Easy Oven-Baked Chicken Thighs with Vegetables

Main Ingredients

Chicken Thighs
Carrots
Onions
Garlic cloves (optional, can use mince or powder)

Optional Ingredients

Celery
Bell pepper
Broccoli/Cauliflower/Brussels Sprouts
Potato
Sweet potato

Spice

Salt
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Oregano and/or thyme and/or basil and/or rosemary
Paprika

Easy Method

Tastier Method

Cover your skillet or baking dish with aluminum foil.

Grease it with butter or spray oil (optional, if you're using enough carrots you can build a rack for the chicken)
Lay vegetables across tray to make a rack
Trim chicken thighs, pat dry with paper towel, and place on top of vegetable rack. Season with salt and desired spices
Bake at 425 for about 45 minutes.

Cover your skillet or baking dish with aluminum foil.
Grease it with butter or spray oil (optional, if you're using enough carrots you can build a rack for the chicken)
Lay vegetables across tray to make a rack
Trim chicken thighs, pat dry with paper towel, and cut skin so that it makes a flap over the meat, season under and over the skin, and place a raw garlic clove and/or pieces of carrot, minced ginger, and/or fresh herbs. Season with salt and desired spices
Bake at 425 for about 45 minutes.

Cooking time

Bake in an oven at 400-425 degrees F for about 40-60 minutes.

Ovens vary. Larger chicken thighs may need more time to cook. I usually check on them around 40 minutes--if the skin is not crispy, give it another 15 minutes. Once you know your oven you won’t have to check on it.

Always cook chicken to a MINIMUM internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).

For a more tender and flavorful result, cooking them to 175°F (80°C) is recommended.

Note on Liquid from Baked Chicken Thighs - USE A DEEP DISH!

As the chicken thighs cook, expect them to release a lot of liquid. Some of that will be fat, and some will be water--organic chicken thighs and air-chilled thighs will probably not have as much water and therefore a slightly purer flavor. Your vegetables are going to cook in chicken fat and absorb all that flavor. If you use an oven rack, your thighs will cook more evenly and be more tender--you can put veggies under the rack in that case, but I like to use carrots or potatoes because then you don’t have a rack to clean.

You can drain the liquid or reserve it for gravy or stock, or pour it over rice. I like to use it as oil to cook kale or leafy vegetables but it doesn’t work well for eggs because it is also watery. If you use higher quality organic chicken you might have more pure fat to work with, and if you don’t trim your chicken you’ll end up with too much fat which is not ideal. Most organic chicken is pre-trimmed or doesn’t need trimming.

Serving Suggestions

Any variations of this recipe will pair well with rice, quinoa, mashed potatoes, or fries.

I like to saute kale, collard greens, or spinach in the chicken juices--spinach only takes a few minutes which gives your thighs enough time to properly rest.

Baked Chicken thighs pair well with just about any kind of gravy, dressing, or sauce, including ketchup.

What to do with Chicken Thigh Leftovers

You can re-heat chicken thighs on their own but it’s not ideal because of the bones, I prefer to cut the meat off the bone first if I’m reheating or cut the meat off and serve cold in a salad or reheat it on a taco with melted cheese.

The cooked chicken thighs will be great in chicken salads or on a bed of lettuce with your dressing of choice.