Simple Roasted Chicken Thighs

4.67 from 3 votes
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Delicious and crispy golden baked chicken thighs made with a simple blend of garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, and onion powder. These roasted chicken thighs take about 5 minutes to prep and roast in the oven for about 40 minutes for a really easy weeknight meal.

Seasoned, golden crispy roasted chicken thighs on a baking sheet.

The dry rub in this recipe pulls some inspiration from Jamaican jerk chicken. While it’s miles from true jerk chicken, it tugs on similar characteristics with garlic, onion, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, nutmeg, and fresh citrus. The dry rub is paired with olive oil and fresh lime juice to create a paste-like texture that spreads easily and gets crunchy in the oven.

Why I Love This Recipe

Looking for more easy chicken recipes? Roasting chicken breast over butternut squash is an amazing combination. Chicken piccata gives you a great salty, umami meal. For another perfect presentation, give grilled caprese chicken a try.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Raw, uncooked chicken thigh ingredients laid out on a wooden cutting board.
  • bone-in skin-on chicken thighs: this recipe calls for skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs. The dark meat is naturally tender and not as susceptible to overcooking or drying out as a boneless chicken breast. You can make this recipe with boneless skinless chicken thighs too, it’s just not quite the same in terms of flavor.
  • Lime juice: use fresh citrus for best results. If you don’t have lime, try lemon juice!
  • Olive oil: olive oil helps the spices stick to the chicken and also helps crisp the skin. You can alternatively use melted butter.
  • Spices: I use a blend of garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, brown sugar (light or dark), and nutmeg. The most important spices are garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities below.

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Step 2.

Combine garlic, paprika, onion, cayenne, brown sugar, and nutmeg in a small bowl and mix to combine.

A blend of garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, and nutmeg in a small bowl.

Step 3.

Pat chicken thighs dry with a paper towel. Season all over liberally with salt and pepper, to taste. Drizzle each thigh with a squeeze of lime juice and a splash of olive oil. Rub to coat.

Raw, uncooked bone in, skin on chicken thighs on a baking sheet.

Step 4.

Rub the dry rub into the tops of each chicken thigh until evenly but lightly coated. You can make additional rub if needed.

Raw, uncooked chicken thighs rubbed with a paste blend of dry spices.

Step 5.

Place on a rimmed baking sheet or in a cast-iron skillet and roast for 35-40 minutes or until internal temp reaches at least 165°F. Bone-in skin-on thighs will still be juicy and tender past 165°F. They will not dry out like chicken breast. The skin should be golden and crispy at this point however you can broil on high for 1-2 minutes for extra crisp. Watch carefully to prevent burning.

A golden crispy roasted chicken thigh topped with dry spices.

Expert Tips

  • Pat the chicken skin dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. This will help with crisping in the oven.
  • Bake chicken thighs for 35-40 minutes at 400°F. This will bring your chicken to the perfect internal temp of at least 165°F. Always double-check with a digital thermometer. Just to note, bone-in thighs can be cooked well past 165°F without drying out.
  • Finish with a broil for extra crispy skin. As a final step, I like to turn the broiler on high for 2-3 minutes at the very end to really brown up the skin and make it crispier. Be careful, broiling moves very quickly.
  • Roast chicken on a rimmed baking sheet or cast iron skillet. There will be plenty of juice and fat runoff that you don’t want spilling into the bottom of your oven.

More Chicken Recipes

Enjoy this recipe? If you made this recipe, please leave a ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ star rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments!
4.67 from 3 votes

Simple Roasted Chicken Thighs Recipe

Servings: 4
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Easy roasted chicken thighs made with a simple and delicious dry rub of garlic, onion, paprika, cayenne, brown sugar, and nutmeg.

Ingredients 

  • 4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
  • Juice from half a lime
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar, light or dark
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
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Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  • Combine garlic, paprika, onion, cayenne, brown sugar, and nutmeg in a small bowl and mix to combine.
  • Pat chicken thighs dry with a paper towel. Season all over liberally with salt and pepper, to taste. Drizzle each thigh with a squeeze of lime juice and a splash of olive oil. Rub to coat.
  • Rub the dry rub into the tops of each chicken thigh until evenly but lightly coated. You can make additional rub if needed.
  • Place on a rimmed baking sheet or in a cast-iron skillet and roast for 35-40 minutes or until internal temp reaches at least 165°F. Bone-in skin-on thighs will still be juicy and tender past 165°F. They will not dry out like chicken breast. The skin should be golden and crispy at this point however you can broil on high for 1-2 minutes for extra crisp. Watch carefully to prevent burning.

Notes

You can skip the brown sugar if you don’t have any or don’t want additional sugar. I’ve done both ways and it’s good either way. You can also make with boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
This recipe calls for skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs. The dark meat is naturally tender and not as susceptible to overcooking or drying out as a boneless chicken breast. You can make this recipe with boneless skinless chicken thighs too, it’s just not quite the same in terms of flavor.
Pat the chicken skin dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. This will help with crisping in the oven.
Bake chicken thighs for 35-40 minutes at 400°F. This will bring your chicken to the perfect internal temp of at least 165°F. Always double-check with a digital thermometer. Just to note, bone-in thighs can be cooked past 165°F without drying out. Boneless thighs may take a few extra minutes to cook.
Finish with a broil for extra crispy skin. As a final step, I like to turn the broiler on high for 2-3 minutes at the very end to really brown up the skin and make it crispier. Be careful, broiling moves very quickly.
Roast chicken on a rimmed baking sheet or cast iron skillet. There will be plenty of juice and fat runoff that you don’t want spilling into the bottom of your oven.

Nutrition

Serving: 1thighCalories: 280kcalCarbohydrates: 0.8gProtein: 25.2gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 4.8gCholesterol: 93mgSodium: 232mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 0.5g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
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About Shawn Williams

My name is Shawn, author behind Kitchen Swagger. I'm a food & drink enthusiast bringing you my own simple and delicious restaurant-inspired recipes.

4.67 from 3 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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