Creamy Oven Baked Chicken (Printer-friendly)

Juicy chicken thighs baked in a rich garlic parmesan cream sauce with herbs for a comforting weeknight dinner.

# What You'll Need:

→ Meats

01 - 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3½ lbs)

→ Dairy

02 - 1 cup heavy cream
03 - ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
04 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

→ Vegetables & Aromatics

05 - 4 garlic cloves, minced
06 - 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

→ Liquids

07 - ½ cup chicken broth

→ Spices & Seasonings

08 - 1 teaspoon kosher salt
09 - ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
10 - ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
11 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
12 - 1 teaspoon dried basil
13 - Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Position the rack in the center of the oven.
02 - Pat the chicken thighs thoroughly dry with paper towels. Combine salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, dried thyme, and dried basil in a small bowl. Rub the seasoning blend evenly over all surfaces of each chicken thigh.
03 - Melt the butter in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Place the chicken thighs skin side down and sear for 3–4 minutes until the skin is deeply golden and crisp. Flip each thigh and sear the opposite side for 2 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
04 - In the same skillet, add the chopped onion and sauté over medium heat for 2 minutes until softened. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until fragrant.
05 - Pour in the chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Stir in the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese, whisking gently until the sauce is smooth and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
06 - Nestle the seared chicken thighs back into the skillet, skin side up. Spoon some of the cream sauce over the top of each thigh to baste.
07 - Transfer the uncovered skillet to the preheated oven. Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until the chicken registers an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) and the sauce is bubbling around the edges.
08 - Remove from the oven and let rest for 2–3 minutes. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and serve immediately while hot.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The sauce reduces into something so velvety and rich that people will assume you stirred it for an hour when really the oven did all the work.
  • Leftovers reheat beautifully, and the flavor somehow deepens overnight, making it one of those rare dishes that tastes even better the next day.
  • Bone in, skin on thighs stay incredibly juicy and forgiving, so even if your timing is off by a few minutes, dinner still turns out great.
02 -
  • Do not skip the step of patting the chicken completely dry, because even slightly damp skin will steam instead of sear and you will lose that beautiful golden crust entirely.
  • Let the sauce simmer and thicken for a full minute before returning the chicken, because a too thin sauce will become watery in the oven rather than rich and coat worthy.
  • If your skillet is not oven safe, transfer the sauce to a baking dish before adding the chicken back, because discovering your handle is melting at 400 degrees is a lesson you only need once.
03 -
  • Take the chicken out of the fridge 20 minutes before cooking so it comes closer to room temperature, because cold chicken straight from the fridge sears unevenly and takes longer to cook through in the oven.
  • Taste the sauce before it goes into the oven and adjust the salt if needed, because Parmesan varies wildly in saltiness and a quick check now saves a bland finish later.

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