These Crispy Chicken Thighs are so easy to make and with no dirty skillet or grease splattered all over your kitchen! They are a frequent weeknight meal in my house because everyone loves baked chicken thighs and it is definitely kid friendly. They are the perfect low carb dinner…and so much easier than making keto or low carb fried chicken!
These crispy chicken thighs are definitely budget friendly. I bought a 4 lb bag of frozen chicken thighs at the grocery store for $4.98. That was cheaper than the fresh chicken thighs
I also like to buy frozen chicken thighs so I don’t have to cook them right away if I change my mind on what I want to make for dinner. Most grocery stores run sales often on fresh chicken thighs though, so watch out for that!
The method I used to accomplish these crispy chicken thighs (and I mean super crispy!) is to shake them with baking powder and my seasonings in a bag before they are baked. This method makes the skin so crispy! I’ve cooked chicken thighs in cast iron, I’ve grilled them, and I’ve baked them in the oven with just salt and pepper, and they have never come out this crispy!
When I pulled these crispy beauties out of the oven I was so excited!
They are amazing dipped in ranch!
HOW LONG TO BAKE CHICKEN THIGHS:
- Preheat the oven to 250F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray a wire rack with cooking spray. lay out the chicken thighs on the wire rack skin side up and place inside the baking sheet. Dry the chicken thoroughly with paper towels.
- Place the chicken in a bag or a bowl with a lid and toss the chicken in the baking powder and spices and then put the chicken back on the rack.
- Bake the chicken in the center of the oven for 30 minutes. Increase the heat of the oven to 425F and move the oven rack up one spot then bake for an additional 25-30 minutes or until brown and crispy. Chicken is cooked through when an internal temperature of 165F is reached.
I also use this method to make my Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings.
If you want to be extra frugal, you can cut all of the chicken off of the bone and put the bones in the freezer. When you have a nice size bag full, make your own bone broth!
To make these “no mess” you need to line your sheet pan with foil, then just throw the mess away! I figure the water and soap and scrubbing used to clean the nasty pan more than makes up for the cost of the foil. The only things left to clean up is the wire rack, but we spray it with cooking spray so it should clean right up! So much easier than frying chicken!
I have used this same method to make super crispy skin chicken legs and they were amazing as well!
HOW TO BAKE CHICKEN THIGHS VIDEO (1 MIN):
I love to cook with chicken thighs! Here are some other chicken thighs recipes that you should check out: Low Carb Chicken Noodle Soup and Chicken Cauliflower Fried Rice Casserole
These budget friendly crispy baked chicken thighs recipe is so easy to make and with no skillet or grease splattered all over your kitchen! Perfect low carb dinner and so much easier than making low carb and keto fried chicken!
- 4 lbs Bone in, Skin on Chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp baking powder (not baking soda!)
- 1/2 tbsp Kosher Salt
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Oregano
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- Preheat the oven to 250F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray a wire rack with cooking spray. lay out the chicken thighs on the wire rack skin side up and place inside the baking sheet. Dry the chicken thoroughly with paper towels.
Place the chicken in a bag or a bowl with a lid and toss the chicken in the baking powder and spices and then put the chicken back on the rack.
Bake the chicken in the center of the oven for 30 minutes. Increase the heat of the oven to 425F and move the oven rack up one spot then bake for an additional 25-30 minutes or until brown and crispy. Chicken is cooked through when an internal temperature of 165F is reached.
Serve with my Ultimate Creamy Bacony Cheesy Cauliflower!
- The baking powder is essential to making these chicken thighs extra crispy. I like to make sure it is distributed evenly by shaking the chicken with the baking powder and seasonings in a bag or a large bowl with a lid.
- I have made this recipe with frozen and fresh chicken thighs. The frozen chicken thighs are more wet before cooking than fresh but they yield the same crispy results.
- I have also used this recipe to make crispy chicken legs. They were just as amazing! Just make sure you keep an eye on them in the final cook because they can cook a little quicker than the thighs.
WANT MORE LOW CARB & KETO RESOURCES?
If you want to know more about how to start a low carb or keto diet check out this guide:
⭐ Did you make this baked chicken thighs recipe? I want to see! Tag me on Instagram @lowcarbwithjennifer
I made these tonight, the thighs looked beautiful. Mine tasted to much like baking powder, then I realized your only supposed to use 2 tbsp. Make sure you read the recipe all the way down to bottom. I didn’t see the full recipe until after I reread it.
I actually used baking powder as if was flour. That is a no no. Lol
If cooking from frozen would you cook longer?
You would definitely need to cook them longer. I’m not sure cooking from frozen would work as well though.
This did not work at all. I followed the recipe exactly and all you could taste was the baking powder. My daughter had no idea how I made it and she actually asked me if there was some kind of powder on it. It wasn’t edible.
There was a comment above that said they didn’t read the recipe and used it like it was flour, but it was supposed to only be 2 tablespoons… sounds like you did the same thing.
Theses thighs have become a staple in my home. We eat them at least once a week! Thank you for sharing!
I’m prepping some freezer meals and I’m wondering if it would work to season the thighs and then freeze them, or of there would be too much moisture as they defrost?
