Juicy Baked Chicken Thighs Recipe (With an Asian Twist)

Chicken thighs aren’t ordinary when marinated using an Asian inspired sauce that’s full of umami flavours like the rice vinegar, soy sauce as well as sesame oil. The easy baked chicken thighs are great when you’re looking for a quick recipe that can be made in larger quantities to make meals in advance.

Preparing and selecting the chicken

This recipe requires chicken thighs which are the most flavorful and juicy portion from the bird. Ask any cook and they’ll tell you that chicken thighs are where the flavor is at. Baking chicken is sort healthier method cooking it than the previous chicken recipes that are fried, such as the tori Karaage, chicken katsu and Korean Fried Chicken however, they are all amazing in their own ways.

When choosing thighs of chicken to make this dish I will always locate organic chicken at the local supermarket with the skin still intact (because it’s much better tasting with the skin intact). Typically, chicken thighs are sold in two forms that are bone-in and skinless or skinless and boneless. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a mixture of the two due to an strange reason.

After experimenting with this recipe with different types of poultry, I would recommend boneless thighs that have the skin still intact. The skin of the chicken is helpful by keeping the legs juicy and moist throughout cooking, but it mostly helps to create greater Maillard browning plus more fat and thus more flavor. I can only purchase organic bone-in thighs of chicken with skins on, and then deboning them myself at home if I prefer to keep it bone-free.

Herb and marinade variations

I like adding some spice to this simple baked chicken with an Asian inspired marinade made of rice vinegar, soy sauce and sesame oil, among other ingredients. The light umami flavor is little to no sweet and savory, however you have the option of adding more sweetness to the meat by topping it by slapping it with an Asian the soy glaze.

If you’re looking for a less “Asian” inspired flavor try trying different flavors that can be used in the marinade, such as lemongrass Thai basil, miso five spice, ginger.

How long do you bake chicken thighs

Before placing the thighs of chicken inside the oven pull them out of the refrigerator and allow them to come up to room temperature so that they are evenly cooked when baking. Placing frozen poultry in an oven could result in it cooking unevenly on the exterior (and possibly dry out and dry on its skin) than inside. Also, you have the possibility of having dry, stale chicken on the outside when you cook it until the center reaches an acceptable temperature to eat.

The chicken is oven-roasted and takes around an hour in the oven, cooking at 400 degrees F. I have found that cooking at this temperature and time will give me a nice golden brown skin that doesn’t require for broiling the bird.

I employ a Instant Read Probe thermometer to gauge the middle of the chicken 20 minutes into baking to monitor its progress. If the skin is becoming too brown by this point, wrap it in foil. Although it is true that the FDA declares that the temperature at which you can cook and eat chicken is 165 degrees, I cook it at 155 degrees, as it will be cooked by it rests.

Should you bake chicken thighs in 350F, or at 400F?

When you cook chicken, slow and low is the best method to keep the poultry from drying when cooking (and getting to an appropriate temperature, which is 165°F). Since we’re cooking the most juicy part of the chicken, and marinating it for too long it is recommended to bake the thighs of chicken at 400 degrees F for about 25-30 minutes. Sometimes, it’s faster depending on whether the chicken piece isn’t large. If you’re cooking a breast of chicken you should bake it with a low temp, such as 350 degF to stop loss of moisture.

Do you need to cover the thighs of your chicken while baking?

Based on my experience, the chicken thighs bake evenly, particularly in the event that you cool your chicken up to a temperature of room prior to placing into the oven. Chicken thighs are among of the most delicious parts of the animal, and they don’t get dry faster when cooked at 400 degF for about 25-30 minutes while covered.

I’d recommend checking the temperature of the chicken thighs about 20 minutes after baking, and then observing the chicken’s skin color. If it’s beginning to brown too quickly then you may protect it with foil in the last five to 10 minutes.