- When I was a kid, I loved KFC. But my favorite part was the crispy skin that was full of herbs and flavor. And if I'm being honest, I probably ate a lot more
skin than I did actual meat. Well, I no longer eat KFC
for very obvious reasons. But I still love juicy, tender chicken and crispy, flavorful skin. And that's where today's recipe for my baked chicken thighs comes in. With a drizzle of avocado oil and a generous amount of herbs and spices, you can create crispy baked chicken that the whole family will love. And you can feel better knowing that it's a much healthier option. So let me show you how to make it. Start by taking your chicken
thighs out of the fridge about 20 minutes before
you plan to cook them. This helps bring them to room temperature, and room-temperature chicken
will cook more evenly and it will stay juicier
than cold chicken. So I'm just gonna transfer
my organic chicken thighs to a bowl and set that aside. There's also a misconception that you need to rinse chicken once you bring it home from the store. But as the USDA says, it would be impossible for
water to remove all bacteria, and rinsing the chicken
only cross-contaminates your kitchen and anything nearby. Such as your sink, faucet, and countertop. So rest assured the heat from cooking will kill any bacteria present, and you don't need to rinse the chicken. On the topic of washing, it should go without saying that I wash my hands numerous times
when I'm handling chicken. But I won't bore you and
show you every single time, so just know that I do. Alright, preheat your oven
to 425 degrees Fahrenheit, and then get all of your spices out. We're using a good amount
of spices in this recipe, which makes the chicken
enormously flavorful, and helps to add that
crunch factor to the skin. In a small bowl, add two teaspoons of garlic powder, two teaspoons of onion powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons of paprika, one teaspoon of oregano, one teaspoon of thyme, one teaspoon of salt, and a half a teaspoon of black pepper. You can also use Italian seasoning in place of the oregano
and thyme if you have that. Then give the spices a stir to combine. You can see that the chicken
has beads of moisture on it as it comes to room temperature, and we want to make sure
that it's completely dry, as dry skin equals crispy skin. So just use a paper towel or
two to blot the chicken dry. Add two tablespoons of
avocado oil to the chicken, and give the chicken a stir to make sure that it's well-coated. I always prefer avocado
oil when I'm baking, but you could use olive oil as well. Then add about 2/3 of the
spices to the chicken. I tend to add 1/3 of the
spices, then give it a stir, and add another 1/3 of the
spices and give it a stir. Just to make sure all of
the thighs are well-coated. And don't forget to get under the skin and add some spices there as well. (upbeat instrumental music) To ensure the chicken thighs stay nice and crispy while baking, add a rack on top of your baking sheet. This will allow the juices to drip down and the air to circulate
all around the chicken. I also recommend a heavy-duty baking sheet if you don't already have one, as it won't warp and twist while baking. And I'll link one in the
description box below. So just add your chicken
thighs to the rack, and try to keep your skin
nice and smooth on top. Then sprinkle the
remaining 1/3 of the spices on top of the chicken thighs, and use your fingers to
really pat it in good. This is gonna help give us
that golden crispy skin, and it is so packed with flavor. Bake the chicken in
the middle of your oven for 35 to 40 minutes. It should be beautiful
and golden when it's done, but you can always turn on the top broiler as well for a minute or two. The biggest mistake people
make when cooking chicken is that they overcook it. Chicken is done at 165 degrees Fahrenheit. But chicken continues to cook once it's removed from the oven. So I always try to take my chicken out at 160 degrees Fahrenheit, although it's 162 today. Knowing that the temperature will always raise that extra five degrees. Now the hardest part of this entire recipe is waiting a couple of minutes
for the chicken to cool. It will smell absolutely amazing, and you'll wanna dive right in. But do wait, as the juices will redistribute
inside the chicken, and this makes it extra juicy. If you're serving this up
for a party or gathering, you can transfer the chicken to a plate and garnish with a little fresh thyme. I'm excited to dig into this recipe, as it's one of my
favorite weeknight meals. And if you're looking for side dishes, you could make my baked sweet potatoes, my mashed cauliflower, or my garlic sauteed Swiss chard. And all of those recipes
are on my website. The outside of the chicken
is nice and crispy, and as you can see the
inside is tender and juicy. But the reality is, no one is gonna use a knife
and fork to eat this chicken. They're gonna pick it up and
dig right in as I usually do. (upbeat instrumental music) I hope you enjoyed today's video, and if you did, make sure to give it a thumbs-up and hit that subscribe button below so you don't miss next week's video. (upbeat instrumental music)