I love having a freezer full of seasoned meat, but I’m just not sure this one would work. What do you think? (I realize I’m asking a question that you can likely only answer with guess, I’m OK with that : )
I have used frozen thighs to make this recipe with no problem. I’m not sure if anything would change with the added seasoning, though.
I fixed this recipe and it was amazing — thank you so much for this!!
My daughter really likes chicken breasts. Can you tell me if this recipe can be adapted to chicken breasts? If so, what time/temperature should I use and should I adjust the amount any of the seasonings?
Thank you so much for the recipe — cooked these last night and they were amazing!! My daughter is a fan of chicken breasts. Can you tell me if this recipe will work for chicken breasts and if so, what the cooking times/temperatures would be?
At the moment, this recipe has 30 reviews of 5/5 stars. I concur. This recipe has definitely met and exceeded my level of enjoyment of the modest chicken thigh. I change the spice from the oregano and smoked paprika to ground rosemary leaves and mustard seeds (in a mortar and pestle). The rest I left the same. The result? It was a mouth watering, juicy crisp texture and gorgeous color. My only thought was maybe use a little less Baking Powder, as you can taste it a little. So good! No one even spoke at dinner, we kept eating… and eating…
Can I use skinless, boneless chicken breast?
You could but this process would be pointless without the skin
Hi Jennifer – this recipe was amazing with chicken thighs. If we use chicken breasts, what would the baking times be and would we need to increase the spices, etc for the larger pieces?
I would only use bone in skin on chicken breast and I would double the spices but not the baking powder if you are doing 8 chicken breast. I would do the same time a temperature but make sure to check for doneness with a meat thermometer.
Absolutely delicious!! Whole family declared it best chicken they’ve ever had! This will be a regular for us. Many thanks.
Would boneless chicken thighs work? These look delicious and I have some boneless thighs on hand
Made this tonight for the first time & my family loved it! So crispy! So tasty! Thank you for sharing!
I have never left a review for a recipe until today! Me and my family could not believe how amazing this chicken came out. Thank you!!!!!! This is going to make my Keto journey well worth it!
I want to Mae the trite what spices do you use?
The same spices in the recipe
This method works awesome with regular wings.
Omg!! This chicken is amazing! I love the crispy skin and juicy meat. Well done ! From now on I will beusingthis technique for baked chicken. Thank you!!
WOW. This recipe is simply amazing! The chicken is juicy, the skin is super crispy…all in all, it is absolutely DELICIOUS! New family favorite!
These were so good. Crispy but juicy and very Lorie mess!!
I’d like to make this recipe tonight. It looks and sounds wonderful. Would this turn out crispy if I used my broiler pan to bake them? I don’t have a cooking rack. Thanks so much.
Mary Ann
That should work just fine
Thank you so much for this. Now making it for the third time this way to get the skin low carb crispy. The first time I did it as recipe called for. Second time I layered the inside with seasoning and Parmesan cheese. This time I stuffed with creamed spinach.
These were terrific and enjoyed by absolutely everyone. Will definitely make again
Excellent recipe. I was skeptical but it worked. Just used half the amount of chicken with the spices. So if I use the whole amount will double the spices part. Worked out perfect. Also had to use onion flakes as I was out of onion powder. My child who doesn’t like chicken thighs loved this recipe. Very very yummy!!!! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
This was awesome! I followed the recipe exactly (including the 2 tbs baking powder) except for two things:
1. Tweaked the spices a little for my own preference
2. Spritzed some cooking oil on the chicken about halfway through baking to make sure the seasoning got properly toasted.
Definitely will be doing this again!
I’ve made these many times with thighs and they are great! Tonight I’m giving chicken wings a try! Any suggestions? Just started to bake at 250
Could I do this on the BBq instead with the same result?
This I should wonderful! I just started Keto and this is a great replacement for flour. Who knew?!? Baking powder.
WOW…that is all I can say. I made these tonight and they were delicious!!! Finally crispy chicken…I thank you, thank you for this.
Made these a few times now, and wanted to comment to those who feel the baking powder is too prominent. After some of the skin fat has rendered down, and near the end of the high temp cooking, use a brush to baste the skin with the juices/fat that has rendered. It will moisten that powdery residue from the baking powder, but still be crispy. Hope this helps.
I don’t have a cooking rack, will it still turn out ok just on foil?
It would be sitting in its juices so they would be less crispy
Can I use xanthan gum instead?
No, xanthan gum is only good for thickening.
Amazing. I’ve made these now 3 times. So addicting. Super crispy! Next day not as crispy after in fridge but still super good and never any leftovers. Will try this recipe soon with drumsticks!
Perfect for my low carb diet… sort of a KFC fix! Thanks so much!!!!
If you do end up with leftovers, you can reheat them in a skillet with the skin side down to get the skin crispy again. So glad you like the recipe!
I just made these tonight. They were delicious!
Thank you!
I made theses tonight and they were scrumptious! But I used boneless, skinless thighs. Very good and tasty!
