Perfectly crispy roasted chicken thighs! They are baked to perfection with sage, rosemary, and lots of garlic cloves to infuse flavor. A simple, staple chicken recipe that everyone will love!
This recipe is my mom’s famous chicken thighs! Whenever she makes this chicken for relatives or for special occasions, everything asks for the recipe – it’s that good.
Why are they so delicious? Because the skin is perfectly crisp (not soggy in any way), the chicken is tender and juicy, and it’s made with a ton of garlic and herbs so the flavor is on point. It’s a very simple recipe, but in order to get the chicken to the perfect crispy skin texture, you need to roast them correctly!
We’ll go over all the details you need to make this delish chicken dinner.
Ingredients – What You Need
You’ll need just a handful of ingredients to make this recipe happen. See below for the full list!
Chicken thighs: this recipe will require chicken thighs with the bone and skin on.
Garlic cloves: fresh garlic cloves will roast whole with the thighs to infuse flavor. And you can eat them with the chicken if you love garlic (aka me!).
Herbs: you can use any herb you like, but my mom mostly uses sage and rosemary! Fresh or dried herbs work.
Garlic powder: this is used for sprinkling over the top of the chicken thighs for more flavor.
How to Make Crispy Roasted Chicken Thighs
Step 1 Step 2
(1) First, preheat the oven to 400F. Place chicken thighs in skillet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and garlic powder.
(2) Then add garlic cloves and chopped herbs. Roast for 45 minutes at 400F, then lower the oven temperature to 325F for 10-15 minutes. Chicken skin should be lightly browned and crispy!
My Top Recommendations for Baking Vessels
I grew up with my mom always baking chicken in cast iron or stainless steel, never glass, and there’s a reason! Cast iron and stainless steel have the ability to radiant more heat, which results in a more crispy texture and less liquids. Glass won’t usually get as hot, and might result in more liquid and less crispy texture that we really want with chicken.
I recommend using any type of stainless steel saucepan or hotel pan, a cast-iron casserole dish, or an iron skillet!
Tips for Success
Add any herb or seasoning you like. This recipe is very versatile and can be customized to whatever you have on hand. Besides rosemary and sage, my mom also uses oregano, thyme, a dusting of dried turmeric, everything bagel seasoning, herbs de Provence, or an Italian herb blend.
Add citrus – add a pop of flavor by using orange or lemon zest/juice.
Use fresh or dried herbs. You can use either fresh or dried herbs for this recipe. Fresh herbs will of course have more fresh flavor, but either works!
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to cover the chicken? No. Covering the chicken would trap moisture and not “crisp” the skin as much as we want. Leave it uncovered the entire time it bakes until completely cooked through. To keep it warm, you can shut off the oven and cover the chicken with foil until ready to serve.
Does this recipe apply to bone-less, skinless chicken thighs? Unfortunately, it does not. You will need chicken to have the skin on for this recipe to work. If it doesn’t have skin, you will only need to bake it until the internal temperature reaches 165F.
How long does it keep? These chicken thighs can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for 2-3 days.
Serving Suggestions
We love serving this chicken alongside a grain such as wild or brown rice, with roasted vegetables or a simple salad such as our Italian salad, or Tuscan artichoke salad.
More Tasty Chicken Recipes to Try
Roasted Rosemary Lemon Chicken with Potatoes
15-Minute Lemon Chicken Piccata
Cilantro Lime Chicken Thighs
Garlic Herb Roasted Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs with bone & skin
- 4-5 garlic cloves, peeled and slightly pressed so the flavors release
- 1/2 teaspoon sage (dried or fresh) chopped
- 3/4 teaspoon rosemary (dried or fresh) chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt & black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F
- Season chicken: sprinkle salt and black pepper on both sides of the chicken thighs, then in baking pan lay skin facing up. Sprinkle top of thighs with garlic powder and chopped herbs. Then arrange garlic cloves around.
- Bake: place pan with chicken in the center rack of the oven and roast uncovered for 45 minutes, then lower oven to 325F and cook for another 10 minutes. The internal temperature of the cooked chicken thighs should be 165F and the skin should be golden and crispy. Note: to keep chicken thighs warm, turn off the oven and cover with foil until ready to serve.
Do you know, would these freeze well?
Thanks!
Hi Peggy, We’ve never frozen them, but I am sure they would freeze just fine!
Do you need to sprinkle any olive oil on the chicken before cooking?
Hi lauren, you do not! The thighs that have skin produce their own oils while they cook. But you can if you want!
Turned out great. I sprinkled a little paprika on them. Crispy skin and juicy inside. Thank you for the recipes!
I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for sharing, Pearl 🙂