fat pooling in the pan, spoon some out before adding the butter and garlic. Too much fat in the pan means the skin fries instead of crisps and it can also cause the garlic to burn faster.

Let the chicken rest before serving. This is a step a lot of people skip because dinner is ready and everyone is hungry. I get it! But even just 5 minutes of resting makes a real difference. It lets the juices settle back into the meat so every bite is tender and juicy instead of dry.

close up of chicken thighs in a cast iron skillet

Note: If I have leftover chicken thighs, my next move is almost always my baked chicken thighs and rice. The thighs go straight into the baking dish with the rice and it’s one of Pierre and Thomas’s favourite dinners.

More Chicken Thigh Recipes

Grilled Chicken Thighs

35 mins

Chicken Thighs with Potatoes

1 hr 10 mins

Baked Chicken Thighs and Rice

1 hr 30 mins

Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs

4 hrs 10 mins

close up of chicken thighs in butter sauce inside of a cast iron skillet

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Baked Chicken Thighs (Garlic Butter, Crispy & Juicy)

3.61 from 4421 votes

Author: Olivia Ribas

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Garlic Butter Baked Chicken Thighs are the ultimate solution for a flavorful and easy weeknight dinner. These oven-baked chicken thighs are perfectly seasoned. They are coated in a rich garlic butter sauce, which makes the meat juicy and tender. Ready in just 45 minutes, these chicken thighs with crispy, golden skin is perfect for busy families looking for a delicious and easy dinner.

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Ingredients

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400F degrees. Move oven rack to center. Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towel and season all over with salt and black pepper.
Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet (10-inch) over medium heat. Place the chicken thighs skin-side down and sear until the skin is golden and crispy. It takes about 5 minutes to cook them through at this point. Flip your chicken over once the skin is crispy. If your chicken thighs releases a lot of fat, dispose it using a spoon.
Place butter in the same skillet. When the butter melts, add minced garlic. Stir the garlic around the pan for 30 seconds.
Place the whole skillet in the oven and bake for 30 mins for until chicken gets the internal temperature at 165°F. When the chicken is cooked, spoon some of the garlic butter sauce over the top of each chicken thigh. Top with parsley before serving.

Notes

To Store: Let the chicken cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

To Freeze: Once cooled, place the chicken thighs in a freezer-safe container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to use them, thaw overnight in the fridge.

To Reheat: I always reheat baked chicken thighs in the oven at 350°F for about 15 minutes, or until warmed through. This is the best way to bring back that crispy skin. I’d avoid the microwave if you can — it makes the skin soggy and the meat rubbery.