These Baked Chicken Thighs are seared until golden and oven baked in a delicious pan sauce. Bonus: The sauce is easy to transform into homemade gravy!

Be sure to serve this with a side of homemade mashed potatoes and roasted green beans!

Baked Chicken Thighs in a skillet with sauce and fresh thyme on top.

Baked Chicken Thighs

You can’t beat the flavor that comes from these Baked Chicken Thighs. These are seared to golden perfection and oven baked with an easy pan sauce! The results are super juicy on the inside, with a seasoned crispy skin on the outside. 

BONUS: It’s super easy to transform that pan sauce into an incredible homemade gravy to serve with mashed potatoes. Talk about a delicious meal! 

Don’t miss my pro tips below!

How to Make It

See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Season chicken thighs with salt/pepper. Combine melted butter, olive oil, paprika, onion powder, rosemary, oregano, and thyme. Brush it over the chicken. Sear the chicken, then set aside.

A plate of seasoned chicken thighs before and after being seared.

Deglaze the skillet with white wine. Add chicken broth, chicken bouillon, smashed garlic cloves, and thyme. Bubble gently and reduce for 5 minutes. 

Making a pan sauce in a skillet with wine, broth, garlic, and thyme.

Add the chicken back and bake at 375°for 30 minutes. Remove and let rest. Optional: Make gravy with the pan sauce. (See recipe card for instructions.)

Chicken thighs in a skillet with sauce before and after being baked.

Pro Tips

  • If needed, use kitchen shears to cut away any excess fat/skin from the chicken. (Sometimes there is a lot.) Keep the skin on the top/sides.
  • Bone-in/Skin-on chicken thighs are recommended for this recipe for juiciest and most flavorful results. Boneless and/or skinless chicken thighs can be used if needed.
  • Wine: Pinot grigio, chardonnay, and sauvignon blanc are perfect for deglazing the skillet in this recipe. Chicken broth may also be used.
  • Gravy Master adds a darker color to gravies and sauces, I like adding a few drops to gravies like this!
  • After resting, ensure the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken is 165° F. (175-180° F is even more ideal for dark meat, as the muscle fibers will have rendered down, resulting in more tender meat.)

Storage

  • Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. 
  • Leftover chicken (and gravy) does freeze and reheat well.
  • Leftover chicken is also perfect for homemade soup.  Leftover gravy is great in Chicken Pot Pie!

Baked Chicken Thighs in a skillet with sauce and parsley on the side.

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A skillet filled with Baked Chicken Thighs in sauce with fresh thyme on top.

Baked Chicken Thighs

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
5 from 9 ratings
Servings: 8 Chicken Thighs
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These crispy Baked Chicken Thighs are seared until golden and oven baked in a delicious pan sauce. Bonus: The sauce is easy to transform into homemade gravy!

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Chicken

  • 8 bone-in Chicken thighs, skin on
  • Salt/pepper
  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon EACH: paprika, onion powder, rosemary, oregano, thyme

Pan Sauce

  • ½ cup dry white wine, see notes
  • 6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
  • 1 ¾ cups chicken broth
  • ½ chicken bouillon cube, optional. Adds depth of flavor.
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice

To Make Roux for Gravy (Optional)

  • 3-4 tablespoons butter
  • 3-4 tablespoons flour

Instructions

  • Note: Use a cast iron skillet to sear/bake the chicken if possible. This provides a great sear and is also oven safe. If your skillet is not oven safe, be sure to transfer the chicken/sauce to an oven safe baking dish before baking.

Season the Chicken

  • Preheat oven to 375° F.
  • Pat the chicken completely dry and season the chicken with salt/pepper. I like to season underneath and on top of the skin.
  • Combine the melted butter, oil, and seasonings in a small bowl. Use a pastry brush to spread it all over the surface of the chicken.

Sear the Chicken

  • Heat a wide skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Working in batches, add the chicken, skin-side-down, and sear for about 4 minutes, or until the skin is golden brown. Rotate the chicken and cook on remaining sides for 2 minutes total. Transfer to a plate and repeat.

Make the Pan Sauce

  • Turn heat off. Leave 1 tablespoon of oil/drippings in the skillet and spoon out any excess. Add the wine and set the heat to medium.
  • Add the chicken broth, bouillon, smashed garlic cloves, and thyme to the skillet and set the heat to medium. Use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom and sides of the skillet, the brown bits add more flavor to the sauce. Bring to a gentle boil and reduce for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool for 1-2 minutes.
  • Add the lemon juice and chicken, skin side up.

Bake

  • Transfer to the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and transfer the chicken to a plate. Let it rest for 6-8 minutes.
  • While the chicken rests, prepare gravy with the pan sauce (optional).

Make the Gravy (Optional)

  • Transfer the pan sauce/drippings to a large measuring cup with a spout. Let the fat rise to the top and spoon out the majority of it so that the gravy isn’t overly oily. (A fat separator makes it easy to dispense the juice from the bottom, leaving the fat on top.) If you don’t have enough for 2 cups, top it with chicken broth to make 2 cups.
  • For 2 cups of drippings: Use 3 tablespoons of butter and flour. For 3 cups of drippings: Use 4 ½ tablespoons of butter and flour.
  • Melt butter over medium heat in the same large skillet that you used to cook the chicken. Add the flour and use a silicone spatula to stir it continuously for a good 2 minutes, until it starts to turn golden brown.
  • Add the drippings in small splashes, stirring continuously. Decrease heat if the liquid is sizzling too much. Once all the liquid is added, bring it to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer. Continue to heat through until desired consistency is obtained. Serve with chicken and mashed potatoes!

Notes

Pro Tips:
  • If needed, use kitchen shears to cut away any excess fat/skin from the chicken. (Sometimes there is a lot.) Keep the skin on the top/sides.
  • Wine: Pinot grigio, chardonnay, and sauvignon blanc are perfect for deglazing the skillet in this recipe. Chicken broth may also be used.
  • Bone-in/Skin-on chicken thighs are recommended for this recipe for juiciest and most flavorful results. Boneless and/or skinless chicken thighs can be used if needed.
  • Gravy Master adds a darker color to gravies and sauces, I like adding a few drops to gravies like this!
  • After resting, ensure the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken is 165° F. (175-180° F is even more ideal for dark meat, as the muscle fibers will have rendered down, resulting in more tender meat.)
Storage
  • Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. 
  • Leftover chicken (and gravy) does freeze and reheat well.
  • Leftover chicken is also perfect for homemade soup.  Leftover gravy is great in Chicken Pot Pie!
Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. This recipe has 8 servings and includes the pan sauce (but not the optional gravy).

Nutrition

Calories: 364kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 27g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 12g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 146mg, Sodium: 347mg, Potassium: 329mg, Fiber: 0.1g, Sugar: 0.4g, Vitamin A: 181IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 22mg, Iron: 1mg
Did you try this recipe?Mention @TheCozyCook on Instagram or tag #thecozycook!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Author: Stephanie