These simple and deliciously Baked Boneless Chicken Thighs are tender and moist on the inside and crispy on the outside. They are so much tastier and less expensive than chicken breast meat and are extremely easy to cook. Serve them with Bulgur Pilavi (Turkish Bulgur Pilaf) and a bowl of Cacik (Turkish Yoghurt With Cucumbers) or Orzo Pasta Salad for a meal everyone will love.
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The perfectly cooked, juicy chicken thighs, and delicious Mediterranean vegetables in this one-pan roasted dish are satisfying every time! This oven-baked chicken dish is perfect for a meal prep that you will find yourself making regularly.
Why This Recipe Works?
- You can prepare baked boneless thighs a couple of days ahead and bake them just before serving.
- This oven-baked chicken dish with vegetables is very easy to make with step-by-step pictures and instructions.
- It is a whole meal all in one dish, a deliciously marinated chicken over a bed of Mediterranean vegetables.
- The leftovers will keep for up to five days when refrigerated or for up to three months when frozen.
- You can use any part of the chicken for this dish, they all will taste delicious!
- Use your air fryer to cook your vegetables to make them quicker and healthier.
- Chicken thighs produce delicious natural pan juices that blend into the sauce while baking.
Ingredients and Substitutes
- Chicken Thighs - I use skinless, boneless chicken thighs for this recipe. Pat them dry with a paper towel, do not rinse. You can substitute them with drumsticks or even make a mixture of both, they both will cook at the same time. If you want to use bone-in chicken thighs, add extra 10-15 minutes to the cooking time.
- Olive oil - I use cooking olive oil instead of extra virgin olive oil for the marinade. It adds flavour to the meat and keeps it moist.
- Tomato paste - It is the staple of Turkish cooking. It adds an umami flavour to the dishes as well as a bright red colour. You can find it in Turkish or Middle Eastern shops or buy it online from Amazon .
- Yoghurt - It helps the chicken get tender&melt in the mouth.
- Aubergines - Pick slightly firm but not hard aubergines with a shiny&smooth skin and peel them in stripes like a zebra pattern. Small ones are better as they have fewer seeds, thinner skin, and tend to be sweeter, tenderer and less bitter.
- Potatoes - You can use any type of potatoes (including sweet potatoes) you have in hand.
- Peppers - I generally use red pepper for this dish but you can use any of your favourites.
- Tomatoes - Use the best tomatoes you can find (like plum tomatoes).
Step-by-Step Instructions
Making this delicious oven baked boneless chicken thighs is very simple and straightforward. However, to achieve the best results you need to follow a few tips and simple steps:
Marinate the Chicken Thighs
Pat dry the chicken thighs with a paper towel, don't be tempted to rinse your chicken! Combine one tablespoon of olive oil, yoghurt, chilli flakes, tomato paste, freshly ground black pepper and salt in a large bowl.
Add the chicken thighs into the bowl and mix them well until all chicken pieces are covered with marinade. Cover the bowl and let the chicken thighs marinate for half an hour while preparing the vegetables. Marinate them overnight if you have time.
Prepare The Vegetables
Wash your aubergines and pat dry them with a towel. Peel them in a zebra pattern and slice them 1 cm in thickness. Set them aside. Peel the potatoes and slice them slightly thinner than the aubergines.
Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan on medium-high heat and fry the aubergines until slightly browned on both sides and cooked halfway through. Place them on a colander or a paper towel to get rid of excess oil. Add some more oil to the pan if needed, and repeat the same with the potatoes and peppers.
Alternatively, you can use your air fryer for the vegetables. Set your air fryer to "air fry" mode to 190 °C and fry the aubergines, potatoes and peppers until slightly browned and cooked halfway through.
Build The Dish
Arrange the aubergines on the bottom of your dish and lightly season with salt and pepper. Spread the potatoes on top of the aubergines and sprinkle on some more seasoning.
Slice the tomatoes and arrange them along with the red peppers on top of the potatoes. Remove the chicken thighs from the marinade (reserve the marinade) and nicely arrange them on top of the tomatoes in a single layer.
Mix 150 ml of water with the reserved marinade in the bowl, and spread it on top of the chicken thighs. Place the dish in preheated oven and bake it for 40 to 45 minutes, until the chicken is nicely charred and the vegetables are softened.
Related Recipes
For more scrumptious & easy chicken recipes why not try:
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container refrigerated for up to five days. Alternatively, you can place them in a freezer-safe container or Ziploc bag and freeze them for up to three months.
Depending on the size, it might take between 20 minutes to 40 minutes to cook chicken thighs. The safest way to understand if they are cooked is to use a meat thermometer and make sure you bake them until the internal temperature reaches 74 °C (165 °F) degrees.
Yes, this dish can be prepared with raw vegetables if you don't have time to pre-fry them. However, frying the vegetables before roasting them intensifies the flavours.
Top Tip From The Chef
You can use other cuts of chicken including, drumsticks, wings, or breasts. However, different cuts of chicken will require different cook times. Use a meat thermometer to make sure the chicken pieces are cooked thoroughly until the core temperature reaches 74 °C (165 °F) degrees.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this delicious Oven Roasted Boneless Chicken Thigh dish as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet Olsun!
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
Baked Boneless Chicken Thighs
Equipment
Ingredients
For Marinating the Chicken Thighs
- 8 chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ tablespoon yoghurt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon flaked chilli (pul biber)
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the Vegetables
- 2 large aubergines (around 700 grams)
- 3 medium potatoes (around 500 grams)
- 1 large red romano pepper (chunky diced)
- 2 large tomatoes
- ⅓ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup oil for frying
- 150 ml vegetable stock or water
Instructions
Marinate the Chicken Thighs
- Pat dry the chicken thighs with a paper towel, don't be tempted to rinse your chicken!
- Combine one tablespoon of olive oil, yoghurt, chilli flakes, tomato paste, freshly ground black pepper and salt in a large bowl.
- Add the chicken thighs into the bowl and mix them well until all chicken pieces are covered with marinade.
- Cover the bowl and let the chicken thighs marinate for half an hour while preparing the vegetables.
Prepare the Vegetables
- Wash your aubergines and pat dry them with a towel.
- Peel them in a zebra pattern and slice them 1 cm in thickness. Set them aside.
- Peel the potatoes and slice them slightly thinner than the aubergines.
- Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan on medium-high heat and fry the aubergines until slightly browned on both sides and cooked halfway through.
- Place them on a colander to get rid of excess oil.
- Add some more oil to the pan if needed, and repeat the same with the potatoes and peppers.
- Alternatively, you can use your air fryer for the vegetables. Set your air fryer to "air fry" mode to 190 °C and fry the aubergines, potatoes and peppers until slightly browned and cooked halfway through.
Build The Dish
- Arrange the aubergines on the bottom of your dish and lightly season with salt and pepper.
- Spread the potatoes on top of the aubergines and sprinkle on some more seasoning.
- Slice the tomatoes and arrange them along with the red peppers on top of the potatoes.
- Remove the chicken thighs from the marinade (reserve the marinade) and nicely arrange them on top of the tomatoes in a single layer.
- Mix 150 ml of water with the reserved marinade in the bowl, and spread it on top of the chicken thighs.
- Place the dish in preheated oven and bake it for 40 to 45 minutes, until the chicken is nicely charred and the vegetables are softened.
Joan
Thank you for sharing this recipe. Putting this in the weekday dinner recipe book!
Mandy
This was easy to make& it came out so juicy & flavourful! Very delicious! I will definitely make this again!!