This is my favorite way to make crispy baked chicken thighs in the oven. This is such an easy recipe that only takes 5 minutes to prep and makes the perfect crispy and juicy chicken every single time.
Jump to RecipeI love crispy chicken thighs straight from the grill. Sometimes though, taking the time to grill (and then clean the grill) just isn’t an option during the week for me. This is when I pull this recipe out. I really like to use dark meat for this recipe, since it is virtually impossible to overcook. I reach for boneless chicken thighs usually. These cook all the way through quickly but don’t taste dry and overdone if you leave them in the oven longer. This makes it easy to get a crispy skin but still keep the chicken juicy every time. Bone-in chicken thighs or drumsticks both work great for this recipe too!
Crispy Baked Chicken Ingredients
The three really important ingredients here are the flour, baking powder, and salt. These are what will make the chicken skin crispy. Just trust me here, if you leave one out, the recipe won’t work. Start with this base and then add in any other seasonings that you like on your chicken.
Flour, Baking powder, and salt- The base ingredients for the crispy oven baked chicken
Garlic powder, Onion Powder, Truffle Salt, black pepper, paprika- this is my go-to chicken seasoning. My family loves paprika especially. I make this the base of my seasoning mixture. I usually will use equal parts of every other seasoning and then double to amount of paprika. This part is really personal preference. As long as you use the flour, baking powder, and salt base, you should get the perfect crispy baked chicken every time.
How to make crispy chicken in the oven
In a large bowl, combine your flour, baking powder, and salt base with your seasonings of choice and your oil-coated cuts of meat. You can use olive oil for this or if you are looking to save calories, cooking spray works well too. Mix all of the ingredients well until they are fully coated.
On a lined baking sheet, place each piece of chicken so that none are overlapping. If your chicken has been previously frozen, or you are wanting extra crispy (bordering crunchy) skins, use a baking rack on top of the baking sheet. Cook at 425 for 50 minutes. Halfway through cooking, flip each piece of chicken over and continue cooking. You can skip this step if you are using a baking rack.
That’s it! Perfect juicy and crispy baked chicken every time!
Tips & Tricks
If you are noticing a lot of liquid in your baking sheet while you bake your chicken, try using a baking rack to keep the chicken out of the liquid. Make sure to still line a baking sheet under the rack to catch all of the liquid.
Make sure that you are using baking powder and not baking soda. Not only will baking soda not give you a crispy skin, it will also affect the flavor of your chicken. Baking powder has an undetectable flavor when used in this recipe.
If you choose to use a baking rack, reduce the cook time by 15 minutes.
Meal Pairings
We love to pair this chicken with fresh mashed potatoes and green beans.
It’s also perfect as leftovers to add to your homemade tortilla soup!
If you liked this recipe, be sure to check out some of my others here!