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.
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. 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).
how long to bake chicken thighs?
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.
Storage And Reheating
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.
What To Serve With
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
Garlic Butter Baked Chicken Thighs Recipe
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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.
Tips
- 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 Information
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.
Mitzi says
I totally spaced marinating the bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs I thawed out for another recipe. So, I scramble-googled and saw this. It came out perfectly. The only thing I changed was to take the skillet out of the oven at 15 minutes and throw some sliced Dutch potatoes in the pan and stick it back in the oven for the last 15 minutes. This is really the perfect weeknight dinner. Bonus: only one pan!
Olivia Ribas says
Thank you. What a lovely feedback!
Michelle says
Tasty, quick, and easy! Perfect weeknight meal! The whole family loved it and asked to put it in regular rotation. Success all the way around! 😉
Olivia Ribas says
Happy to hear that 😉
Sarah says
Great recipe, the kids even like it!
Olivia Ribas says
Happy to know they liked it!
Katina Boyd says
So you cover the chicken or cover it with foil while baking
Olivia Ribas says
When in the oven, if your chicken is getting very dark, cover it with a foil, until the chicken is completely cooked. If it’s not very dark you don’t need to cover it.
Jan says
Can you make this in the instapot?
Olivia Ribas says
Yes but you need to make the garlic butter sauce in a pan and then serve it on top of the chicken when it’s time to serve.
Stephanie says
Can you make in a convection oven?
Olivia Ribas says
Yes you can.
Michael Kane says
Nice, easy to make and tasty. But I completely disagree about not rinsing raw chicken. As long as you are careful, and don’t thrash wildly about, you’re not going to spread germs. Just have a board with paper towels next to the sink, and wash your hands well after rinsing.
Adrian says
Not that good.
Angelica says
Can I use airfryer if I don’t have an oven?
Olivia Ribas says
Yes you can. Just make the garlic butter sauce in a sauce pan. Then pour it over the chicken when it’s time to serve.
Martha Vee says
Excellent flavor and perfectly cooked chicken. We were hungry so I forgot to take pic… Next time!
Olivia Ribas says
Yes please, take picture next time! I would love to see it 😉