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With crispy skin, simple spices, and tender, juicy meat this Baked Italian Chicken has become a staple at our dinner table. And, the best part? It only takes me 5 minutes to prep this crave-worthy chicken.
My boys and I are no strangers to simple, flavorful chicken thigh recipes. If you’ve been here for long, you may have seen these pan fried chicken thighs. I made these baked thighs with the goal of capturing the same crispy textures. And, I love that this recipe does it without the need to fry them on the stovetop.
Baked Italian Chicken
You’re going to love how easy it is to make this recipe. No marinade, no fancy ingredients, just a sprinkling of spices that are likely in your pantry already. I’m not exaggerating when I say that this will likely be the easiest chicken dinner you’ll ever make.
And, I can pretty much guarantee that your whole family will love this chicken. This crispy chicken has been my go-to for so many busy nights. It’s absolutely the one chicken recipe that I have made the most frequently. It’s that good.
This was a fantastic recipe! My family gobbled their chicken up in no time. It was the crispiest, juiciest, most tender chicken we ever had. Thank you so much!!!!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Chicken Thighs – I prefer to use bone-in chicken thighs with skin for all that crispy texture.
Olive Oil – I use extra virgin olive oil unless otherwise specified. But, you can swap for another neutral oil with a high smoke point.
Italian Seasoning – This classic blend of herbs adds savory depth. If I run out, I just replace this with equal parts basil, thyme, and oregano. Any store-bought Italian spice blend works well, or you can use my Homemade Italian Seasoning!
Salt & Pepper – I always use kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Notes on Equipment
- Measuring spoons
- Aluminum foil
- Sheet pan – This is my go-to choice for any time I’m baking or roasting. I’ve had some of mine for over 20 years, and they’re still going strong!
How to Make Baked Italian Chicken
Preheating the Oven: Start by preheating the oven to 400°F.
Lining the Baking Sheet: While that heats up, I line a large baking pan with aluminum foil.
Prepping the Chicken: I place the chicken thighs on the pan skin-side down and drizzle with olive oil. Then, I sprinkle them generously with salt, pepper, and Italian seasonings.
Seasoning Again: You’ll want to carefully toss the chicken thighs to coat them with oil and seasonings, before placing them skin side up. Then, sprinkle again with more salt, pepper, and Italian seasonings.
Baking: Pop those chicken thighs in the oven to bake for an hour, until the skin is golden-brown and crispy.
Serving: I let the chicken thighs cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Expert Tip
Making chicken can be intimidating. Either you’re worried about serving undercooked chicken, or cooking it for too long and drying it out. But, my best piece of advice with this recipe is to trust your eyes. These chicken thighs will usually take an hour to cook in the oven, but keep an eye out for that crispy, golden skin as the fat is rendered from it. For food safety, test the internal temperature with a meat thermometer. 165°F is the magic number!
Use a Rack: If you want to get crispy edges all around each piece, use a wire rack over your baking sheet. This will let the fat from the chicken drip onto the tray below instead of pooling around the meat.
Rotate the Pan: To ensure that the chicken thighs cook evenly, rotate the baking pan halfway through the cook time.
Rest the Chicken: Let the chicken rest briefly before serving. But, don’t cover it! If you cover the chicken, the steam will soften the crispy skin.
Serving Suggestions
When I serve this baked Italian chicken, I like to build the rest of the meal around it. A scoop of Italian herb rice makes this a classic chicken and rice dinner, while parmesan pepper pasta gives it a more indulgent feel.
To round things out, I’ll toss together a crisp green salad with Italian salad dressing for something fresh and tangy. And, since this meal deserves a stunning finish, let me just suggest a plate of Italian almond cookies and a mug of decaf coffee. Buonissimo!
Make Ahead & Storage
How to Store: I store the leftover chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
How to Reheat: When I’m in a rush, I’ll just reheat a baked thigh in the microwave on 30 second intervals. But, this chicken benefits greatly from time in the oven or air fryer, giving the crispy textures a tasty refresh.
More Italian Dinner Recipes
Frequently Asked Questions
First of all, how dare you. But seriously, please don’t remove the skin for this recipe. It is soo good! And, it’s what gives it all the crispy texture while keeping the meat tender and juicy.
I typically use my hands to rub the olive oil and spices into the chicken thighs. This ensures that the meat will be coated evenly. But, you can also carefully toss the chicken with tongs on the sheet or in a bowl.
The likely culprit is overcrowding. If you place them too close together, the moisture that gets released in the cooking process will end up steaming the nearby thighs, preventing them from getting those delicious crispy textures.
Baked Italian Chicken
Ingredients
- 2½ – 3 pounds bone-in chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1½ teaspoons Italian seasoning homemade or store-bought
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large sheet pan with foil and place all the chicken pieces on it, skin side down. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Italian seasonings, and flip each piece skin side up.
- Drizzle a little oil over the skin on each piece of chicken and rub lightly to coat. Sprinkle again with salt, pepper, and spices.
