How To Cook Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs in the Oven

I am a huge fan of boneless, skinless chicken thighs because they’re inexpensive, tasty, and easy to cook. In fact, I find it difficult to mess up chicken thighs. They are just dark enough to stay tender, but not so dark as to put off people who prefer white meat. Everyone who eats regularly at my house has eaten chicken thighs.

So, what’s my favorite way to cook them? Hands down, the easiest, quickest way to cook chicken thighs is in the oven. Here’s how to do it.

In the summer I grill these babies every week, especially when I have a big table of people to feed. But in the winter, when I don’t feel like stepping outside to the grill but do feel like turning on the oven, I bake the chicken in the oven. To do this, I simply season the meat, place them in a baking dish, and roast until done. It’s as easy as 1-2-3.

It’s always worth talking about where you get your meat. And I certainly don’t mean to be didactic — I think meat is something most of us are conscious of, and we all try to get the best stuff we can.

My point is really to say that chicken thighs are one of the cheapest, easiest things to buy organic or pasture-raised. Even at a high-end butcher counter, these only cost me $4/pound, for instance.

If you want to add a little more punch to the chicken, here are a few ideas to get you started.

• You can make a quick sauce of nearly any oil, acid, and spices. Here, for instance, I combined a couple tablespoons olive oil, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, garlic cloves, and a dash of

  red pepper flakes

• I often make Asian-inspired sauces with sesame oil, rice vinegar, and lots of chili-garlic sauce.
• You can also pour pre-made salad dressing over the chicken before baking.