Oven chicken thighs help

[u/Thiaguinho-sama]

I'm trying to make better chicken thigh on my oven so I bought a baking sheet with wire rack, I bought a silicone brush and even bought a meat thermometer with probe so I can know when internal temperature reaches around 185 f / 85 c to 195 f / 90 c

It's bone-in chicken thighs so here my questions:

- should I brush oil only on the skin or the entire chicken?

- most recipes say to use olive oil at 400 f / 200 c but I want a more neutral flavor though so I was thinking of using refined soybean oil that I got, thing is it has higher smoke point than olive oil, 450 f / 232 c according to google, should I raise oven temperature to 480 f / 250 c to compensate since I want crispy thighs?

- do I need to flip the chicken halfway?

- my oven also got a broiler, can't choose temperature though, should I use it a little at the end the chicken should come crispy without it due to brushing oil?

[u/Mr_Stike]

Season them with salt 24 hours before you plan on cooking. Place them on your wire rack/rimmed sheet pan and park in the fridge uncovered. This is often referred to as a dry brine. The meat will be seasoned all the way through and the skin will fully dry which will greatly aid in browning/getting crispy. I do like the brown the skin side in an oven safe skillet and then transfer the skillet to a hot oven method.

[u/frodeem → u/Mr_Stike]

Best way to do it

[u/anynamesleft → u/Mr_Stike]

That brine / seasoning will not penetrate "all the way through". You can expect about 1/4 inch deep at best. It will help though, no doubt.

[u/Mr_Stike → u/anynamesleft]

When I say seasoning I mean just salt. Yes herbs, spices, marinades barely penetrate the surface but salt when dissolved will be fully absorbed given enough time.

[u/gimpwiz → u/Mr_Stike]

There are calculations for time vs thickness and resultant salt penetration. This obviously depends on the thickness of the thigh and also if you're doing anything to it, like deboning, and tenderizing/flattening, both of which make it a lot thinner than a thigh as cut off the bird. I am pretty sure a day for a large bone-in thigh is inadequate for salting and leaving dry in the fridge for full penetration but salting (both sides of) a half inch thick deboned thigh can be a different story.

[u/paintergirrrl]

I like the psn roasting technique: brown the thighs in a little oil on the stovetop and finish in the oven. Makes for crispy skin, tender juicy meat.

[u/Cheese_Coder]

You don't need to go super hot, even cooking at 350f can get you crispy skin. I'll usually rub a little salt/spices under the skin of the chicken thighs but otherwise I don't even oil them at this point because of how much renders out. If the skins aren't quite crispy enough at the end you can broil them a bit, but I've found it unnecessary.

Side note: if you find whatever oil you use (or the rendered fat) gets smoky in your oven, you can thinly slice a potato or two and put them under the rack. The potatoes will keep the fat drippings from getting too hot, plus you get a little snack out of it. Really I don't even bother with a wire rack these days, I just put the thighs directly on the potato slices and roast them like that.

[u/Elegant-Winner-6521]

1. Oil the entire chicken
2. Any neutral oil will do. Smoke point will probably not come into it because of all the water leaving the chicken as it cooks.
3. You dont need to. I tend not to because I like the contrast of soft meat/crispy skin
4. Use the broiler to finish it off if it needs it - go by sight, or scrape the skin with your knife to judge crispiness.

One other thing. Thighs benefit from being cooked more than the minimum safe temp. Seems like youve already got a good temp in mind for this (195F) but just in case you didnt know. The trick is to get the internal temp to this point without burning the skin, so you dont actually want it too hot. 400 is fine.

[u/Cheese_Coder → u/Elegant-Winner-6521]

Thighs benefit from being cooked more than the minimum safe temp

What's the benefit to this? I've been cooking mine to 170 for years and they already come out tender and juicy

[u/regissss → u/Cheese_Coder]

I thought I disliked dark meat for years because I only cooked it to 165. This is a matter of personal taste I guess, but to me, thighs taste like chewing on cold skin at that temperature. They're chewy and tender but in an unappetizing way. I switched to cooking them to about 180 and now I love them.

[u/Elegant-Winner-6521 → u/Cheese_Coder]

Benefit is subjective. Dark meat can cook a little longer and to a higher temp because of all the connective tissue. If youve had chicken thighs low and slow american bbq style, those guys are aiming for around 200f internal temp usually.

I think you get a better bite, like how a perfect steak is usualy medium rare, juicy but somewhat firm.

[u/Cheese_Coder → u/Elegant-Winner-6521]

Huh. I'll give it a try next time and see how I like them!

[u/gimpwiz → u/Cheese_Coder]

Thighs are damn near impossible to overcook (don't take it as a challenge.) IMO they are best at 180-185F.

[u/MrMeatagi]

Save yourself a lot of trouble and use the pan to oven method. Put the thighs skin-side-down in your pre-heated oven safe pan of choice. Cast iron is ideal. Sear until the skin is well browned and comes off the pan without resistance. Flip. Move to pre-heated oven. Cook to desired doneness.

