Crispy Chicken Thighs

BEST. CHICKEN. EVER. Our Crispy Chicken Thighs are started on the stove top and finished in the oven to make a deliciously simple but totally addicting chicken dish.

These crispy chicken thighs are such a big hit in our house.  We like to serve crispy baked chicken thighs with roasted carrots, classic green bean casserole, and broccoli slaw.  There are never leftovers!

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Crispy Chicken Thighs

Crispy Chicken Thighs Ingredients

• Chicken – Bone-in chicken thighs with skin is what you’re looking for to make the perfect crispy chicken thighs. This recipe does not work with skinless chicken thighs.  Please don’t try it, you’ll be very disappointing.
• Oil – I usually use olive oil, but rendered bacon fat works well too as it has a higher smoke point and you’re using a very hot pan in this recipe.
• Seasoning – Keep it basic.  I like this simple spice rub recipe, or just a pinch of salt and pepper.

How do you make crispy chicken thighs?

⭐ First, season chicken lightly with salt and pepper. 

⭐ Next, heat a layer of fat or oil in a large oven safe skillet on the stove top (preferably cast iron). 

⭐ Then, place chicken skin side down in the hot skillet, until chicken skin is beginning to brown and crisp. Shift chicken once or twice in the skillet to make sure it’s not sticking.

⭐ Finally, transfer to a the oven and continue cooking chicken skin side down. Turn chicken over, and cook until chicken is cooked through.

How Do You Get Crispy Chicken Skin?

To get crispy chicken skin on your crispy chicken thighs, you need to start your chicken on the stove top, preferably in a cast iron skillet.  I like to use rendered bacon grease, but vegetable oil, or olive oil would work as well.  Cook the chicken skin side down in a thin layer of hot grease or oil.

The chicken will spend most of it’s time cooking skin side down – first on the stove top, and then in the oven.  In the last few minutes of cooking, you’ll flip the chicken thighs over to finish.

Crispy Chicken Thighs Seasoning

You’ll want to stick with minimal seasoning on your crispy chicken thighs because the dish stands alone really nicely.  I like to use my simple spice rub, or some seasoned salt, and sometimes even just a sprinkle of salt and pepper!

Finish the meal with these serving suggestions

• Easy Stir Fry Noodles
• Dill Cucumber Salad
• Oven Roasted Tomatoes
• Homemade Cranberry Sauce

More Delicious Chicken Thigh Recipes

Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs | Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs | Sweet Sriracha Grilled Chicken Thighs | Chicken Teriyaki Pineapple Skewers | Chicken Drumsticks | BBQ Chicken One Pot Meal | Baked Italian Dressing Chicken

Tools we love

• 15-inch Cast Iron Skillet – I have two of these massive cast iron skillets and they’re some of my favorite pans ever!  You’ve definitely seen us use them many times on the live show (including the time we made these crispy chicken thighs!).
• 16-inch Tongs – A super long pair of tongs is so important for a recipe like this.  There’s nothing worse than a bunch of grease splatter burns up your arm because you tried to use a fork to flip your chicken.  These are ideal for a hot grill too.
• Grease Splatter Guard – I inherited one of these grease splatter guards from my grandmother several years ago and have found myself using it several times a week.  Even though we fry our bacon in the oven now, I still use it for this crispy skin chicken and so many other recipes.

How to Make Crispy Chicken Thighs

5 from 5 votes

Crispy Chicken Thighs Recipe

Created by: April Woods

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

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1 thigh

Crispy Chicken Thighs are started on the stove top and finished in the oven to make a deliciously simple but addicting chicken dish.

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Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ Chicken thighs bone-in with skin
• ▢ Basic spice rub or salt and pepper
• ▢ Rendered bacon grease or vegetable oil

Instructions

• Season chicken lightly with spice rub or salt and pepper.
• Heat a layer of fat or oil in a large oven safe skillet on the stove top (preferably cast iron).
• Place chicken skin side down in the hot skillet, for 10 - 15 minutes until chicken skin is beginning to brown and crisp. Shift chicken once or twice in the skillet to make sure it’s not sticking.
• Transfer to a 425 degree oven and continue cooking chicken skin side down for an additional ten minutes.
• Turn chicken over, and cook about 5 more minutes, until chicken is cooked through (165 degrees F)
• Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Calories are automatically generated. For best results calculate based on your exact ingredients.

Nutrition

Calories: 155kcal

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What can you do with leftover chicken?  How about our BBQ Chicken Pizza!

Crispy Chicken Thighs

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Recipe FAQS

Should chicken be cooked skin side up or down?

For crispy chicken thighs you will start with skin side down, then finish them skin side up.

How do you defrost frozen chicken thighs?

Best practice is in a refrigerator overnight. If you need them thawed faster, use a water bath.