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.
I’m so excited to share this family favorite with you today! This is my go-to chicken thighs recipe because my son and husband absolutely love it. They even fight over the crispy skin on top! 😂 Every time I make it, they go back for seconds, which makes me so happy.
I’ve made this chicken countless times, and I figured it was finally time to share it with you. What I love most about this recipe is that you only need three key ingredients to make the juiciest, most flavorful chicken thighs.
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. 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 crush fresh cloves because freshly crushed cloves have a stronger, more vibrant flavor and aroma compared to store-bought pre-ground cloves.
Butter – I prefer to use unsalted butter because it lets you control the salt level and enhances the natural flavors of the ingredients.
How To Cook Chicken Thighs
- I always use a paper towel to pat dry the chicken thighs.
- Season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
- Add olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Place the chicken thighs in a single layer and cook until skin is golden brown.
- On the side of the pan, melt the butter.
- Add in the garlic and stir to combine. Make sure it’s not on high heat as you don’t want the garlic to burn.
- Place it in the oven and bake chicken thighs for 30 minutes or until they are done. If your chicken thighs start darkening excessively while in the oven, cover them with foil until they are fully cooked.
- Use a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thighs to make sure your garlic butter chicken thighs are perfectly cooked without overcooking them. The internal temperature should reach 165°F (74°C).
1. The baking time for boneless chicken thighs is about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken thighs.
2. For bone-in thighs, it cooks in about 25 and 30 minutes.
To Store: Transfer the baked chicken thighs to an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 4 days.
To Freeze: Simply allow it to cool and then transfer it to a freezer safe container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
To Reheat: Thaw it in the fridge overheat and then, I like to reheat in the oven until warmed through. If you reheat it in the microwave, the skin will be soggy.
Roasted Vegetables – They’re great side dish to go with any kind of protein, especially with this baked chicken thighs. Or you can always serve it with mashed potatoes.
Roasted green beans or roasted sweet potato are good side dishes to go with these baked chicken thighs.
Broccoli salad – Such an easy and flavourful salad.
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
Garlic Butter Baked Chicken Thighs Recipe
Video
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
- If you do not have an oven-safe skillet, you can transfer the chicken thighs to a baking dish (baking sheet or sheet pan) to bake.
- After you’ve baked the chicken thighs, let them rest for a few minutes before serving. This allows the juices to redistribute, resulting in tender and moist meat.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?
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ive tried it and followed the onstructions carefully.. it turns out good.. i made this recope for my daughter in law mom who wants to eat good food before travelling to TEXAS.
Great! Thanks for your feedback 😉
No good food in Texas?
Made it.. was absolutely delicious.
So happy you liked it! It’s impossible not to like this recipe. It’s SO GOOD!
What if I don’t have a cast iron? Will it still turn out somewhat the same?
Yes, it will still turn out somewhat the same.
I have made this dozen of times and love it each time! I make it along side asparagus and potatoes (not baked together). So good!
So happy to hear that. Thanks for stopping by 😉
Loved the recipe. Easy to follow. I used a little less butter as I’m trying to keep my fat intake down.
Happy you liked it!
I made this tonight and it was so good. The skin was so crispy and the chicken really moist. I added red potatoes to the cast iron and everything was delicious. Definitely keeping this recipe!
Your comment made my day! So happy to hear this 😉
Easy to make and taste great!
Whole family loves it.
Lovely! So happy to hear that 😉
I accidentally bought boneless and skinless. Any variations to the recipe if I try to make it with that instead of bone in and skin on?
No worries! If using boneless, skinless chicken, you can follow the recipe as is but reduce the cooking time to avoid overcooking the chicken. You may also want to sear both sides for a crispy texture. Enjoy! 😊
Why did my garlic burn when it went into the oven? Within 10mins it started to burn.
It sounds like the heat might have been a bit too high. Garlic can burn quickly, so lowering the oven temperature slightly or adding it in during the last few minutes of cooking could help! 😊
It’s good but how do you prevent the garlic from burning in the oven?
Great question! I added the garlic before because I like a little brown garlic for extra flavor, but if you’d prefer to avoid burning, try adding it in during the last few minutes of cooking. 😊
Made this a bunch of times and turns out good every time.
Amazing! Happy you like it 😉
I live in Texas and my mom always made oven fried chicken or electris skillet & I also do its great us Texans know how to do this & Texas food is great.
That sounds delicious! Texas does have some amazing food traditions, and it’s wonderful that you’re keeping them alive. Oven fried chicken is such a classic! 😊
I followed the recipe as stated. I had 9 chicken thighs though. The only thing I had to do differently was cook the chickens for closer to 8 minutes to get the skin nice and crispy. The garlic butter sauce was delicious and great to add over the chicken once taken off the bone, sprinkled the fresh parsley over the chicken–delicious! will be keeping this receipe for my family of 5 with kids ages 11, 8 and 8.
Thank you for your lovely feedback! Cooking the chicken longer for extra crispiness sounds perfect, and I’m so glad your family enjoyed it. Happy it’s a keeper for you all! 😊
I will never make chicken thighs any other way from now on! Supperrr delicious 🤤
Aww wow!! So happy to hear that! Your comment made my day 😉
I love recipes like this! One question: will the chopped garlic burn in the butter and be hard to chew?
Great question! The chopped garlic shouldn’t burn if cooked on medium heat as the recipe suggests. It will infuse the butter and stay tender. Hope you enjoy the recipe! 😊
I make this ALL the time now! My absolute favorite! I add yellow potatoes to the baking dish, peeled, cut into small pieces and spritzed with olive oil, salt and pepper and then I pour some of the garlic butter over them while pouring it on the chicken. The potatoes end up tasting as amazing as the chicken! It’s my 10 year old granddaughter’s favorite now too. ☺️
That makes me so happy to hear! 😊 Adding yellow potatoes and drizzling them with the garlic butter is such a delicious idea—no wonder your granddaughter loves it too! Thanks for sharing your tasty twist! 🍗🥔💛
Fantastic! One comment – I used the metric and it changed the number of chicken thieghs from 5 to 4 lol. Such an aeasy recipe and delicious! Great with salad and mashed potatoes
So glad you enjoyed it—thank you! 😊 And haha, yes, sometimes the metric conversion can be a little quirky! But we are redesigning the recipe card to fix it. Love the pairing with salad and mashed potatoes—sounds like a perfect meal! 🍗🥗🥔
So juicy, crispy, and flavorful perfect for quick weeknight dinners.
Totally 😉
Garlic butter baked chicken thighs are a delicious, easy weeknight dinner idea.
It totally is 😉
Overall, delicious. The ingredients specify crushed garlic, but the instructions specify minced. I prefer to smash the garlic then chop into pieces. And I don’t spoon the sauce on the chicken, great way to turn crispy skin into soggy! I put the chicken on my plate, then pour some of the butter and garlic into a bowl and use as a dipping sauce.
Maybe I’m using small thighs, or my Smythey cast iron cooks fast, but after a 5 minutes sear the chicken is done after 15 minutes in the oven! Good thing I check with a digital thermometer.
Thanks so much for your feedback! Great ideia to use the sauce as a dip! And yes, cast iron like your Smythey can definitely cook faster, especially with smaller thighs. Glad you enjoyed it! 😊
Super easy and quite tasty
Thank you so much! I’m thrilled you enjoyed it 😊🍽️