Baked Teriyaki Chicken Thighs

Teriyaki Chicken Thighs made with just four basic ingredients in the oven for the most tender, crispy, delicious mouth-watering meal. Serve it up with your choice of side dishes for a meal that never gets old!

Crispy baked teriyaki chicken thighs made with four whole ingredients…could life get any sweeter??

Skin-on chicken thighs are a MAJOR thing in my house! I meal prep it in some fashion a couple of times per month.

We rave about my Basil Crispy Baked Chicken  to any captive audience…and let’s face it…the non-captive audiences as well. 

What I love about chicken thighs is they may just be the most goof-proof animal protein you can make. The bone plus the skin create a magnificent amount of flavor and almost guarantee a moist, tender result.

Even if you don’t add many ingredients (sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder is really all you need), and/or accidentally over-cook them, chicken thighs are there to enhance the day, every day. Just let this easy baked teriyaki chicken recipe or my Easy Baked Chicken or  Lemon Rosemary Braised Chicken Thighs show you the way!

And this teriyaki chicken is just so flavorful! Packed with that sultry, sweet, umami flavor that makes your taste buds swoon, and protein-forward to keep us energized.

It’s easy to prepare, easy to reheat with veggies and/or rice, and even easier to make in bulk!

If you have kids at home who aren’t in love with animal protein, but you would like them to get more, this is a fabulous way to entice littles into eating their chicken! Just serve it up with an extra drizzle of teriyaki sauce and they’ll be glued to it!

Let’s chat about these four simple ingredients.

Teriyaki Chicken Ingredients:

Chicken: I use bone-in skin-on chicken thighs for this recipe, but you can also go with any bone-in pieces you like. While boneless breasts do work, they will have less flavor so be sure to marinate them for a good long while before baking.

Avocado Oil: Used to add flavor to the chicken and also to protect it during the baking process. Because there is sweetener in teriyaki sauce, which tends to burn during baking, avocado oil will help ensure there isn’t too much burnage, but rather a nice caramelization. 

Paleo Teriyaki Sauce (or Coconut Aminos): To keep the recipe paleo, use your favorite homemade Paleo Teriyaki Sauce, store-bought Paleo Teriyaki Sauce, or straight Coconut Aminos. If you aren’t concerned about the chicken being paleo-friendly, use your favorite store-bought teriyaki sauce!

Garlic: Fresh chopped garlic adds a great deal of spunk to the chicken! If you don’t have fresh garlic on hand, substitute it for 1 teaspoon of garlic powder or onion powder.

Let’s make it!

How to Make Teriyaki Chicken Thighs:

Add the chicken, avocado oil, teriyaki sauce (or coconut aminos) and garlic to a zip lock bag and seal. Move the contents of the bag around until everything is well-distributed and chicken is saturated with marinade.

Refrigerate at least one hour, up to 24 hours (I allow mine to marinate overnight).

When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. 

Transfer the chicken (including the marinade) to a large casserole dish, leaving the chicken in a single layer.

Bake for 40 minutes then increase the oven temperature to 420 degrees F and bake another 5 to 10 minutes, or until the skin is crispy and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

 

Serve with your choice of side dishes, and enjoy!

Serving Suggestions:

Here are some of my favorite sides to eat alongside teriyaki chicken.

• Teriyaki Vegetable Stir Fry with Rice
• Cabbage Stir Fry
• Turmeric Roasted Cauliflower
• Kimchi Fried Rice
• Spaghetti Squash Stir Fry

Enjoy this crazy simple, flavor-blasted healthy dinner recipe!