I made the recipe exactly and my chicken skin didn’t crisp up and it didn’t taste salty or spicy enough for my taste. I am now going to recook it at 500 to crisp the skin up. Hopefully it will crisp up. Definitely not enough salt in this recipe.
just discovered your blog/webb site, love your easy approach to keto! can’t wait to try !
this recipe is so good. I use skinless chicken and just lessen the time at the end. we use them in salads, they’re a hit!
So glad you like it!
Wow, Jennifer, this chicken is WONDERFUL! I made it last night, and it is da bomb dot com! Baking powder was the difference! (But you are correct to warn everyone to make sure its evenly distributed.). Thanks for your efforts! My new favorite chicken recipe!
I loved reading your comment and I am so glad you liked the recipe! Thank you!
I’ve tried a lot of Mess Crispy Chicken Thighs Recipe , and with this one I feel like I finally hit gold! Full chicken taste, beautiful gold colour, perfect salt, no fussy steps and done in the same amount of time (or less) as other recipes. This was really good. Thanks
So glad you liked them!
What is the carb count with the baking powder? I always heard no baking powder on low carb?
Less than one gram per serving. Just about every low carb baking recipe has baking powder.
I’ve made this three times, it is good but sometimes the baking soda is too much or comes out of the oven with dry patches.. I now just hand rub the baking powder and seasonings using less too avoid this and then before baking I spray them with canola or vegetable oil, this has helped 100% and still have the desired crispness.
thanks jenifer for this amazing resipe my parents love this so much that they want me to make this again and a again if there are more recipes like this pelease let me know thanks
Thank you for your comment, Rose. I have done some research and I have decided to reduce the salt amount in the recipe.
Hi I discovered on another site that it is a certain type of baking powder. Some powders have,aluminum, you need to get the Aluminum free powder. I had Rumford aluminum- free baking powder. And go easy on the salt but feel free to add any dry salt-free options. -Dede
Sorry to hear that, Debra. I’ve made this recipe several times and have never tasted the baking powder. Did you use 4 pounds of chicken thighs?
Do you have a suggestion for a substitution for baking powder? I was excited to make these until I realized that it’s not Whole 30 approved with the baking powder in it.
I’m sorry Maria, I didn’t realize baking powder wasn’t Whole 30 approved. I’m thinking you could just leave it out and they will be a little less crispy.
WOW this came out beautifully! I have a garlic allergy so modified the garlic powder with some dry oregano and Chili powder was divine! I will be sharing this with all of my heath conscious friends and family!
Deeeelish! Perfect. A frequent meal at our house. Thank you!
I love hearing that!
What is the purpose of moving the rack up in the oven? Is it for ovens that have a heating element on top? Mine is just a broiler at the top.
Did you leave the chicken in the oven while the temp was increasing to 425?
Yes
So you leave the chicken in the oven and move up the rack and set to 425 do you bake another 25-30 min after temp reaches 425?
You don’t have to wait for the temp to reach 425. Just 25-30 minutes after you move the rack up.
You actually cook the thighs at 250 as the first step? That doesn’t seem very hit.
I thought so too. I’m going to make this now by instruction and see what happens.
I have made these more times than I can count. I also sent every one of my friends the recipe!!!! They are perfect every time! Has anyone tried it with chicken legs? Thanks again!
That’s so great to hear! I have used this recipe with chicken legs and they were amazing!
I admit did not have much confidence in this recipe but looking for a different thigh recipe that could be gluten free. It was delicious!! And, my finicky hubby asked for it again. Thank you!
That’s so good to hear, Susie!
All I tasted was baking powder I don’t know what I did wrong I did exactly what the recipe called for…
Sorry to hear that, Danielle. If you end up trying again, you could mix the chicken with the seasonings in a large zip lock bag or a large bowl with a lid. It might get distributed more evenly that way.
Maybe you accidentally used baking soda? I have mixed up baking powder and baking soda more times than I like to admit!
I had same experience and used a ziplock bag, tasted just like baking powder on the chicken skin. 👎
Did anyone try this with boneless, skinless chicken? You know, the one your son take out of the freezer when he does not read the whole text you send him.
I would do the seasoning but not the baking powder. Then bake them in the center of the oven for 20-25 minutes ?
So if skinless, just bake for a total of 20-25 minutes? And at 250F or 425F? Thanks! I bought a big bag from Costco & didn’t realize they were skinless & boneless.
I would cook at 350 for boneless skinless. And you will not need the baking powder.
Lmao i can so relate! 😂😂
Hi are you thawing the chicken first?
Yes…I will edit my post!
I love crispy chicken thighs! These look excellent!
You literally had me at “No Mess”! I can’t think of the number of times I’ve avoid making fried chicken because I just don’t want to clean up the mess afterwards. I will definitely be giving this a try!
I’ve never used baking powder as a crisping agent before but I’ll have to try it. These look extra crisp and delicious!
This is also a staple in my house, I find it very handy and love that it doesn’t mess my stove, but I never knew about rubbing the chicken skin with baking powder, will try your way next time! Thanks
These chicken are making it hungry even though it is only 9:30am! The chicken skin looks super crispy and the meat is moist! YUM!