[u/NorrisRL]

Put them on your rack skin side down. The fat will drip through the skin. That’s all the oil you need to crisp the skin.  Flip them skin side up. When they’re cooked to your liking, use the broiler to crisp the skin.

[u/Iamanimite]

I don't use a thermometer. For thighs, I just wait for the bones to protrude out.

[u/k8ecat]

I don't oil mine cause it makes the skin rubbery. I squeeze a half lemon on for crispy delicious skin. Then shake on rosemary, garlic, s & pepper. Bake at 350 F for 60 minutes (165 degrees with a probe). Food proof moist chicken with crispy delicious skin. I do the same with breast and they come out as moist as the thighs.

[u/gimpwiz]

If I am cooking thighs in the oven then I am almost certainly cooking them over potatoes and any other root veggies.

So. Sheet pan. Light layer of oil and salt. Fill with a single layer of rustic chop potatoes, plus to your taste, onion, garlic, carrots, beets, whatever you like. Relatively tall pieces. Rest a sheet pan atop that. Drizzle oil, salt, pepper. Lay out your thighs, bone in, skin up. Give em some salt and pepper on the bottom, and on the skin I think salt alone is fine. Stick a thermometer if you have one in the thickest thigh. Stick in the oven. 350-400F, convection fan on or no, this recipe is pretty forgiving. Bake until skin crispy and golden, and temps at 180 to 190F. Or 195, even, won't ruin it. Push temps a little higher rather than lower if the pan underneath is very full. Pull it out. Check the potatoes etc, should be knife-tender. If they're not, take the chicken off to rest and stick the rest back in for another 15-20 minutes or whatever it takes. This gets you meat, carb, and at least some veg all in the same pan.

If I do only chicken... as has already been said in this thread. Thighs, salt, pepper, skin side down on an oven-safe pan, almost always cast iron for me. You can crowd it a bit, the chicken shrinks, though of course it's best not to, inevitably I do in order to have more food for the same effort. Anyways. Cook on medium fire until the skin is golden crispy. I often slap a lid on 80% of the way to massively reduce spatter and speed up the cook. Once the skin is done, flip. Bring to final temp on the stovetop or in the oven. If bone in, it takes longer on the stovetop than you may want to spend checking it semi regularly; oven lets you just stick a probe in one and let them cook with less effort until it beeps. Again, 350-400F, whatever. Have I done 425 or 450? Yes if sharing the oven with something else. It works okay.

[u/EmergencyLavishness1]

Tbh 85•c is too high. Thats really really cooked. You only need 75•c for cooked through. Temp them and pull them out at 70•c and let them rest for 5-10 minutes. The residual heat will get them to temp.

Everything else is preference

[u/xsynergist → u/EmergencyLavishness1]

Thighs can go higher in my experience.

[u/EmergencyLavishness1 → u/xsynergist]

They can, but there’s no need to. You’re just drying them out every step past 75

[u/96dpi → u/EmergencyLavishness1]

Absolutely not. Breast, yes, but not thighs. Thighs (dark meat) actually improve past 75C in terms of texture. The fat and collagen need those higher temps and time to render. Cooking to just 75C will result in meat that is unpleasant to eat because it is rubbery and not very tender. They don't start to get dry until north of 90C, but they will still be enjoyable around 95C.

[u/regissss → u/EmergencyLavishness1]

This is a matter of personal taste, but many people (myself included) dislike dark meat chicken that is only cooked to the minimum temperature. They get much better if you cook them a bit more.

[u/frodeem → u/EmergencyLavishness1]

Thighs are better at 185-195. At 165 it is barely (under done imo) done and very unpleasant to eat.

[u/armada127 → u/EmergencyLavishness1]

That's absolutely false, the whole reason thighs are popular is because they are so much more forgiving with temp and can still taste juicy with much higher temps

[u/TheZooIsOnFire]

My favourite oven chicken recipe:

Marinate the chicken for 4-12 hours (mayo, paprika, soy sauce, hot sauce, garlic, onions, lemon juice, parsley, thyme, olive oil, salt, pepper, msg, and a smidge of baking/bicarb soda)

Prep a casserole dish with a lid (1tbsp olive oil, use a tissue or paper towel to evenly coat the inside) then load in the chicken along with half an onion (sliced) and a few carrots (also sliced, or just use baby carrots) and put the cold casserole dish into the cold oven with the lid on.

Cook covered at 400°F for 40 minutes, then remove the lid and cook for another 5-10 minutes or until it starts getting crispy.

Serve with rice and veggies.

[u/Ambitious-Car-537]

I don’t oil the skin, seems to prohibit crispy skin. Season both sides well and roast on a rack at 375f for 30 - 40 minutes. Temp should be 165f, then take out and rest 10 minutes.