30-Minute Baked Boneless Chicken Thighs
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Quick to prepare, this tasty baked boneless, skinless chicken thigh recipe with a homemade Dijon marinade cooks to perfection in about 30 minutes at 425 degrees. There’s no need to marinate the chicken before cooking. If you have time to let the chicken thighs marinate a few hours in the refrigerator during the day you’ll get the best flavor for less work. A delicious 30-minute recipe to add to your weeknight rotation.
Baked quick and easy chicken thigh recipes are my latest go-to chicken dish to make on weeknights.
This recipe pairs the juicy poultry with a crazy-simple pantry chicken thigh marinade 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.”
Jump to:
- Chicken thigh marinade ingredients
- How long to bake boneless chicken thighs
- What to serve with boneless chicken thighs
- Weeknight boneless chicken thigh recipes
Baking boneless, skinless chicken thighs
First, let’s talk briefly about 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, and can stand up to all kinds of sauces and spices.
I feel like there are endless delicious ways to cook them. I’ve created dozens of tasty ways to cook chicken thighs, including bone-in chicken thighs. I love seasoning them with all the Asian and Mediterranean flavors we’re crazy about.
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.
Mustard chicken marinade ingredients
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Dijon mustard
- Garlic
- Shallots
- Lemon juice
- Tomato paste
- Thyme: I love the flavor of fresh thyme, but you can substitute with fresh rosemary, dried thyme or herbs de Provence.
- Salt and black pepper
- Crushed red chili pepper
- Olive oil
Recipe steps
The prep could not be easier: First, grab a medium-sized baking dish just large enough to snugly hold 6-8 chicken thighs. A 2-quart capacity dish or pan is ideal.
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.
I use this all-purpose lightweight metal baking pan that goes from fridge to oven to table and it cleans up beautifully!
Put the chicken thighs in the pan, then mix up the marinade. Pour over the chicken and either bake immediately or cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours ahead.
How long to bake boneless chicken thighs
One of things that’s so great about boneless chicken thighs is that they don’t dry out if you want to bake, broil, grill or roast them.
Chicken thighs without the bone will cook through in 20-25 minutes at 425 degrees. And while they’re in the oven you can make a quick salad or side dish to go with them.
What to serve with baked chicken thighs
This recipe makes a simple, satisfying supper alongside a salad like my Tuscan Kale Chickpea Salad , Sauteed Broccoli with Garlic and Parmesan or Brown Butter Green Beans and some cooked grains like couscous or buttery orzo pasta.
For the most complete list of side dish ideas, check out 30+ Vegetable Side Dishes.There are even more ideas in my cookbook Family Style: Shared Plates for Casual Feasts!
More boneless chicken thigh recipes:
- Sweet Ginger Sticky Chicken Thighs: Incredible sweet and spicy Asian chicken thighs, grilled and glazed with a gingery sauce with peanuts. Serve with seasoned cucumbers, rice and a squeeze of lime.
- Sriracha Chicken and Broccoli: A quick, super-tasty chicken and broccoli stir-fry with green broccoli florets and tender chicken in a spicy sesame sauce.
- One Pan Tuscan Chicken with White Beans: A hearty, one-pan braised boneless chicken, white beans and Tuscan kale with sourdough and chunky tomato sauce.
- Moroccan Orange Sheet Pan Chicken: An easy, tasty weeknight meal —chicken with Moroccan spices, fresh orange and carrots.
30-Minute Baked Boneless Chicken Thighs
Equipment
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.
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.
Nutrition
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.
Quick, easy, and delicious! Served with couscous. Great weeknight meal – will be adding to rotation!
So good!
Delicious and easy. Made as written. Will be making this again!
Delicious. I made this by the recipe with no substitutions. My shallots on top didn’t roast so next time I will slice them thinner and/or pop on the broiler for a few minutes. Very flavorful!!
So easy, so good! Used yellow onions. Served over leftover rice and orzo with a layer of spinach. The marinade was spot on!
Instead of suggesting cooking spray (container wastes resources, manufacturing it pollutes, and even if everybody puts their cans out for recycle, they may end up in landfill) and aluminum foil (eminently recycleable, but manufacturing pollutes, and let’s be honest: how many people actually put it in the recycle?) — would you consider recommending parchment paper? It’s cheap as anything, and can be put in municipal compost pick-up, if available, and the box can be put in paper recycle (removing the strip of sharp aluminum teeth) — ?
I’m so disappointed at how few online recipe sites give the slightest thought to reducing waste and pollution.
Yes, absolutely parchment paper is an option. The only time I advise against using it is when the pan is placed close to the heating element (such as when broiling) because it can catch fire.
This recipe is a keeper. The only thing I would change is I would use sweet onions instead of the shallots. My shallots got bitter and didn’t really add anything to the taste. I made asparagus and baby roasted potatoes. Everything was prepped ahead and went into the oven for an easy meal. I would serve over rice next time, because there was a surprising amount of liquid when it was finished cooking.
This recipe was amazing! My husband and I absolutely loved it! The tanginess of the mustard and lemon were simply out of this world. So easy, yet I would definitely make this for company. We are low carb right now so I just served it with green beans but it would be delicious with noodles too. The other thing I did was that since the marinade was tomato based, I added shredded mozzarella on the top of the thighs and it was so good! Thanks for this recipe!
Great recipe. I left out the chile flakes because my husband thinks he can’t tolerate them. It was full and savory nonetheless, and we both loved it. I added a little more olive oil and lemon juice to help it stretch a little farther. Thanks.
Lots of compliments! And the leftovers brought questions for the recipe from my husband’s colleague 🙂
thanks for the recipe I made it it was delicious and so easy!!
Easy, excellent. Made with roasted carrots and lentils. Also toasted a slice of 7 grain bread to mop it up
Very easy. Loved the flavors. Will definitely make it again.
I did not include the chili pepper, and it still had so much flavor after marinating for 24 hours – it was a hit and I will definitely make it again!
Loved it! Sending it to my daughter who came today for dinner and wants tomakeitfor her boyfriend,
Wonderful!Thanks for sharing, Carmen
I am not a mustard fan, but my husband is, so I gave this recipe a try for him. Wow! It is delicious!! It is now a family favorite even for this (former) mustard snob – lol. Blended with all the other ingredients it makes the most delectable sauce and the chicken could not be more tender or flavorful. Add in the ease of making and baking this and it is an all around winner! Thanks so much for this recipe.
forgot one thing- I added fresh pitted dates to the recipe. We find that adding them to almost any dish adds a dimension and appeal especially to the younger family members.
Thanks for sharing that tip – I wouldn’t have thought to add dates!
fast, easy to prepare, and the best thing- everyone from grandparents(that’s me) to grand children love it. I just took down the amount of pepper , but that’s all. guests asked for the recipe and that’s not something that happens all the time.