These oven-baked old bay chicken thighs are flavorful, tender and moist. This simple chicken thigh recipe only requires trusty old bay seasoning and other pantry staple ingredients you may already have on hand. It is delicious and about to be your family favorite.
If you love chicken thighs, try my crispy baked chicken thighs, pan seared boneless chicken thighs, garlic ginger chicken, and Lebanese chicken thighs recipe.
If you have never thought of using Old Bay seasoning on your chicken before, then this is your sign to do so. Old bay seasoning is often used on seafood dishes but works as a great rub or marinade for chicken and meat.
You will love the bold flavor this seasoning adds to your chicken. It is amazingly finger-licking good.
Related recipe: oven baked chicken tenders, cream cheese chicken and crispy baked chicken thighs.
Why you will love this recipe
- You only need a handful of ingredients and minimal prep. The oven does all the hard work for you, allowing you to make the side dish for your dinner.
- There is no need to marinate the chicken as the old bay seasoning gives it an instant boost of unique and bold flavor.
- If you don't have an oven or don't want to use one, then you will be happy to know that you can make this recipe in the air fryer or on the grill.
What you will need
Chicken thighs: I used bone-in chicken thighs, but you can also use boneless chicken thighs.
Old Bay seasoning
Tomato paste
Garlic: I used garlic paste. Substitute with garlic powder or granules
Onion powder: substitute with granules.
Parsley
Avocado oil: substitute with olive oil or any other flavorless oil you prefer.
Salt and black pepper
How to make Old bay chicken thighs
Preheat the oven to 400F / 200C.
In a small bowl, add avocado oil, tomato paste, old bay seasoning, parsley, onion powder, garlic paste, salt and black pepper and mix to combine.
Trim off any hanging skin and excess fat from the chicken thighs and transfer to a bowl.
Add the marinade to the chicken and mix until well combined. If time is not of the essence, leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Arrange the chicken thighs in a baking dish, skin side down and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven and carefully flip the chicken. Return the baking dish to the oven for another 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked to an internal temperature of 165F /74C and the skin is crispy.
Transfer the chicken to a serving plate, and rest for 5-10 minutes for the juice to redistrube into the chicken before serving. Enjoy
Air fryer instructions
To make this recipe in an air fryer, preheat the air fryer to 400F /200C for 5 minutes.
Spray the air fryer basket lightly with oil.
Arrange the chicken thighs skin side down in the air fryer basket, then cook for 15 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook for 10-15 minutes or until fully cooked and the skin is crispy.
Serve and enjoy.
Watch how to make it
How to serve
Old bay chicken is incredibly versatile. You can serve it with various side dishes. Here are a few suggestions.
- For a low-carb option, serve with cauliflower rice, quinoa, roasted vegetables or baked sweet potato slices.
- Another way to enjoy this dish is with ricotta mashed potatoes, spooning the resting juice on the mash to make it a complete meal with a side of stovetop buttery mixed vegetables.
- Rice: I love serving old bay chicken with seasoned rice or garlic butter rice. The flavors blend beautifully.
- Shred the chicken and stir it into the baking dish juice. Use the chicken to make a burger or sandwich filling.
How to store
Leftover old bay chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Reheat in the oven or air fryer until warm through. Alternatively, reheat in the microwave. It is quicker but may make the skin less crispy.
You can also freeze this chicken recipe for up to 3 months.
Tips
- Marinate the chicken overnight or up to 48 hours for a more robust flavor.
- Make it spicy. Add some cayenne pepper or red chili flakes to the marinade.
- Omit the tomato paste if you are not a fan.
- I have accidentally added ginger paste to this chicken instead of garlic paste in the past, and it was still delicious. So feel free to experiment with whatever you have.
- Add honey to the marinade for a sweet and sticky variation.
Old Bay Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 6 Chicken thighs
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
- 1 Tablespoon Tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon Garlic paste
- 1 ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ Tablespoon dried parsley
- 2 Tablespoons avocado oil
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F / 200C.
- In a small bowl, add avocado oil, tomato paste, old bay seasoning, parsley, onion powder, garlic paste, salt and black pepper and mix to combine.
- Trim off any hanging skin and excess fat from the chicken thighs and transfer to a bowl.
- Add the marinade to the chicken and mix until well combined. Leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes if time is not of the essence.
- Arrange the chicken thighs in a baking dish, skin side down and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven and carefully flip the chicken. Return the baking dish to the oven for another 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked to an internal temperature of 165F /74C and the skin is crispy.
- Transfer the chicken to a serving plate, and rest for 5-10 minutes for the juice to redistribute into the chicken before serving. Enjoy
Air fryer instructions
- To make this recipe in an air fryer, preheat the air fryer to 400F /200C for 5 minutes.
- Spray the air fryer basket lightly with oil.
- Arrange the chicken thighs skin side down in the air fryer basket, then cook for 15 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook for 10-15 minutes or until fully cooked and the skin is crispy.
- Serve and enjoy.
Nutrition
Nutritional data: Please note that the nutrition label provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients and brands you use. Under no circumstances will thedinnerbite.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information.
And there you have it, a simple and delicious chicken thigh recipe you can make at home. As always, if you made this recipe, I would love to hear from you! Kindly rate the recipe 5 star and leave me feedback in the comment section below. Tag me @thedinnerbite on Instagram and save it away to your Pinterest. Please subscribe to the blog if you haven’t for free new recipes in your inbox.
Alice says
In this instruction, “ Transfer the chicken to a serving plate, and rest for 5-10 minutes for the juice to redistube into the chicken before serving.” I think the word is supposed to be “redistribute” instead of “redistube.” Hopefully it’s an easy edit to make.
The recipe, though? Awesome. I used boneless, skinless thighs and they were very tasty! 😋
Ajoke says
Thank you, Alice. The typo has been fixed. I am glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for the feedback.
VO says
Delicious recipe for oven baked chicken thighs with bone and skin. I plan to use the rub for boneless, skinless thighs, as well as breasts!!
Ajoke says
Thanks VO. I am so glad you enjoyed it and thank you for your thoughtful comment.
Judi says
Vo, I want to try this recipe with boneless skinless thighs or breast also but since there is no skin,would you recommend covering the pan with foil so the chicken doesn't dry out? Thanks in advance. Judi
Ajoke says
Hello, Judi. You don't have to cover the chicken if you choose to use a boneless skinless one. You may need to adjust the cooking time especially if using chicken breast so it doesn't dry out. Check out my baked chicken breast recipes for the timing and temperature to use. Thanks and kindly let me know how it turns out for you. X