Roasted Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs (with Crispy Skin)

These roasted chicken thighs have perfectly crisp skin and tender, juicy meat that practically falls off the bone. They are super easy to make and are packed with flavor from lemon pepper seasoning.

Bone-In skin-on chicken thighs are the unsung hero of the home kitchen. They are one of the easiest, most budget friendly proteins you can make. You can do a million and one things with them and they are practically impossible to dry out. 

The easiest thing you can do is roast them. Roasting means you are going to use some high heat to crisp up that delicious fatty skin. Skip the extra olive oil, the thigh is self-basting and the natural fats from the skin drip down into the meat leaving it extra juicy.

It takes just a few simple steps.  A little trim around the edges, a little lemon pepper seasoning, and some oven time and you can have the most tender, juicy chicken thigh meat you've ever had. 

Serve Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs with a Roasted Kale Quinoa Salad, Green Beans with Bacon, or Easy Rice Pilaf for a balanced and delicious meal. 

Jump to:

• Make this recipe!
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Diana's Tips for Success
• Top tip
• Substitutions
• Storage and Reheating
• Related Recipes
• 📖 Recipe

Make this recipe!

It delivers tender, juicy chicken thighs with perfectly crispy skin.

It takes just a few minutes to prepare and then all of the magic happens in the oven. This leaves you completely hands free to work on the side dishes making it perfect for busy weeknights.

It's cheap! Chicken thighs are one of the least expensive proteins, and one of the most flavorful. 

Ingredients

Bone-In Chicken Thighs and a dry rub are all you need for this recipe. I've given a recipe for my favorite homemade dry rub in the recipe below. You can use mine or your favorite.

Lemon Pepper Seasoning- This is a combination of black pepper and dry lemon zest. It has a great zing and a little bit of warmth.  Granulated onion, garlic, and paprika top off the perfect chicken seasoning. 

Instructions

Step 1: Trim Chicken Thighs

• In a small bowl, mix lemon pepper, granulated garlic, granulated onion, paprika, and salt together to make your dry rub. 
• Preheat the oven to 425°. Line a sheet pan with parchment or foil to save on clean up time.
• Trim the skin on each thigh using a sharp knife or kitchen shears.

There is usually some skin wrapped around the underside of the thigh that is not attached to the meat. This piece doesn't tend to crisp up well because it is sitting down in the cooking juices. For the best results, remove this extra skin before roasting.

Step 2: Season and Roast

• Season chicken thighs on both sides and place them in a single layer on a lined baking sheet skin side up.
• Cook them in a preheated oven for approximately 45 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 165°.

Diana's Tips for Success

• Let the chicken sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes to take the chill off.
• Season very well. Coat both the underside and skin side of the chick thighs. 
• There is no need to add any cooking oil. The skin from the chicken has plenty of fat and will get very crispy.

• Cooking time may vary depending on the size of the thigh pieces. The chicken thighs may reach the finished temperature of 165° before 45 minutes are up. However, let the chicken continue to cook. The fat from the skin will drip into the meat and baste it as it cooks leaving you with more tender, extra juicy meat. 
• Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature to be sure the chicken is fully cooked and safe to eat.

Substitutions

• The technique for roasting this cut of chicken is the most important thing to learn. I really like the lemon pepper seasoning, but any of your favorite dry rubs can be used.
• You can use this roasting technique on other skin on chicken pieces. Legs, leg-thigh quarters, and bone-in chicken breasts with skin are all great roasted. 
• Chicken leg pieces can be cooked exactly the same way as the thighs and can even be on the same baking tray.
• The larger leg-thigh quarters and breast pieces need to be on their own try and will take longer to cook.

Storage and Reheating

These delicious, crispy chicken thighs are great leftover and reheat well in the microwave.

Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Related Recipes

• Dutch Oven Chicken Thighs with Lemon and Sage Butter Sauce
• One pan Chicken Marbella and Rice
• Chicken Breast in a Cast Iron Skillet
• Simple Whole Roasted Chicken
• Grilled Peanut Butter Chicken
• Italian Grilled Chicken

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