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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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!
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.
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
Baked Chicken Thighs (Garlic Butter, Crispy & Juicy)
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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Absolutely delicious!
Happy you liked it!
Delicious! 🙂
They are so GOOD!!!
It’s an OK base recipe but definitely needed extra spice. I added herb de Provence and smoked paprika. Maybe my thighs were on the small side, but 400 degrees at 30 min would have made jerky. I pulled them out after about 15 min, they were already over 180.
If I ever make this again, I’ll cook them at 350, or just cover the pan and finish on the stovetop. Flavor was good, everybody enjoyed the chicken, even the picky kids.
Hmmm…tasty chicken, but bitter, burned crushed garlic by the time the chicken reached 165. Any advice?
Same thing happened to me. I still have 5 minutes left to cook and the garlic is burned.
This dish was amazing! I made some Haricot Vert, put them on the platter with the chicken, drizzled some of the cooking juices on top and OMG! So simple and so delicious. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Tight? They’re amazing. We love this recipe too!
Can this be done on the grill?
Yes it can. Just grill it until it gets the internal temperature of 165F degrees.
Oliva!!! This was sooo quick, easy and DELICIOUS!!! I used the skinless, boneless chicken thighs, and they turned out sooo tender!!! My husband usually doesn’t like chicken, but he LOVED these!!! I served them with sautéed garlics and steamed broccoli!!! Thank you so very much for a TERRIFIC recipe!!!
Mm.. love that you served it with steamed broccoli. So yummy!
This was amazing! I typically tweak recipes but aside from adding a touch of rosemary I made this just like you said. It was super easy, looked fabulous and was so moist! Clearly a family favorite – even it is fried. 🙂
You’re message made my day. Thank you so much!
I love how crispy these chicken turned out. Looks so good. Yum!
Happy you liked it!
What kind of cooking dish are you using in the video?
Is it a Dutch oven?
It is a cast iron skillet!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was a big hit. Quick and easy recipe. The skin was perfectly crispy. This is going in my recipe box for a regular rotation of meal planning.
Happy to know that. We love this recipe too especially because of the crispy skin. Yummy!
Where’s the oven rack placed?
Middle.
This chicken is the bomb and so are you for sharing it! As much as I love garlic, butter and chicken this was the last thing I thought to do with it. It’s so delicious and savory! I normally use boneless chicken thighs, but I’m going back to bone in! I love my dark meat but don’t like to fight with the skin sometimes. But after this recipe, I’m going back. I need more meat and a bone to sop this sauce up!
We love chicken thighs! It’s the most flavourful part of the chicken in my opinion. Glad you liked it!
This was such a great recipe! The chicken came out with such nice crispy skin and juicy insides! I don’t have a cast iron skillet, I just have a nonstick pan so I started with that and then once both sides were crispy and I added the butter and garlic, I transferred everything into my glass 13×9 pan and placed it in the oven a the temperature and time mentioned and it turned out perfect! I had 3 chicken thighs left over and stored them in the fridge. Whenever anyone wanted to eat them I would just throw them in the air fryer at 400 degrees for a couple minutes and the crispiness of skin would come right on back!
Happy you like this recipe. It’s so flavourful and easy to make. Yes the best way to reheat it is by putting in the oven again or in the air fryer. I don’t recommend to put it in the microwave.
This is my weeknight go to dinner that leaves kids and husband wanting for more. Once chicken thighs are done, I turn on broil for a few minutes to further crisp up the skin. I am not easily impressed by chicken thighs, but this recipe is amazing in its flavors and simplicity.
That’s amazing! I’m so so happy to hear that. This recipe is so so flavourful and also easy to make 😉
turned out much better than I thought. Season well.
Right? When I created this recipe I didn’t think it was going to be this good!! Glad you liked it!
unique flavor is what i like about your recipe, i don’t know how long it takes you to make?
As I chickens lover, I really appreciate that you share this recipe, thank a lot Olivia!
You’re very welcome!
Made this tonight for dinner and it is delicious!
Awesome!
This was so easy, fun to make and delicious!
Question: if I wanted to marinate the chicken a day before, just so that the meat itself is even more flavourful.. what marinade would you suggest?
A simple one with olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon masters and garlic.