We love chicken thighs around here. They’re super versatile, easy to cook, and they absorb flavors really well. It felt like a natural combination for garlic, lemon and rosemary. This is a simple recipe perfect for weeknights and batch cooking. Plus? It’s healthy, and uses only fresh ingredients, nothing processed, and a recipe you’ll make over and over again.
Baked Lemon Garlic Rosemary Chicken Recipe
It usually happens that I craft my best recipes when I don’t know what I want, but I have a fridge full of meat that needs to be cooked. I always have chicken thighs on hand. My entire family loves them! We’ve used them a ton of ways (including our most requested simple baked chicken thigh recipe). I wanted to create a super fragrant recipe that was fresh, full of brightness. The richness of the dark chicken thigh meat plus the citrusy marinade? You will LOVE this one.
Why We Love Chicken Thighs
They’re truly one of the most forgiving cuts of chicken. I make them so often because of how easy they are to bake, air fry, grill, and sear. They are an easy cut of chicken that is not super expensive, and goes a long way. I usually purchase my chicken thighs at Costco, but I sometimes get them at Ralph’s. I have also purchased them at Trader Joes. You can feed a whole family for under $20 with a package of chicken thighs!
Garlic Lemon Chicken Marinade Ingredients
- Chicken Thighs
- Boneless skinless is what I used. You can use bone in skin on, but the cook time will be longer.
- Lemon (zest and juice)
- Dijon Mustard
- Olive Oil
- You can use avocado oil if you prefer.
- Fresh Garlic
- I really encourage fresh garlic over jarred or dehydrated for this recipe. Much fresher taste!
- Fresh Rosemary
- Salt
- Pepper
Baking Chicken Thighs (with marinade)
Mix the marinade together in a small bowl or glass measuring cup. You’ll notice when you mix it together, the dijon emulsifies it and it becomes creamy. If you don’t like dijon, click that link for alternatives! Place the chicken thighs on the sheet pan, and spoon marinade over each chicken thigh. Rub it all around with clean hands until each chicken thigh is coated.
TIP: Once you mix together the marinade, you can choose if you want to bake the chicken right away, or if you want it to marinate for a couple hours. I caution against marinating for more than 2 hours, as there is lemon in the marinade, and the acid can make the chicken tough if it sits for too long.
Bake the chicken at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. Chicken thighs are fully cooked once they reach 165 degrees fahrenheit, but there is some debate that they’re better the longer they cook, so, chef’s choice there. Just use an electronic meat thermometer either way!
Serving Tips, Substitutions, & Storage
Lemon Rosemary Chicken Thigh Serving Tips
- Serving Suggestion: I plan on a serving being about 2 chicken thighs. if they’re bone in skin on, they’ll go a little further. When I serve this easy chicken thigh recipe, I like it with a simple side. The lemon flavors pair super well with this Greek Rice with Lemon and Feta. It would also be great with our Crunchy Mediterranean Couscous salad!
- Substitutions: You can use this same method with different herbs, and even with chicken breasts. Fresh dill would be delicious, as would tarragon. Fresh herbs are the key to big flavor in this dish!
- Storing: If you have leftovers, simply store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, you can microwave them in a microwave safe dish for 30 seconds at a time until heated throughout. You can also airfry them on reheat mode.
More Chicken Thigh Recipes
- Grilled Chicken Thigh Marinade
- Honey Garlic Roasted Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potatoes
- 13 Boneless Chicken Thigh Recipes
- Baked Bone In Chicken Thighs
- Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
- BBQ Chicken Sliders
What do you think about this recipe? Have questions? Comment below! Don’t forget to like us on Facebook, and connect with us on Instagram and tag your @Laughingspatula recipes with #laughingspatula,while you’re at it…We love to see your pics!
Enjoy! – Kathi and Rachel
Garlic, Lemon & Rosemary Baked Chicken Thighs
Equipment
- 1 18x26 inch sheet pan
Ingredients
- 8-10 boneless skinless chicken thighs
Lemon Rosemary Garlic Marinade
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (equivalent to about 1 lemon's worth)
- 2 tsp lemon zest (equivalent to about 1 lemon's worth)
- 1.5 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped garlic
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Spray a sheet pan with nonstick spray.
- Place chicken thighs on sheet pan. Pat with paper towel to remove excess moisture.
- In a small bowl, combine olive oil, dijon, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Whisk vigorously with fork to combine. Add chopped rosemary and garlic once mixture is fully incorporated.
- Spoon 1-2 teaspoons of marinade over each chicken thigh. Rub with clean hands until fully coated.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until chicken is browned to your liking, and at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit internally.
- Allow to cool for about 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
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