Our Mayonnaise Baked Chicken Thighs are a delicious and easy way to make flavorful and tender oven-baked chicken. The chicken is coated in a mixture of mayo, mustard, smashed garlic and horseradish, which creates a zesty and tangy flavor profile that pairs perfectly with the juicy chicken thighs. Baking the chicken thighs in the oven ensures that it is cooked through and crispy on the outside. This recipe is perfect for a weeknight dinner or for entertaining guests.
Ready to serve in under an hour, this baked chicken recipe couldn’t get any easier. Once marinated, the chicken is left to roast in the oven giving you ample time to make any desired sides.
Chicken thighs offer a lot of benefits in terms of versatility, flavor, and affordability to make them a popular choice for any busy family.
Since chicken thighs are dark meat and contain more fat, they are going to be more tender and moist than chicken breasts. By buying bone-in thighs, you get the extra benefit of being less likely to dry out the chicken as the bone locks in additional moisture and flavor.
The oven is one of the best ways to cook bone-in chicken thighs if looking for a crispy and juicy end product. Plus, the meat easily falls off the bone making it simple to chop or shred for kids.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- 2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs ✅
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon mustard ✅
- 1 teaspoon horseradish ✅
- 4 cloves smashed garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Gluten-Free Guide: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten.
How To Smash Garlic
Place the garlic clove under the blade of a knife. Firmly press down with the heel of your hand to smash the clove. For this recipe, we like leaving the garlic pieces larger. To do this, carefully drag the knife over the smashed garlic clove to further break it down.
How To Make Oven Baked Bone-In Chicken Thighs
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Mix the mayonnaise marinade for chicken
In a mixing bowl, combine the mayo, mustard, horseradish, smashed garlic, salt, and pepper.
Coat the chicken thighs
Add the chicken thighs. Using clean hands coat the chicken with the marinade, making sure to get some under the skin. Place the coated chicken into the baking dish. You can let it marinate for 15-30 minutes or you can bake it right away.
Bake
Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the tops of the chicken thighs are golden brown and the internal temperature is 165°F.
Serving Suggestions
We suggest serving these baked thighs with Microwave Mashed Potatoes, Long Grain White Rice (Instant Pot), Broccoli Salad without Mayo or keep reading to find more popular side dishes to offer your friends and family.
These easy-baked chicken thighs go with almost any side so pick your favorite or consider adding any of these to the table.
- Corn on the Cob
- Pan Fried Sliced Potatoes
- Quinoa Instant Pot
- Air Fryer Asparagus
- Easy Sauteed Apples
- Instant Pot Butternut Squash
- Gluten Free Butternut Squash Ravioli
- Mashed Potato Bites
- Maple Roasted Butternut Squash
You can also take advantage while the oven is heated to roast a variety of veggies like brussels sprouts, carrots, green beans, broccoli, zucchini, squash, butternut squash or any assortment from your produce drawer.
Simply place on a baking sheet, drizzle veggies with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Let the vegetables roast on a rack above the chicken for 15-20 minutes or until the desired crispiness is reached.
Tips for Cooking Chicken Thighs
- Place baking dish under the broiler for 2-3 minutes after baking to make extra crispy.
- Bake the chicken skin side up and do not flip during baking.
- Add chicken breasts to the menu rotation by making Buffalo Chicken Breast or Air Fry Frozen Chicken Breasts.
- Use boneless skinless chicken thighs if desired or if on sale at the store. Decrease the cooking time to 20-25 minutes then check the internal temperature. If you want crispy skin, we highly suggest sticking with bone-in thighs and saving the boneless for another recipe like our Air Fry Boneless Chicken Thighs.
- For more flavor, while cutting fat and calories, bake the chicken thighs with skin on, then take it off after cooking. If you want to cut back on calories and fat, simply remove the skin before cooking.
- Use fresh or defrosted chicken for this recipe.
- Swap garlic cloves for a tablespoon of garlic powder.
- Do not cover the baking dish with a lid or foil. Cooking uncovered allows the skin to crisp.
- Reheat leftovers to serve as a meal the next day or shred off the bone to use in recipes such as Grandmas Chicken Casserole, Chicken Bacon Ranch Tatertot Casserole or Oven Baked Chicken Tacos. You can also serve chilled in wraps, leafy green or creamy chicken salads.
