Super Easy Crispy Skinned Chicken Thighs From Your Stovetop and Oven (2024)

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Diana Rattray

Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.

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Updated on 02/21/24

Tested by

Young Sun Huh

Tested byYoung Sun Huh

Young Sun is a freelance recipe developer, tester, and food stylist with over 15 years of experience in the food industry.

Learn about The Spruce Eats'Editorial Process

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Prep: 5 mins

Cook: 30 mins

Total: 35 mins

Servings: 6 servings

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If you like your chicken with crispy skin, this recipe is sure to please. And since you only need chicken, oil, and salt and pepper, it is a simple dish to put together last minute.Crispy skin chicken thighs make a fabulous everyday meal and are perfect for a picnic or tailgating event. Searing and then roasting the thighs in a heavy cast iron skillet makes them render more of their fat, which leaves the skin crispy and delicious.

Chicken thighs have become more popular over the past few years, and for good reason. The meat is affordable while being rich and flavorful compared to the milder tasting white breast meat, offering a satisfying taste all on its own. The one downside is that chicken thighs have more fat than breasts; this fat, however, is what helps make the skin crisp up perfectly.

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Super Easy Crispy Skinned Chicken Thighs From Your Stovetop and Oven (4)

What You'll Need to Make This Chicken Thighs Recipe

A Heavy Cast Iron Skillet

A Snappy Set of Tongs

Ingredients

6 to 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, about 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 pounds
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 to 3 teaspoons canola, or peanut oil

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 425 F (220 C/Gas 7).
Pat the thighs dry with paper towels. Sprinkle generously on both sides with salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a large, heavy-duty, oven-safe skillet (cast iron is perfect)over medium-high heat.
When the oil shimmers, arrange the chicken thighs in the skillet, skin-side down. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the skin is well browned, moving the thighs occasionally to make sure they are browning evenly. Do not turn them over.
Place the skillet in the oven and continue cooking, skin-side down, until mostly cooked through, another 10 to 15 minutes. Turn over the thighs and continue cooking for 5 minutes longer.
To test for doneness, insert a food thermometer into the thickest part of a thigh. The minimum safe temperature for chicken and other poultry is165 F (74 C). Serve and enjoy.

Tips

When cooking the chicken thighs, place a splatter screen on top of the skillet so you don't get burned by any spitting oil that can occur when pan-frying; doing this will also keep your stovetop cleaner.
If a lot of fat has rendered in the skillet, spoon some off before transferring the skillet to the oven to avoid excessive smoking and spattering. Save the fat to roast potatoes and root vegetables, fry latkes, or make chicken liver pate.
Don't forget to use an oven mitt when transferring the skillet from the stovetop to the oven, and then from the oven to the counter. The pan handle will be very hot.
A cast iron skillet is the ideal pan to use for this recipe as it retains heat very well and evenly. Long-lasting, inexpensive, and naturally nonstick, a cast iron skillet is a great pan to have in the kitchen.

Variations

If your family is a fan of chicken thighs, you'll be glad to know there are plenty of delicious recipes to choose from. For something crispy and delicious, try oven-fried chicken thighs with panko and Parmesan; the mixture of butter, maple syrup, mustard, honey, and garlic helps keep the coating of panko and cheese on the chicken while adding tremendous flavor. A packet of ranch salad dressing mix combined with oil and garlic turns chicken thighs into a zesty dish everyone will love; simply brush on the ranch mixture and bake. For a little taste of summer, whip up some oven barbecued chicken thighs complete with a simple homemade sauce.

Why Isn't the Chicken Skin Crispy?

If you find the chicken thigh skin isn't as crispy as you would like, it could mean the skin may not have been dry before you added it to the oil. Make sure to pat the chicken dry before seasoning, and if you want even more assurance, place the chicken in the refrigerator, uncovered, to let the skin dry out a bit. Also, be sure the skin is pulled taut over the meat, and don't move it around too much while cooking, or else the skin may tear.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
438	Calories
29g	Fat
0g	Carbs
46g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories	438
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 29g	37%
Saturated Fat 8g	41%
Cholesterol 250mg	83%
Sodium 392mg	17%
Total Carbohydrate 0g	0%
Dietary Fiber 0g	0%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 46g
Vitamin C 0mg	0%
Calcium 22mg	2%
Iron 2mg	11%
Potassium 496mg	11%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags:

Chicken
crispy chicken thighs
dinner
southern

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