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–+ servings
Perfect crispy chicken thighs in a large skillet.

Perfect Crispy Chicken Thighs

40aprons.com/perfect-crispy-chicken-thighs/
This recipe for crispy chicken thighs serves as the base for so many of our other recipes, but they’re perfectly delicious on their own!
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 25 minutes
Total 35 minutes
Recipe Makes (Approximate): 4 chicken thighs

Equipment

  • Oven
  • Cutting board
  • Paper towels
  • Large oven-safe skillet cast-iron preferred
  • stovetop
  • Tongs
  • internal meat thermometer

Ingredients

  • 4 medium bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (approximately 6-8 ounces each)
  • sea salt (to taste)
  • freshly cracked black pepper (to taste)
  • 2 teaspoons neutral oil (avocado oil, olive oil, refined coconut oil, etc.)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit. Adjust oven racks to center of oven if needed.
  • Place 4 medium bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs on cutting board. Pat chicken thighs completely dry on all sides with paper towels.
  • Season chicken thighs generously on all sides with plenty of sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Set aside.
  • Place large skillet on stovetop over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons neutral oil to skillet and heat pan until oil is hot and shimmery, swirling and tilting pan as needed to distribute oil across surface.
  • When oil is hot, place seasoned chicken thighs skin-side down in skillet. Sear chicken thighs, undisturbed, 7 to 8 minutes or until skin of chicken thighs is golden-brown.
  • Flip chicken thighs over. If skins stick to skillet, cook chicken thighs 1 to 2 minutes more, then try again. Continue searing chicken thighs until skins easily release from bottom of skillet.
  • After flipping chicken thighs, immediately place skillet in preheated oven. Roast chicken thighs 15 minutes or until internal meat thermometer inserted into thickest area of thighs registers 170° Fahrenheit.
  • When target temperature is reached, carefully remove skillet from oven. Transfer chicken thighs to serving plates and set aside to rest 5 minutes.
  • After 5 minutes, add preferred sides and serve chicken thighs as desired.

Recipe Notes

  • Internal Temperature: The food-safe internal temperature for bone-in chicken thighs is 165° Fahrenheit, but chicken thighs will be juicier and more tender between 180° and 195° Fahrenheit. Remove the chicken thighs from the oven when they reach 170°-175° Fahrenheit internally and set them aside to rest 5 minutes. The residual heat will continue cooking the chicken during that time, bringing them to a higher internal temp.

Nutrition Information (Approximate)

Serving Size: 1 servingCalories: 442calProtein: 31gFat: 34gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 189mgSodium: 3637mgPotassium: 396mgTotal Carbs: 0.5gNet Carbs: 1gVitamin A: 150IUCalcium: 18mgIron: 1mg
Recipe By: Cheryl Malik
https://40aprons.com/perfect-crispy-chicken-thighs/