- Bake for one hour, until most of the fat has rendered out of the chicken and the skin is golden brown and crisp. Remove from the oven and let rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
{originally published 10/18/16 – recipes notes and photos updated 2/23/26}
These sound really, really good, I think the men in my home would love recipe. Thanks for the glove tip too
I made the crispy chicken with Italian spices and the mashed potatoes with cheese-both winners and so good together. Thank you!
Carol
going to try the crispy italian oven chicken i havevalot of allergies no dairy of any kind no white or whole wheat no corn or anythiong derived from corn would be a blessing to find something t hat doesnt make my face go numb
Excited to try this tonight! Love things that are yummy and easy to prepare!
1 hour at 400 IS TOO long. 45 min. is enough. Should be 350
For what it’s worth, I make it exactly this way every single time. Feel free to adjust it however you like. The chicken will cook through, however, the skim may not be nearly as crispy.
So easy and so yummy! This is a major keeper recipe!
WOW!!! An HOUR at 400?? Sounds like it would all end up scorched. It sounds like a great recipe and I read the comments to see if anyone addressed this concern. I thought maybe some of the instructions were missing. I may just have to try it and see.
It just plain works, Dave. If your oven happens to run hotter, you may want to adjust the time slightly. However, an hour is perfect for most ovens.
What if you have a whole chicken how much time do you need to cook that in the oven can you also substitute chicken breast for thighs?
I have no advice for the whole chicken substitution for this recipe. Bone in breasts will work well though.
This was a fantastic recipe! My family gobbled their chicken up in no time. It was the crispiest, juiciest, most tender chicken we ever had. Thank you so much!!!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed the chicken, Laurie!
First thing is ty for the hard work you put into your site as well as recipes ….. 🙂
Ive made this chicken quite a few times as well…..its turned out great everytime 😉
Now having said that and reading some of other comments.
i just wanted to toss a bit of opinion out there in regards to the timing and heat.
A couple people mention being worried about timing… so ill just toss what ive realized out there. and maybe it will help you get a better understanding of how i try to do things when a recipe comes up like this.
First thing is ….
what i find to be the key is the sizing of the thighs themselves …so if you have 3 pounds and its 4 thighs, then this will turn out amazing without instance ,…..
however do the exact same amount only instead the weight is still 3 pounds but instead it is 6 thighs meaning smaller actual pieces then you might wanna adjust time lower a bit …
This is where you drying out will start to happen ….withing the size of the pieces ….this is again according to your own taste! in my house… half of us are dark meat eaters and the other half are white meat…. meaning the one half like it kinda dry and the other wants the wet greasy or juicy stuff .
Anyways thats my two cents on the timing and heat issue that people are concerned about i hope this helps if it can!
P.S. side tip – how far apart you place each piece onto the pan or tray or grill matters as well ….the farther apart the pieces are the more the heat in your over consumes the meat….keeping in mind also where you rack is set in your oven also matters 😉
All of the above is just my personal opinion and May not be suitable for peoples purposes!
Ty Tom
Oh just to point out ..the spacing thing i referred to usually wont matter if your only doing a very small amount ….this was mentioned more so in regards to having them like so close there almost touching as opposed to say 2 inches space between each piece. 🙂
Have a great day everyone 🙂
This is devine! Loved it and cooked perfectly in one hour. Will definitely make this one again!! Thanks for such an easy recipe! 🙂
I’m so glad that you like the chicken, Jolene!
Wow! That looks super delicious! Great recipe! My hubby is a huge sucker for shrimp dishes!
Hello! I stumbled across your blog some time ago and enjoy all the recipes! The chicken looks yummy! Several in our family are on the GAPS diet right now and we are always looking for new recipe ideas! Thanks for sharing!
Made this last night. This is, by far, the best chicken I’ve ever eaten. Any time I make a new recipe I give it a ‘Star’ rating (out of 5 stars) and I very rarely find a recipe that has 5 stars. This one is a 6!! Thank you for this amazing recipe!!
Perfect, Absolutely perfect. Thank you for sharing this recipe, Mary!!!
I’m so very happy you like the recipe, Dave!
Hi!!
Love your post. It’s really amazing & helpful too. Being foodie i keep trying new dishes i tried this recipe & it turned out to be really tasty . Keep sharing 🙂
Thank You & Regards
Ankita
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Ankita!
Looks beautiful and delicious! I do some prep ahead meals but not that many. I think this is very worthwhile and nice to know you always have a meal on hand!
I’m glad you like the chicken, Rose!
I am trying this for dinner tonight for my family! Super excited to try this!! Excellent idea as well as quick and easy to do!!!
I hope that you love it, Danielle.
This recipe is awesome!!! We love it. Thanks!
So glad you like it, Rose.
This looks so yummy. I have never tried Italian food. This looks tempting. Will try out this soon
I hope that you love the chicken, Sharon.