Ranch Chicken Thighs only take a few ingredients and are full of flavor. Boneless skinless chicken thighs are coated in this favorite seasoning then baked.

Ingredients

The ingredient list for this chicken recipe is short and simple. We’re using boneless skinless chicken thighs, ranch dressing seasoning mix, garlic powder, and oil. That’s it!

If you have bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, take a look at this Air Fryer Ranch Chicken Thighs recipe. The timing isn’t too different, but I think the air fryer recipe especially helps get that skin crispy.

Forgot to set out the thighs to thaw? Find out how to defrost chicken thighs fast.

Making Homemade Ranch Seasoning

Don’t have a packet of ranch dressing mix? You can make your own ranch seasoning if you’d like to control the ingredients and flavors a little more. You can mix up a whole batch to have on hand, or you’ll find instructions for making just enough for a recipe like this one. That amount is 2 tablespoons, which is the same as what is in a 1 ounce packet.

To make the dry ranch dressing mix, you need dried dill, chives, parsley, onion powder, thyme, and garlic powder. There’s optional buttermilk powder as well to really get that creamy ranch flavor, but it’s not necessary if you don’t have it already.

The bonus of making your own is you can use it to make ranch dressing or dip, add it to other chicken or fish dishes, or even sprinkle on french fries. So tasty!

How Long To Bake Chicken Thighs

These will be cooked at the fairly high temperature of 425°F, so they will only actually take around 20 – 25 minutes to cook through. Always be sure to check that the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken reaches 165°F on an instant read thermometer so you know it’s cooked all the way through.

How to Make Ranch Chicken Thighs

For easy clean up, you’ll want to prepare a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Then we’re going to season the inside of each thigh.

To do that, first, notice that your chicken thighs are probably in little bundles. That’s because they removed the bone and then folded it back around where the bone was. Unroll that and then season the side that was interior with 1/2 teaspoon of ranch seasoning. Then roll it back up the way it was, but now it’s seasoned inside. Put it onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with all the thighs, seasoning each one with 1/2 teaspoon just on the inside.

Now you’ll have about 1 tablespoon of ranch seasoning left. To that you’ll be adding some olive oil and garlic powder. This turns it into a paste that you can brush onto the outsides of the chicken thighs. The oil is in there to help brown the chicken and so that the seasoning doesn’t dry out too much.

From here, you’ll just bake until each is cooked through which should take around 20-25 minutes. To get the chicken a little golden brown with a slight crisp, place under the broiler for about 5 minutes.

This post originally appeared in August 2020 and was revised and republished in September 2023.