Balsamic Baked Chicken Thighs are marinated in rich and bold balsamic marinade, seared, and then baked in it as well! These tender, juicy chicken thighs make a perfect easy dinner recipe and you can make it with mushrooms and tomatoes or other veggies.
For more chicken thighs recipes, check out my ginger peach baked chicken thighs and Asian baked chicken thighs.
Table of Contents
I wish you could smell this chicken recipe through the computer! When baking these balsamic chicken thighs, the aroma that fills the home is unreal! Garlic, fresh herbs and balsamic vinegar really create the best scent. The best part is that it all tastes even better than it smells!
I know you’ll also be a huge fan of just how easy this chicken recipe is. The thighs only need about 20 minutes to marinate, then sear it, and off into the oven to bake to perfection. It’s a great weeknight dinner for those crazy evenings when you need something simple. However, it can also be fancy enough to serve at dinner parties with friends, just get some extra side dishes.
Just note that you’ll need an oven-safe skillet, oven-safe pan, or an oven-proof baking dish. If you use a baking dish, you won’t have to alter time or temperature. Also, the exact time for baking does depend on the size of your chicken thighs. If you’re using large and plump ones, you’ll have to give it a little more time to bake it all the way through.
Ingredient Notes and Tips
Chicken Thighs – This recipe calls for bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. Scroll down just a little bit to see notes on other cuts of chicken!
Balsamic Vinegar – If you have any left over, use it to make my favorite balsamic vinaigrette.
Tomatoes – Cherry tomatoes are my favorite to use, but grape tomatoes also work well. It is better to use small tomatoes and leave them whole, rather than cutting.
Garlic – For the best flavor, be sure to use fresh garlic (not pre-minced).
Lemon Juice – Freshly squeezed lemon juice will provide a stronger acidity to tenderize the chicken and a better tasting flavor than bottled lemon juice.
Mushrooms – Feel free to use any mushrooms that you like best. You’ll just want to make sure they’re all cut into evenly sized pieces.
See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Use Other Cuts of Chicken
If you’re using chicken drumsticks, the bake time and instructions will be the same.
For chicken leg quarters, the bake time will be a few minutes longer, so make sure to check internal temperature with an instant read meat thermometer.
PRO TIP: Chicken should be cooked to at least 165° internal temperature. When checking temperature of the bone-in chicken, make sure to get the reading close to the bone but not touching the bone.
Boneless chicken breasts will take much less time, of course. Bake chicken breasts for 15-20 minutes total time, flipping halfway through. The time needed to cook chicken breasts will range according to the size and thickness of the breasts, so judge by the biggest one.
How to Make Balsamic Baked Chicken Thighs
Marinate the chicken thighs. Place the chicken thighs into a large mixing bowl. Add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, pressed garlic, thyme, and salt. Mix well so that the chicken is evenly coated. Marinate for about 20 minutes (1).
Sear the chicken. Preheat a large cast iron skillet or a large stove-to-oven cooking pan over medium to medium-high heat. Drizzle some oil into the preheated pan and add marinated chicken thighs (leave the marinade in a bowl for now). Sear the thighs for about a minute on one side, until nicely seared and flip (2).
Add the marinade. Once you flip the chicken thighs, let them sear another minute or so and pour in the remaining marinade (3).
Bake. Transfer the pan into the preheated oven. Bake chicken in the oven at 425°F for about 20 minutes.
Add veggies. Mix the tomatoes and mushrooms with olive oil and some salt. Carefully take the pan out of the oven, flip chicken thighs, and add tomatoes and mushrooms (5). Bake for another 15-20 minutes. The internal temperature of fully cooked chicken is 165°F.
How to Make It Ahead of Time
It’s easy to combine the marinade/sauce with chicken and place it in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours. You can do it in the morning and just bake it for dinner time too.
A few notes for making it ahead:
- Do NOT prepare it ahead in a cast iron skillet! Use a baking dish instead.
- Don’t add mushrooms and tomatoes until ready to make. Cut the mushrooms and add cherry tomatoes into the pan right before baking, and bake it all together.
- Try not to let it sit in the marinade for longer than 10-12 hours because the sauce is quite acidic.
Serving Suggestions
Rice and pasta are wonderful side dishes to serve with baked chicken thighs! They’ll soak up the sauce. For a lighter side, try using quinoa, farro, couscous or cauliflower rice.
Add some more roasted or pan seared vegetables on the side too. Green beans, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, and zucchini will all compliment this balsamic chicken.
Recipe FAQs
Store any leftovers in an airtight food storage container in the refrigerator. When properly stored, cooked chicken should last 3-4 days. To reheat these chicken thighs, you can use a microwave. Reheat it covered either with a microwave-safe lid or another plate and heat it just until hot throughout.
