Total Time: 35 minutes
Published: February 14, 2022
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Easy oven-baked chicken thighs are the unexpected chicken dish you didn’t know you needed. Moist, tender, flavorful bites of Italian-herbed chicken, smothered in a buttery, garlic and Dijon cream sauce!
Why This Recipe Works
So easy – This recipe is as easy as seasoning chicken, making a quick sauce, then cooking it in the oven all together.
Great over rice or noodles – These oven baked chicken thighs with that yummy sauce are perfect over rice or noodles. The noodles or rice will soak up all that yummy, buttery sauce – it doesn’t get any better than that!
Perfect for a quick meal – In less than 30 minutes, this baked chicken thighs recipe dish could be on your table! Great for a quick meal when you’re not sure what to make.
Simple ingredients – Most of these ingredients you probably already have in your fridge or pantry or are easily available at any major grocery store.
How to Make Baked Chicken Thighs
Recipe Ingredients
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs – These are easy to find in the grocery, right with the other chicken. They are often less expensive, too.
- Salt and cracked black pepper – Any kind of salt and pepper you have is just fine. Add a little and taste to be sure you don’t over salt.
- Herbs de Provence or Italian seasoning blend – I use a name-brand Herbs de Provence, but you can use whatever you like, or sub an Italian seasoning blend too if you like.
- Olive oil – Extra virgin olive oil is basically the only olive oil I cook with.
- Butter – I tend to use unsalted butter then salt later to taste but you could also use salted butter.
- Minced garlic – I use the minced garlic in a jar, but you can mince your own.
- Chicken broth – Any chicken broth is fine. Use low sodium for the sauce in these chicken thighs in sauce if you like.
- Dijon mustard – The mustard is key in this sauce for these baked boneless chicken thighs. Don’t skip it – you’ll love the flavor!
- Heavy cream The heavy cream is great for giving this sauce it’s creaminess and richness.
Step By Step Directions
- First, turn the oven on to preheat to 375 degrees.
- Next, toss the chicken with a bit of olive oil, then season the chicken with salt, pepper, and Herbs de Provence (or Italian seasoning if that’s what you have on hand).
- Then, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then stir in honey. Add chicken to the skillet and brown it for 2-3 minutes on each side. When it’s browned, transfer it to a plate and set it aside.
- Now, add a little more butter to the pan. When the butter is melted, stir in the garlic for 1 minute, till fragrant.
- Whisk in the chicken broth, Dijon mustard, heavy cream, and salt and pepper into the pan, and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Return the chicken to the pan, spoon the sauce over the chicken, then transfer the skillet to a preheated oven.
- Bake the chicken thighs in the sauce in the oven for 15-18 minutes until it is cooked through. Enjoy!
Benefits of Eating Chicken Thighs
Don’t discount chicken thighs – they are very nutritious in their own right. Although the meat is darker and slightly more fattening, it is rich in iron and zinc (great for your immune system), has higher quantities of vitamin B, thiamine, B12, and niacin (which help regulate your metabolism), and protein to help keep you feeling fuller, longer as well as to help build strong muscles.
Difference Between Chicken Breasts and Chicken Thighs
The short answer is: no. Chicken breasts and chicken thighs are not the same. Chicken breasts come from the chest region of the chicken and are all white meat. They are the thickest cuts of the chicken too. Chicken thighs, on the other hand, come from the top of the leg of the chicken. The meat is dark and tastes more meaty and has more fat. But it’s also super delicious and easy to cook and works best in this oven baked chicken thighs recipe.
How to Tell Which Way The Grain Goes on Meat
If you’ve heard the terms “slice against the grain,” but didn’t know what it meant, maybe this will help. What you want to do is lay the piece of chicken down and look for the parallel lines of muscle fiber running along the meat. Then, slice perpendicular to them. This helps loosen the muscle fibers and makes the meat more tender when chewing.
