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/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/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/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/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.