Roasted Chicken Thighs With Fresh Basil Recipe

By
Katie Workman
Katie Workman
Award-winning food writer, blogger, and author of two cookbooks. She frequently appears on broadcast media sharing her expertise.
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Updated on 02/9/23
Roasted Chicken Thighs with Fresh Basil
Katie Workman / themom100.com
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 40 mins
Servings: 4 servings

We love a simply roasted chicken thigh in our house; tender, juicy dark meat.  Slipping a few fresh herbs under the skin is a very nice way to brighten up a plain piece of roasted chicken without adding a whole lot of time to the process.

I served this with a nice wild rice blend, and a crisp green salad, and no one would have ever guessed how little time the whole meal took to come together.

Don't pass over the humble chicken thigh!  

Ingredients

  • 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, about 2 1/2 pounds

  • 8 large basil leaves, or 16 small

  • Kosher salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • Chives, minced, for garnish

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Preheat the oven to 425 F. 

  3. Loosen the skin from each thigh, and place 1 or 2 of the basil leaves under the skin. Season with salt and pepper.

  4. Heat a large heavy, ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Sear the chicken pieces skin-side down for about 5 minutes until the skin gets brown and crisps up, turn the pieces over transfer the pan to the oven. 

  5. Roast for 25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through (an internal temperature of 165 F). 

  6. Serve hot or warm, sprinkled with chives.

Tip

  • Don't forget about a good marinade! These marinades are the answer to making flavorful chicken easily, and to giving you more time to enjoy it.

Recipe Variations

  • Dijon, Garlic and Lemon Marinade - If you want one go-to marinade to turn to when you're low on cooking inspiration, this is it. Perfect for chicken, pork, shrimp, and any kind of fish. Marinate chicken for at least 4 hours, up to 12 for bone-in pieces, shrimp for 30 minutes to 1 hour, and fish for 30 minutes. The mustard helps emulsify the marinade, making it thicker so it really clings to the food. This is also a great salad dressing!  
  • Warm Spiced Curry Rub - This spice rub is perfect for chicken, whether it be chicken breasts, wings, thighs, or as used in this recipe, chicken tenders skewers. It seems that no matter the food, kids are much more likely to go for it 's prepared on skewer.
  • Jamaican Jerk-Style Marinade - If you have a blender of a food processor, this Jamaican Jerk-Style Marinade comes together in two shakes. It’s especially great on pork and chicken. Marinate for 4 to 12 hours in the refrigerator, then you can either grill or broil, depending on the weather or where you live. 
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
667 Calories
46g Fat
0g Carbs
67g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 667
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 46g 59%
Saturated Fat 13g 63%
Cholesterol 363mg 121%
Sodium 639mg 28%
Total Carbohydrate 0g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 67g
Vitamin C 1mg 3%
Calcium 35mg 3%
Iron 3mg 17%
Potassium 728mg 15%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)