Serving Suggestions for Chicken Thighs
- Serve these chicken thighs in sauce over white or brown rice, cauliflower rice, or wide egg noodles. This recipe would also be delicious over another grain like quinoa or any pasta (great for using up leftover pasta, too).
- While the chicken is baking, consider roasting some veggies alongside it for a well-rounded meal. Some of my favorites include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and green beans.
- Or, if you’re in a hurry, instead of roasting veggies, pop a bag of steamable vegetables into the microwave while the baked boneless chicken thighs are finishing cooking in the oven.
- A simple green salad is a great side and this recipe feeds a crew and is so quick and easy to make.
- Nothing beats a homemade buttermilk roll to tear into pieces and dip into the yummy chicken thigh sauce!
Customizations and Substitutions
- The herb preparation listed actually would be delicious on any cut of chicken you like. Or try it on a pork tenderloin with the same yummy sauce – so good!
- If you don’t have Herbs de Provence or Italian seasoning, make your own. Combine a tablespoon each (or more) of dried basil, parsley, thyme, rosemary, and oregano, then sprinkle over the chicken. You’ll have some leftover for next time!
- To make this dish dairy-free, you can use a plant-based butter instead of regular butter and substitute coconut milk for the heavy cream.
- Add a two cups of broth to the sauce, mix together, then add a cup of rice into the sauce mixture, followed by the chicken, then bake as instructed, baking the rice right alongside the chicken and sauce – making a one-dish meal.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- Your exact bake time in the oven will depend on the thickness of your chicken thighs. Internal temperature should read 165 degrees F.
- These chicken thighs in sauce will keep in the fridge for about 4 days. You can freeze cooked chicken thighs for up to 5 months. Freeze the sauce separately from the baked chicken thighs.
- If you want to substitute boneless, skinless chicken breasts for thighs in this recipe, you’ll need to brown them a little longer, more like 4-5 minutes per side, then bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until an internal meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees.
More Recipes You’ll Like
For more delicious baked chicken recipes, check out my popular posts for Best Baked Chicken Breasts, Baked Sesame Chicken, and Baked Chicken Broccoli Alfredo.
Did you make these juicy chicken thighs in the oven? AMAZING! Please rate the recipe below!
Oven Baked Chicken Thighs Recipe
Easy oven-baked chicken thighs are the unexpected chicken dish you didn’t know you needed. Moist, tender, flavorful bites of Italian-herbed chicken, smothered in a buttery, garlic and Dijon cream sauce!
Servings: 4 servings
Instructions
Prepare the Chicken
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Toss chicken with olive oil, then season chicken with salt, pepper, and Herbs de Provence (or Italian seasoning).
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in honey.
Add chicken thighs to the skillet and brown for 2-3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Prepare The Sauce
Add butter to the pan. Once melted, stir in garlic for 1 minute til fragrant.
Whisk chicken broth, dijon mustard, heavy cream, and salt and pepper to the pan, and bring to a boil.
Bake the Chicken
Return chicken to the pan, spoon sauce over the chicken, then transfer skillet to preheated oven. (See note for alternate method without an oven-safe skillet)
Bake for 15-18 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
Notes
No oven-safe skillet?: No problem. Brown the chicken and make the sauce in any skillet, then place the browned chicken in a baking dish and pour the pan sauce over the chicken before transferring to the oven.
Chicken breast substitution: You can easily swap chicken breasts for the chicken thighs! Simply pound out your chicken breasts to a nice, even thickness before browning in the pan as the recipe directs. Depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts, you may need to bake a little longer before they are cooked through. They should be white through the thickest part of the chicken breast (no pink) and internal temperature should read 165 degrees when they are fully cooked.
Nutrition
Calories: 454 kcal, Carbohydrates: 4 g, Protein: 35 g, Fat: 33 g, Saturated Fat: 16 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 12 g, Trans Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 243 mg, Sodium: 1063 mg, Potassium: 538 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 1 g, Vitamin A: 939 IU, Vitamin C: 5 mg, Calcium: 77 mg, Iron: 2 mg
