30-Minute Baked Boneless Chicken Thighs
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These baked boneless chicken thighs are the kind of dinner that gets people wandering into the kitchen asking, ‘What smells so good?’ They come out juicy and full of flavor, thanks to a quick pantry marinade made with Dijon mustard and tomato paste, and they’re topped with crispy, golden shallots. It’s a simple, one-pan recipe that delivers big flavor in about 30 minutes.
Baked chicken thighs are my latest go-to chicken dish to make on weeknights. This recipe pairs the juicy poultry with a crazy-simple pantry sauce-marinade combo mixed with Dijon mustard, tomato paste and sliced shallots that cook into caramelized sweetness.
What readers are saying:
“This recipe was amazing! My husband and I absolutely loved it! The tanginess of the mustard and lemon were simply out of this world.”
Key ingredient notes
This recipe is quick — less than 35 minutes start to finish. There’s no need to marinate the chicken before cooking, but if you have time to let them sit overnight or a few hours during the day you’ll get maximum flavor and convenience.
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs: Here are my thoughts on chicken thighs: You gotta love how versatile they are. Boneless, skinless thighs have absolutely become a weekly staple in our house — they’re so much tastier than white chicken breast meat. Especially in this recipe, they stand up to bright flavors and oven-baking without drying out.
- Marinade: I honestly came up with this magical mixture on the fly one night — I was testing recipes in an Airbnb kitchen, using what was in the minimally stocked pantry cupboard. I grabbed Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and tomato paste and mixed it into a sauce with lemon juice and garlic. It tastes tangy and zesty, and couldn’t be easier.
- Shallots and thyme: I love the flavor of shallots and fresh thyme in this dish because it gives the dish a slightly elevated Frenchy feel. You can substitute with red onion and fresh rosemary, dried thyme or herbs de Provence for equally good results.
Recipe steps
1. Grab a medium-sized baking dish just large enough to snugly hold 6-8 chicken thighs. A 2-3 quart capacity dish or pan is ideal. Arrange the chicken thighs in the pan. 2. Mix the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Scrape the sauce over the chicken thighs.
3. Toss the chicken with tongs so that the pieces are evenly coated. 4. Distribute the sliced shallots over the chicken, tucking them in here and there. You can bake the chicken immediately, or cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours ahead. 
5. Bake the chicken thighs 20-25 minutes at 425 degrees. While while they’re in the oven, you can make these fresh green beans with almonds to serve with it.
30-Minute Baked Boneless Chicken Thighs
Equipment
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1½ – 1¾ pounds (680 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs (6-8 pieces)
- ¾ cup (120 g) sliced shallots (about 2 medium)
Dijon marinade
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) chopped fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1-2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon crushed red chili pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Put the chicken in a medium (about 3-quart capacity) baking dish. If your pan/dish is not nonstick, spray it with cooking spray or line with a sheet of aluminum foil for easier clean-up. Note: Your goal is for the chicken and shallots to roast in the oven while making a delicious pan sauce at the same time. If your pan is too large the juices will evaporate.
Mix the marinade
- Whisk together the mustard, tomato paste, lemon juice, olive oil, thyme, garlic, salt, pepper, and chili in a medium bowl.
Assemble and bake the chicken
- Pour the marinade over the chicken and turn the pieces over to coat. Scatter the shallots over the chicken, poking them in between the thighs here and there. Some of the unexposed shallots will crisp and brown, while the covered pieces will bake and soften.
- You can bake the chicken immediately or cover and refrigerate the chicken and marinade up to 24 hours ahead.
- Bake the chicken uncovered 25-30 minutes, until the chicken is opaque and the juices are bubbling. Serve warm.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- Make ahead: Marinate the chicken overnight in the mustard mixture and simply pop in the oven when you’re ready to cook dinner.
- Freeze the unbaked chicken in a freezer-safe bag. Thaw overnight in the fridge and bake.
- Substitute fresh thyme with another fresh aromatic herb like rosemary or oregano. Dried herbs will work too, just reduce the amount by half.
- Optional: Add 1 cup of cherry tomatoes to the baking dish with the marinated chicken — they will burst and release their juice into the sauce.
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.
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I don’t normally review recipes, but this one was outstanding! I made according to the recipe and it turned out exceptionally good! Can’t wait to eat the leftovers!
I thought it was good, but it was a little spicy for my husband. Not sure I would make it again.
I followed this quick and easy recipe as it is written, and it resulted in a wonderfully flavorful dish. I’ll definitely be preparing it again. Thank you!
I made this last night and it was phenomenal. Definitely making weekly. I did bake for 40 minutes then broiled for 5 to crisp the shallots! So good. The sauce was really just oil at the end but that’s fine. The flavors were insane and the chicken was very tender.
Made this tonight. I used vidalia onion, turned half way and cooked for 45 minutes. I almost doubled recipe. It was delicious. Thanks for the recipe. I will make mashed potatoes next time to go along with it. Made plenty of sauce.
So delicious and quick main dish!
Love chicken thigh, tom paste, Dijon recipe, but have written you 20 times it seems asking what to do about oil not mixing in well, just separating, and how to make sauce for 15 lbs of thighs. You have not given me a good answer.
Hi Debra – You’ll need to multiply most of the ingredients for the sauce by 5x for 15 pounds of chicken. Dijon mustard: ½ cup + 2 tablespoons Tomato paste: ½ cup + 2 tablespoons Fresh lemon juice: ½ cup Extra virgin olive oil: 1/3 cup Fresh thyme: ¼ cup or 2 tablespoons dried thyme Garlic: 5–10 cloves, finely chopped or grated Kosher salt: 5 teaspoons Freshly ground black pepper: 2½ teaspoons, or to taste Crushed red chili pepper: 2½ teaspoons. It’s normal for the pan sauce to separate after baking. If you’d rather it was more emulsified, you can strain into a blender and blend for a few seconds.
ANOTHER amazing recipe and so easy! Thank you so much for sharing your creative and delicious recipes!
I make this for every meal train I do and everyone loves it! Easy enough but still feels a little extra. Chicken comes out tender and juice and the sauce is unique. I serve with a side of roasted potatoes and carrots and bread!