Go Back

Creamy Oven Baked Chicken Thighs

Creamy oven baked chicken thighs with golden, crispy skin baked in a silky garlicky cream sauce that thickens and bubbles around the meat. Garlic, herbs, and Parmesan create a rich cream sauce you can spoon over every bite.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 850
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
  • 6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
seasonings
  • 1 Salt to taste
  • 1 pepper to taste
  • 1 garlic powder to taste
  • 1 smoked paprika to taste
  • 1 Italian seasoning to taste
olive oil
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
garlic and liquids
  • 4 garlic, minced
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup heavy cream
cheese and dried herbs
  • 1.5 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
garnish
  • 1 Fresh parsley for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 Cast iron skillet
  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep and preheat
  1. Preheat oven to 400°F and set aside a baking-ready spot for the skillet. Season chicken thighs generously on all sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and Italian seasoning.
Sear chicken for crispy skin
  1. Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Place chicken skin-side down and sear for 6-7 minutes until skin is deeply golden and crispy.
  2. Flip the chicken and sear for 3 more minutes to brown the second side. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.
Build the garlicky cream sauce
  1. In the same pan, cook the minced garlic for 1 minute until fragrant. Add chicken broth and deglaze, scraping up the browned bits.
  2. Stir in heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, dried Italian seasoning, and dried thyme. Cook just until the cheese melts and the sauce looks smooth and evenly speckled.
Bake
  1. Nestle chicken thighs skin-side up into the cream sauce. Make sure the thighs are partially surrounded so the sauce can thicken around them.
  2. Bake uncovered for 25-28 minutes at 400°F until internal temperature reaches 165°F. The sauce should be thickened and bubbly around the chicken.
Serve
  1. Remove from the oven and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve hot directly from the baking dish with the creamy sauce spooned over the thighs.

Notes

For the richest sauce, keep the chicken skin-side down during searing so the fat renders and turns deeply golden; don’t move the thighs in the pan until the first sear time is up. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days and reheat gently in a skillet at low heat, adding a splash of broth if the sauce thickens too much. Freezing: not recommended because cream sauce can break when thawed and reheated. Dietary swap: use half-and-half instead of heavy cream for a lighter sauce (sauce may be slightly thinner).