Oven Baked Creamy Chicken Thighs
Crispy Baked Chicken thighs in a creamy parmesan sauce can be made in the oven from start to finish. Perfectly seasoned chicken thighs are juicy with crispy skin and with plenty of sauce to serve over mashed potatoes or toss some pasta.
Look no further, this is going to be your favorite oven-baked Chicken Thigh recipe from here on. Perfectly seasoned chicken thighs, crispy skin, and a rich creamy sauce. Isn’t this what a perfect dinner is made up of? There is enough sauce to serve it over pasta, rice, or creamy mashed potatoes.
This is a one-pan recipe and completely hands-off. Start to finish happens right in the baking dish. Bone-in, with skin chicken thighs, are first seasoned with a basic spice mixture, then baked until nice and crispy. The flavourful cream sauce has the juice from the baked chicken, heavy whipping cream, and parmesan cheese.
What ingredients do you need?
I do not go with fancy ingredients. Most of the time my recipes call for easily available pantry ingredients. This is no different. This is also a very versatile recipe when it comes to seasoning, so don’t panic if you don’t have an ingredient or two.
- Chicken Thighs– Bone-in and with Skin. Boneless Chicken thighs would work but the cooking time will vary. And no one wants to miss the Crispy Chicken skin, so please, try to use thighs with skin.
- Seasoning– Dried herbs like Thyme, Oregano, Basil, and Parsley will work here. I have used thyme, rosemary, and parsley. You can also use mixed herbs or poultry seasoning instead.
- Paprika, pepper, and salt– Paprika is optional, I like to use it for color and also for a smoky flavor. Season the thighs well with salt and pepper.
- Chicken Stock
- Dijon Mustard
- Heavy Cream and Parmesan: for a creamy rich sauce.
- Flour – to thicken the sauce. It also prevents the sauce from splitting.
Steps to make
Self-saucing baked chicken thighs is one of those effortless dinner recipes, that you will keep coming back to. Chicken thighs are baked slowly along with the sauce, keeping the chicken super moist and tender.
- The recipe begins with seasoning the chicken thighs with a simple spice mix made up of dried herbs, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Season chicken thighs on both sides.
- Place the seasoned chicken thighs along with some chicken stock and bake covered. It ensures the thighs are cooked and moist. All the pan juices from the chicken in the baking dish will be the base of the sauce.
- Making the parmesan cream sauce – Mix flour and heavy cream well before adding to the pan juice in the casserole. Avoid adding flour directly to the hot pan juices, as the flour will turn into small lumps and the sauce will no longer be smooth.
- Bake again uncovered until the chicken thighs are nicely brown and the sauce is creamy and thick.
The Most Important Question, How long to bake the Chicken Thighs?
Thigh meat is very forgiving to cook. Unlike Chicken Breast, it doesn’t dry out if you cook it a little longer. It stays perfectly juicy and tender. Here are a few tips for perfectly baked Chicken thighs.
- Size matters – Make sure the chicken thighs are more or less of similar size for even cooking time.
- Bring thighs to room temperature before baking, for it to cook evenly.
- For crispy skin – Pat them dry with a kitchen towel to soak as much moisture as possible. Moisture prevents the skin from crisping.
- How long and at what temperature to bake the chicken thighs? It takes around 40-45 minutes to cook with crispy skin for the thighs. The internal temperature should reach 165 degrees on a kitchen thermometer.
Baked Creamy Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 6-7 Chicken thighs bone-in and with skin
- ⅓ cup Chicken stock
- ½ cup Heavy Cream
- 1 tablespoon Flour
- ½ cup Parmesan Cheese
- 1.5 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
For seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon black pepper (adjust per taste)
- 1 teaspoon salt (adjust per taste)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees Celcius)
- Pat dry chicken thighs with a kitchen towel.
- In a bowl add all the ingredients mentioned under seasoning. Sprinkle chicken thighs on both sides with the seasoning.
- In a 9X13 baking dish, pour in the stock. Arrange the seasoned chicken thighs in a single layer.
- Loosely cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and carefully remove the foil(mind the steam). Bast chicken thighs with the pan juice. (spoon some of the pan juices on the chicken). Remove chicken thighs from the baking pan to a plate.
- Whisk together flour and heavy cream until smooth and no dry flour patch in there. Add it to the baking dish along with dijon mustard and grated parmesan. Mix well. ( The sauce will look thin but it will thicken up once done).
- Place chicken thighs back into the baking dish. Bake uncovered for another 25-30 minutes or until the chicken thighs are cooked through.
- Before serving give the sauce a good stir. Serve with mashed potatoes or pasta.
Video
Notes
- Make sure you use full-fat heavy whipping cream for a creamy sauce. . Low fat cream might curdle when heated.
- Avoid adding flour directly to the hot pan juice in the baking dish. The flour might form lumps and you will not get a smooth cream sauce.
Looks delicious, but how about using a fat separator before making the sauce? It seemed like there’s a lot of grease in the pan.
I’ve had this recipe saved for the longest time and it’s a staple in our house. I can never remember the spice measurements so I went to look and see the recipe is now changed! Where did the original one go?!?
Hey!! nothing has changed, all the spices and measurements are same. Based on a few feedback on the sauce becoming too watery, I have done a small improvement and added flour to the sauce. This ensures the sauce remains thick and creamy. I promise, rest of the recipe is unchanged. Also updated the old photos with new ones.
Love trying these recipes. All tasty so far. Thank you
Omg so good. Had to go for seconds