Yes, all of the ingredients in this recipe should already be gluten free! As always, double check the nutritional information on the packaging of the ingredients to make sure they are gluten free.
Absolutely! You can choose to omit tomatoes or mushrooms or simply add some more. Try mixing in chopped carrots, green beans, zucchini, onions or asparagus. Just make sure that you use a pan that is large enough.
More Baked Chicken Thighs Recipes
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Balsamic Baked Chicken Thighs Recipe
Ingredients
- 3-3.5 lbs bone-in chicken thighs 5-6 pieces
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice fresh preferably
- 4-5 garlic cloves pressed
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- salt
- black pepper
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes or more if you wish
- 1 cup cut mushrooms or more if you wish
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- salt
- black pepper
Instructions
- Place the chicken thighs into a large mixing bowl. Add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, pressed garlic, thyme and salt. Mix well so that the chicken is evenly coated. Marinate for about 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425°.
- Preheat a large cast iron skillet or a large stove-to-oven cooking pan over medium to medium-high heat.
- Drizzle some oil into the preheated pan and add marinated chicken thighs (leave the marinate in a bowl for now). Sear the thighs for about a minute on one side, until nicely seared and flip.
- Once you flip the chicken thighs, let them sear another minute or so and pour in the remaining marinate.
- Transfer the pan into the preheated oven. Bake chicken in the oven for about 20 minutes.
- Mix the tomatoes and mushrooms with olive oil and some salt. Carefully take the pan out of the oven, flip chicken thighs, and add tomatoes and mushrooms. Bake for another 15-20 minutes. (Internal temperature of the chicken should reach 165°.)
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in February 2013.
Bre says
Can you freeze this and cook at a later time?
lyuba says
Hi Bre,
Do you meant the whole dish? It’s actually very simple to prep, only takes a few minutes. You can always mix the marinade and chicken in the morning and put it in the fridge to marinade, and then cook at night.
I hope this helps!
Thank you
maria says
I tried this last night and it was a HIT!!! And oh so easy!! . It is not spicy but has lots of flavors. I served it with jasmine rice and a Caesar salad. Also I didn’t have any cherry tomatoes but I did have roama tomatoes so I diced tomatoes about 1 cup.
lyuba says
I’m so happy you liked it, Maria! Thank you 🙂
I love jasmine rice, I bet it was great!
Meredith says
I made this tonight, and it was a big hit with my family. I did not have tomatoes on hand, so next time I will try it that way. A delicious meal for a cold winter night, paired with tricolor pearled couscous and broccoli. Thank you!
lyuba says
Sounds like a wonderful pairing! I’m so happy to hear that everyone liked it! Thank you, Meredith!
Jenny says
Wow, I just came across this on Pinterest. After browsing your other entries I think I’ll be trying many of them!
lyuba says
I’m so glad you found me, Jenny! Welcome and I hope you like everything you make 🙂
Mel b says
This is one of my favorite recipes! I think this the easiest things I’ve ever made that also tastes gourmet!
Liz says
So many nice recipes. Thank you Lyuba.
Valerie Poulter says
WONDERFUL!!! Everyone flipped over dinner tonight and it couldn’t have been any easier to prepare!!
lyuba says
Oh my gosh! I’m so glad that everyone loved it 🙂 Thank you for coming back to let me know, Valerie!!
Ann Madden says
I made this tonight–fabulous. My husband is not a big poultry fan so it is difficult finding chicken recipes he likes other than it barbecued. He enjoyed this very much!
lyuba says
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that, Ann! Thank you for coming back to tell me!
Melanie P says
This recipe is everything. I made it earlier in the evening and it made the house smell amazing & it was a hit! Thank you for sharing!
lyuba says
Awe, that makes me so happy! I’m so glad it was a hit 🙂
Brooke says
looks good def pinning it! think it will work with breasts? And is that dried thyme?
lyuba says
Yes, Brooke, It would definitely work with chicken breast and dry thyme. Dark meat is just juicer and more flavorful, but breast will work too.
Aimee says
Made the roasted chicken with tomatoes and mushrooms for dinner tonight. Absolutely delicious and very easy prep. I used skinless organic thighs, without bone. Roasted in a cast iron skillet n the oven. Made organic orzo and dished the chicken over the orzo. I doubled the recipe, and there were no left overs! Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
lyuba says
Aimee, this makes me so happy! Thank you for coming back to tell me that your family enjoyed it. 🙂
Holly Lefevre (@504Main) says
My kids prefer thighs…and I am always on the hunt for new ways to fix them. Thanks. This looks delicious!
lyuba says
Thank you, Holly! I hope you and your kids will love it!