This easy baked chicken recipe is one of our all-time favorite dinners! Bone-in and skin-on breasts (or thighs!) are marinated in a citrusy, garlicky glaze and then baked in the oven. You’re going to love this simple baked chicken.
You hardly need a recipe: just toss a mix of chicken breasts, thighs, and drumsticks with a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper, then roast for about a half an hour. No flipping, no fussing, no nothing — and you can pile everything on a serving tray without the bother of pulling out the carving board.
How Long Do You Bake Chicken For?
For this recipe, you can choose to use chicken breast or chicken thighs. Here’s a quick look at how long you would bake each cut of meat:
Chicken breasts have a tendency to dry out more quickly than a chicken thigh so the cook time will be shorter. Here are some simple cooking time guidelines:
- Bone-in skin-on chicken breasts: bake at 375°F for just about 45 minutes.
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts: bake at 375°F for just about 20 minutes.
You’ll know the chicken is done when it is no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear. For the most accurate results, I use an instant-read meat thermometer. I insert it into the thickest part of the meat and I look for a temperature of 165°F.
Bone-in skin-on chicken thighs are, IMO, the most underrated cut of chicken. The dark meat is juicy and moist and doesn’t really dry out.
Bake your chicken thighs in a 375°F oven for about 55 minutes. Use that instant read meat thermometer to make sure you reached an internal temp of 165°F.
Do You Cover Chicken When Baking?
You don’t need to cover the chicken breasts or thighs when baking them in the oven. I do like to wrap the chicken in foil after it is done cooking, during the rest period. It is a simple trick you can use to make sure your chicken is extra tender and juicy.
3 Reasons to use chicken thighs vs. breasts
FAQ
What takes longer to bake chicken breast or thighs?
Do thighs take longer than breasts to cook?
Are chicken breasts and thighs interchangeable?
Do chicken thighs and breasts taste the same?
How long do you cook a chicken thigh?
Chicken breasts have a tendency to dry out more quickly than a chicken thigh so the cook time will be shorter. Here are some simple cooking time guidelines: Bone-in skin-on chicken breasts: bake at 375°F for just about 45 minutes. Boneless skinless chicken breasts: bake at 375°F for just about 20 minutes.
How to cook chicken in the oven?
Place the chicken, skin side up, in your baking dishes and drizzle it with melted butter. Slide one oven rack into the top position and one into the lowest position. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place each dish on a different rack. One should be on the lowest rack and the other should be on the highest. Bake chicken for 20 minutes.
What is the easiest way to cook chicken?
This simple chicken recipe is, far and away, the easiest way to cook our favorite poultry that I know. You hardly need a recipe: just toss a mix of chicken breasts, thighs, and drumsticks with a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper, then roast for about a half an hour.
Can you cook boneless chicken thighs in the oven?
This recipe also works well for boneless chicken thighs in the oven. Note that boneless skinless thighs in the oven will cook faster than bone-in chicken thighs (boneless, skinless chicken thighs take about 20 minutes to cook at 425 degrees F), so you’ll want to check them very early and often.