Baked Chicken Thighs (With an Asian Twist)

Juicy, tender, and savory oven baked chicken thighs are a pretty easy dish that you can use to meal prep for later in the week.

📝 Ingredients

• 2 lbs chicken thighs (skin intact and deboned)
• 1/4 c soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• chili powder (optional)
• scallions (thinly sliced optional topping)
• Asian soy sauce glaze (optional)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Debone your chicken thighs and butterfly each piece so it lays evenly flat while keeping the skin intact.
2. 2Take your knife and pierce the chicken thighs about five or six times in about ¼ inch depth per pierce to help the marinade seep through. Transfer the chicken into a container with a lid.
3. 3Combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, minced garlic, onion powder, sesame oil, and black pepper in a small mixing bowl and stir to combine. Pour the marinade over the chicken and use tongs or your hands to make sure each chicken thigh is thoroughly coated.
4. 4Place the lid on top and transfer the marinating chicken in the fridge for at least two hours, turning the chicken over half way through.
5. 5Remove the chicken from the fridge and uncover the last 30 minutes before baking to come to room temperature for even baking.
6. 6Preheat the oven to 400 °F.
7. 7Transfer the chicken to a baking dish and place it on the middle rack of the oven.
8. 8Bake for about 20 minutes and check the internal temperature. Continue to cook until it reaches 155 °F and the skin is golden brown. This takes about 25-30 minutes in my oven. The chicken will typically reach 165 °F as it’s resting on the counter, but if you want to cook it to FDA standards, then pull the chicken at 165 °F.
9. 9Make the glaze while baking chicken.
10. 10Transfer the chicken onto a clean surface and let rest for 5-10 minutes then serve.