Some easy oven baked chicken thighs are such a perfect weeknight dinner and easily made into a fancy weekend dinner. This recipe uses honey mustard to get a nice sticky and delicious, perfectly seared and baked, chicken thigh. Honey mustard is such an easy thing to make and with a little bit of butter to add even more flavor, this chicken thigh recipe stays juicy and tender and never dry. A no fuss, easy, filling meal.
Should you pan sear your chicken thighs first?
This is technically optional. You can definitely just glaze your chicken thighs and pop them into the oven to bake and on a hectic, need to just get dinner made, type of night this is what I do. But if you have just a few extra minutes, I highly recommend pan searing your chicken thighs first.
Still an easy oven baked chicken thigh recipe, but pan searing them quickly first gets that crispy golden brown topping on your chicken without having to bake too long and risk drying it out in the oven to get it.
How to pan sear chicken
Pan searing takes only a few minutes and then you can glaze and pop them right into the oven. Using a cast iron skillet gives the best results but any skillet will work well. If you're new to using cast iron in cooking, check out this whole article about using and taking care of a cast iron skillet by Bon Appetit Magazine.
Just place about a tablespoon or 2 of oil (grapeseed, avocado, or olive oil work well) in the pan and heat over medium to high heat. Once the pan is nice and hot (but the oil is not burning), place you chicken thighs in.
Get a crispy golden brown coating on one side and when the meat releases fairly easily, that's when you know it;s time to flip and do the same on the other side. If you notice your meat really sticking to the pan, that means you need to give it another minute or so. As it sears, it will start to release a little better.
Remember, when you are just searing your chicken thighs, you aren't trying to cook through. This only takes a few minutes on each side. Once they have a golden brown coating on each side, drizzle and spread your honey mustard sauce over the tops and place your skillet in the oven to bake at 400.
How long does it take to bake chicken thighs at 400?
These chicken thighs take about 25 minutes to bake in the oven. If you are using chicken thighs with the bone in, however, then add about 10 more minutes to that bake time. You want the internal temp of the chicken to reach 165F.
Do you need to flip chicken when baking?
Simple answer, no you do not. This easy oven baked chicken thigh recipe is just that- easy and simple. No flipping, just sear (optional) and then bake (not optional). Super delicious!
This easy oven baked chicken thighs recipe really is so simple to make and yet is good enough to go from simple weeknight dinner to a fancier upgrade on the weekend if you pair with something like our Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan and White Wine. No matter when you make it or what you pair it with, enjoy!
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Easy Oven Baked Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs
This easy oven baked chicken thighs recipe is covered in honey mustard sauce and is juicy and tender. A healthy and delicious meal that you can make for dinner tonight!
Ingredients
- 5 Chicken Thighs (I used boneless, skinless)
- 3 tablespoon Butter
- 3 tablespoon Honey
- 2 tablespoon Yellow Mustard
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 400.
- In a glass measuring cup melt your butter. Add the honey and mustard to the melted butter and mix well.
- If you are pan searing to get that golden brown crispy edging to your chicken thighs, place 2 tablespoon of oil (olive, grapeseed, or avocado oil work well) into a skillet and heat over medium to high heat. *(If you are not pan searing, skip to #6)*
- Once pan is hot, place chicken thighs in (be careful of any oil popping and turn down the heat a bit if needed).
- Let them get golden brown for about 2-3 minutes on each side. If you have trouble with the chicken sticking, let it sear a little longer (another minute or so) and then it should release more easily.
- Pour the honey mustard sauce over it and spread evenly.
- Bake in the skillet in the oven at 400 for 25-30 minutes (add 10 more minutes if you are using bone-in chicken thighs).
- Dip in some more of that yummy honey mustard sauce if you want and enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 381Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 185mgSodium: 349mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 0gSugar: 10gProtein: 31g
Nutritional information is not always 100% accurate.