- Add a hint of spice by mixing red pepper flakes into the marinade or sprinkling on the top of individual chicken thighs.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is important to ensure chicken is fully cooked before serving. Having a meat thermometer when cooking chicken thighs is a must if you want to keep chicken moist yet safe. Every oven cooks a bit different so eliminate the guessing game by using a kitchen thermometer. The cooking time is going to be at least 40 minutes and the chicken thigh temp you are aiming for is 165 degrees.
Regardless if making bone-in or baked boneless chicken thighs, the internal temperature should always be 165°F.
Grab your frozen chicken thighs and put them in a tightly sealed plastic bag then fill your empty sink with cold water. Take your plastic bag with chicken thighs and immerse into the sink full of water. Set a timer and change out the water every half over to keep it nice and cold. For every pound of chicken, it will take a little over an hour to thaw completely and be ready to cook.
Storage Instructions
In the fridge: Store up to 3 days in a covered container.
In the freezer: Store up to 3 months in a covered container or in a Ziploc bag. Store whole or shred the meat off the bone prior to freezing.
Reheating Instructions
Microwave: Place in a microwave safe bowl with a splash of water or broth to reheat in 30-second increments.
Oven: Start by preheating the oven to 325 degrees then place the thighs on a baking sheet or dish (spread out so they aren’t touching). Brush oil on top of the chicken then bake for 20-25 minutes or until heated through. This is our recommended way to reheat as it keeps the chicken from drying out.
Skillet: Reheat shredded chicken by adding to a preheated skillet over low heat for 5-7 minutes or until hot.
Kids In The Kitchen
Cooking tips and suggestions for kids making this recipe.
- Place the chicken in the baking dish in a single layer with space between each thigh. No stacking or overlapping the chicken.
- Always keep a meat thermometer handy when cooking raw chicken to check the internal temp has reached 165 degrees before serving.
- Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes after removing from the oven to keep the thighs juicy.
- Serve chicken as is or with your favorite dipping sauce.
More Simple Chicken Thigh Recipes
- Gluten-Free Chicken Thigh Recipes
- Boiled Chicken Thighs
- Ninja Foodi Italian Chicken Thighs
- Instant Pot Pesto Chicken
- Air Fryer Ranch Chicken Thighs
- Instant Pot Bone In Chicken Thighs
- Greek Chicken Thighs
- Crock Pot Chicken Thighs
CKC Features both Gluten-Free Guidance and Kids Cooking Instructions: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten or cross-contamination.
The ⭐️ symbol in the recipe below denotes the steps in which kid cooks may need a helper (depending on age). If there is no ⭐️ symbol, that step (or recipe) doesn’t require a helper.
Oven Baked Chicken Thighs Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs ✅
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon mustard ✅
- 1 teaspoon horseradish ✅
- 4 cloves smashed garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Mix the marinade. In a mixing bowl, combine the mayo, mustard, horseradish, garlic, salt, and pepper.1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon mustard, 1 teaspoon horseradish, 4 cloves smashed garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- Coat the chicken thighs. Add the chicken thighs. Using clean hands coat the chicken with the marinade, making sure to get some under the skin. Place the coated chicken into the baking dish. You can let it marinate for 15-30 minutes or you can bake it right away.2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs
- ⭐️Bake. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the tops of the chicken thighs are golden brown and the internal temperature is 165°F.
Notes
- Place baking dish under the broiler for 2-3 minutes after baking to make extra crispy.
- Bake the chicken skin side up and do not flip during baking.
- Add chicken breasts to the menu rotation by making Buffalo Chicken Breast, Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast or Air Fry Frozen Chicken Breasts.
- Use boneless skinless chicken thighs if desired or if on sale at the store. Decrease the cooking time to 20-25 minutes then check the internal temperature. If you want crispy skin, we highly suggest sticking with bone-in thighs and saving the boneless for another recipe like our Air Fry Boneless Chicken Thighs.
- For more flavor, while cutting fat and calories, bake the chicken thighs with skin on, then take it off after cooking. If you want to cut back on calories and fat, simply remove the skin before cooking.
- Use fresh or defrosted chicken for this recipe.
- Swap garlic cloves for a tablespoon of garlic powder.
- Do not cover the baking dish with a lid or foil. Cooking uncovered allows the skin to crisp.
- Reheat leftovers to serve as a meal the next day or shred off the bone to use in recipes such as Grandmas Chicken Casserole, Chicken Bacon Ranch Tatertot Casserole or Oven Baked Chicken Tacos. You can also serve chilled in wraps, leafy green or creamy chicken salads.
- Add a hint of spice by mixing red pepper flakes into the marinade or sprinkling on the top of individual chicken thighs.
Nutrition
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