How to bake chicken thighs with garlic, Yukon gold potatoes, red onion, and arugula all on one pan. You won’t believe how simple this is! Jump to the Baked Chicken Thighs Recipe or read on to see our tips.
These chicken thighs are quick and easy. There are a few things to chop then everything happens on one sheet pan. It takes 10 minutes to prep and then it’s practically hands off during baking. Talk about easy!
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How to Bake Chicken Thighs
We’re big fans of chicken thighs and prefer buying them with the bone-in and skin-on. The bone and skin add a ton of flavor and help to keep the chicken tender and juicy. If you’re looking to use skinless chicken thighs or prefer chicken breast, take a look in the notes section of our recipe below for our tips.
The chicken and potatoes are delicious and simply seasoned with salt and pepper then baked with garlic. We add the garlic towards the end of the baking time, which prevents it from burning and becoming bitter. To spice things up a bit, throw in your favorite spice rub — an ancho spice rub or mustard and lemon rub would be fantastic.
This time, we kept the seasonings simple. We did include some interesting textures and color with red onion and a handful of peppery arugula tossed onto the pan right before serving — two things we almost always have in our kitchen. When we don’t have arugula, baby spinach works wonders as a stand-in.
See our current favorite arugula salad recipe with couscous, cucumbers and feta!
I should also mention that you can swap the potatoes for sweet potatoes or other hearty veggies. Broccoli or cauliflower work, too. It really doesn’t get much easier. The potatoes soak up lots of flavor from the chicken, and the onions become sweet. The chicken stays juicy with crispy skin. An easy and practically hands-off sheet pan meal to add to your dinner rotation.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Lemon Chicken Thighs with Herbs with juicy and flavorful chicken thighs that are seared in a pan then finished in the oven (so delicious). We love this recipe and with over fifty 5-star reviews it seems you do, too!
Recipe updated, originally posted May 2016. Since posting this in 2016, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear. – Adam and Joanne
Easy Garlic Baked Chicken Thighs Recipe
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
Our one-pan chicken recipe is fuss-free and is perfect for busy nights. We keep seasoning simple but feel free to throw your favorite spice blend on top of the chicken and vegetables.
You Will Need
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, about 1-1/2 pounds
8 ounces Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (2 medium)
1 medium red onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups fresh arugula leaves or baby spinach
Directions
- Prepare Chicken
1Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
2Trim excess skin and pat chicken dry then generously season with a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper on both sides.
3Spread potatoes and onions on baking sheet and toss with one teaspoon of the oil, a 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Nestle the seasoned chicken thighs between the potatoes and onions. Bake the chicken and potatoes for 15 minutes.
- To Finish
1Meanwhile, toss minced garlic and the remaining teaspoon of oil in a small bowl. After 15 minutes of baking, scatter the garlic over chicken, potatoes, and the onions; continue to bake until chicken is no longer pink, about 20 minutes more. Just before serving, scatter arugula leaves over the chicken, potatoes, and onions.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- If using skinless chicken thighs or chicken breast follow the recipe as stated, but rub the skinless chicken with a teaspoon of oil before baking. After adding the garlic, continue to bake until the chicken is done (this will likely take less time than mentioned above for bone-in chicken thighs).
- Nutrition Facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA Supertracker recipe calculator to calculate approximate values.
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It was easy and delicious. I had a nice yellow squash from my garden that I used instead of potato, checking occasionally to make sure it did not over cook.
I made this today and I love it was quick and convenient. I added a sweet potatoe to the vegetables on the tray and it was awesome. We opted not to put the arugula.
Simple but delicious! I added carrots for extra veggies and used spinach since the store was out of arugula today. The onions were extra sweet and added great flavor to the potatoes. Easy to make and really yummy! 5 stars
Any tips for preventing the minced garlic from turning a blue color? Thanks for a great recipe!