Chicken/ Gluten Free

Herb-Roasted Thighs

Chicken thighs just might be my favorite part of the bird.  I love chicken breast as much as the next American, but there is something extra savory about the dark thigh meat.

Sadly, the thighs have lately been packaged with either four thighs or eight to ten thighs.  A package of six thighs would be just dreamy. Sometimes I get boneless, skinless and other times, bone-in, skin-on.  Both are wonderful, just depending on how I want to use them. I have been wanting to make simple, oven roasted thighs with lots of flavor, but very little fuss.  If you are looking for a tasty and easy chicken dinner, this will serve you well.

The side dish I made tonight had a Mediterranean flavor, so I felt the Italian seasoning blend would compliment it nicely.  There were two distinct sizes of thighs in my package, therefore the cooking time was a bit off. Some thighs finished in 40 minutes, while the remaining half took a full 60 minutes.

Herb-Roasted Thighs ~ The Complete Savorist

Herb-Roasted Thighs

Author: Michelle De La Cerda
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Ingredients

  • 8-10 chicken thighs; bone-in/skin-on
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt; to taste

Seasoning mix

  • 2 tbsp Italian seasoning blend
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp granulated garlic

Instructions

  1. In a bowl, add all the seasoning mix ingredients, blend them together well.
  2. Place thighs on a rack in a baking sheet.
  3. Pull back the skin on each thigh and lightly salt the flesh of each piece.
  4. If time permits, pull the skin back over the flesh, cover and refrigerate for an hour up to overnight.
  5. If time is an issue, after sprinkling the flesh with salt, rub the flesh with the seasoning mix, pull the skin back down, and rub more seasoning on the skin.
  6. Repeat this process for each thigh.
  7. Once each thigh is seasoned, drizzle olive oil over the top of each chicken piece.
  8. Place the chicken in a preheated 375º oven.
  9. Bake for 40-60 minutes or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked and registering 165º on a thermometer.
  10. The larger the thigh, the longer it will take to cook.

Thank you for sharing!

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10 Comments

  • Reply
    Lindsay
    August 4, 2014 at 1:55 pm

    Why do you put the chicken on a rack on a baking sheet opposed to a Pyrex type dish?

  • Reply
    Michelle
    August 4, 2014 at 2:53 pm

    If left in a baking dish, it will sit in its own juices and will not crisp up. For this dish, I wanted a crispier skin. However, you can cook it in a dish.

  • Reply
    pam (Sidewalk Shoes)
    March 7, 2015 at 7:10 am

    Thighs are my favorite part of the chicken too. They cook up perfectly! I’ve been reading some recipes that call for boneless skin on thighs, so I’m going to have to try boning them.

    • Reply
      Michelle
      March 7, 2015 at 4:27 pm

      Boneless, skin on? Boning is not hard, but not fun. I love the modern convenience.

  • Reply
    Shannon @ Dinner from the Heart
    March 7, 2015 at 9:47 am

    Michelle – these look so yummy! Our family loves chicken thighs – boneless or full bone and skin. I usually just cook mine in a cast iron skillet to brown and crisp the skin and then finish in the oven in the same skillet. I love the idea of putting the thighs on a rack and baking in the oven. And I need to take the extra step and season the meat, not just the skin. Great job, as always! 🙂

    • Reply
      Michelle
      March 7, 2015 at 4:30 pm

      I, too, love the skillet method. Seasoning the meat is crucial if you end up not eating the skin.

  • Reply
    Sharon @ What The Fork Food Blog
    March 7, 2015 at 11:12 am

    I love roasting chicken like this – so much flavor and way faster than roasting a whole chicken 🙂

    • Reply
      Michelle
      March 7, 2015 at 4:31 pm

      Oh yes, a whole roasted chicken has its place, but these are much faster.

  • Reply
    Jackie
    January 26, 2016 at 7:41 pm

    Hi Michelle

    I’m a little confused, I salt the chicken and refrigerate it overnight, then I season it with the seasoning blend and bake it. I’m just making sure that I doing it right. I don’t want to make the mistake of salting and using the seasoning mix at the same time.

    • Reply
      Michelle De La Cerda
      January 26, 2016 at 7:54 pm

      Yes, lightly salt the night before/morning of, the salt will act as tenderizer, then before you go to roast them, season them with the herb blend and roast. If you are worried about the salt level, you can decrease the amount in the blend.

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