Oven-Baked Chicken
Updated May 22, 2025
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These oven-baked chicken pieces are everything you want in a no-fuss, weeknight dinner. Coated in a smoky, savory seasoning blend and roasted until golden, the chicken comes out juicy, tender, and perfectly seasoned in every bite.
This is a reader favorite, right alongside its cousins, my baked artichoke chicken and honey soy chicken.
Juicy Oven-Baked Chicken Recipe
Using a whole chicken cut into parts, this oven-baked chicken recipe delivers moist dark meat and tender white meat. Starting hot and finishing low results in juicy bone-in, skin-on pieces with golden, crispy skin, but the real star is the chicken seasoning: a smoky, savory blend of paprika, garlic, and herbs gives every bite big flavor without store-bought packets. This is an easy chicken dinner that pairs with loads of sides, from potatoes and salad to roasted veggies.
If you ask me, baked chicken is classic comfort food done right. For a delicious way to roast a whole chicken instead of pieces, check out my spatchcock chicken and air fryer rotisserie chicken.
What You’ll Need
This easy oven-baked chicken recipe uses bone-in chicken pieces and a savory combo of herbs and spices. Scroll to the recipe card for the exact measurements.
- Chicken – For this recipe, you’ll need a 3- to 4-pound whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces. Make sure the pieces are bone-in and skin-on. You can remove the skin before eating if you’d like, but keeping it on during cooking ensures that the chicken stays juicy.
- Oil – You can use regular olive oil or cooking spray if you’d prefer.
- Spices – Smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, and thyme create a simple, flavorful chicken seasoning blend. If you cook a lot of chicken, scale the amounts and store it airtight in the pantry to use on baked chicken breasts or air fryer chicken thighs. See the Variations section later for more seasoning ideas.
- Chopped Fresh Parsley – Optional, for garnish. Fresh thyme tastes great here, too.
Cutting Up a Whole Chicken
Cutting a whole chicken into 8 pieces requires a large, very sharp chef’s knife or kitchen shears that can cut through bone. Pat the chicken dry beforehand and use a clean cutting board. I’ve found helpful YouTube tutorials that walk through how to break down a chicken into drumsticks, thighs, wings, and breasts.
If you’re uncomfortable cutting a whole chicken yourself, ask your local butcher or the meat counter at your grocery store to prepare it for you. You can also buy pre-cut chicken thighs, legs, and breasts to use instead.
How to Bake Chicken Pieces
Once you have your chicken pieces, follow the easy steps below to bake them to crispy perfection.
- Get ready to bake. While the oven preheats to 400ºF, take your chicken out of the fridge. Let it rest at room temperature for 20 minutes to take the chill off.
- Season the chicken. Pat the chicken with paper towels so it’s dry (this helps the spices adhere). Coat the chicken pieces all over with olive oil or cooking spray, then mix the spices and rub them over the chicken. Arrange the chicken pieces skin-side up in a greased baking dish. Leave enough room between the chicken for the hot air to circulate, which crisps the skin.
- Bake high, then low. Bake your chicken pieces at 400ºF for 30 minutes. Then, lower the oven temperature to 350ºF. Bake for 10-20 minutes more so the chicken cooks through. For crispier browned chicken skins, broil the chicken for the last 3-5 minutes.
- Rest and serve. Take your chicken out of the oven, tent with foil, and let the baked chicken rest for 8-10 minutes before serving.
How Long to Bake Chicken in the Oven
For this recipe, you’ll bake the chicken pieces for 45 to 55 minutes in total, depending on the size and thickness of the pieces. Bone-in, skin-on cuts like thighs and drumsticks take a bit longer, but that higher heat helps the skin crisp up while keeping the inside juicy.
Recipe Tips and Variations
- Check the chicken for doneness. To be sure it’s cooked through, use a meat thermometer. You’re looking for an internal temperature of 165ºF in the thickest part.
- Rest the baked chicken before you cut into it. This lets the juices redistribute and keeps it moist and flavorful. Don’t skip this step!
- Turn the pan juices into gravy. The pan drippings from oven-baked chicken are delicious drizzled over rice or whatever side you like. If there’s enough left over, you can even turn the juices into a gravy, following the same directions as my turkey gravy with pan drippings.
- Swap the seasonings. Instead of standard chicken seasoning, adapt the flavors of this oven-baked chicken with Cajun spice, Jamaican jerk seasoning, or taco seasoning.
- Add a marinade. If you have time, soak the chicken pieces in your favorite chicken marinade for 30 minutes up to 1 hour before cooking. Try the marinades from my tandoori chicken bowls, lemongrass chicken, and Italian dressing chicken.
What to Serve With Oven-Baked Chicken
This baked chicken recipe makes a wonderful weeknight dinner and leftovers are great for meal prep! See below for Storage tips, but for now, here are some of my favorite serving ideas:
- Veggies: You can’t go wrong with skillet zucchini and mushrooms, garlicky steamed broccoli, or sautéed broccolini. This stacked roasted eggplant is another favorite side.
- Pasta: Baked chicken goes perfectly with saucy pasta recipes like spicy rigatoni vodka and my one-pot Caprese pasta. This garlic butter asparagus pasta is another favorite.
- Potatoes: Nothing says “comfort food” like juicy baked chicken and a pile of fluffy buttermilk mashed potatoes! I also love these cheesy potatoes and crispy garlic parmesan roasted potatoes.
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Oven-Baked Chicken
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Ingredients
- 3 to 4 pounds whole chicken, cut into 6 to 8 pieces, bone-in and skin-on (I used 4 drumsticks, 2 bone-in chicken thighs, and 2 bone-in chicken breasts)
- Olive oil or cooking spray
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Get ready to bake. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Take the chicken out of the fridge 20 minutes before you’re ready to cook. Lightly grease a baking sheet or a baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Season the chicken. Pat dry the chicken pieces with paper towels. Grease the chicken pieces with cooking spray or a drizzle of olive oil. In a small mixing bowl, combine salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, and oregano; mix to combine. Sprinkle chicken pieces with the prepared seasoning; rub it all around.
- Bake at 400ºF. Transfer the chicken to the previously prepared baking dish, and arrange the chicken skin-side up. Leave a little bit of space between the chicken pieces. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
- Lower the oven temperature to 350ºF. Continue to cook for 10 to 20 more minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken registers at 165˚F. I highly recommend using an Instant Read Meat Thermometer for accuracy.
- Crisp the skin (optional). If you’d like a crispier browned skin, place the chicken under the broiler for the last 3 to 5 minutes.
- Rest. Remove from the oven. Transfer chicken pieces to a serving plate. Tent a piece of foil over the chicken and let it rest for 8 to 10 minutes before cutting. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Store and Reheat Extras
- Store in the fridge. Place leftover roasted chicken in an airtight container and refrigerate it for 3-4 days.
- To reheat. Put the chicken in a baking dish and cover it with foil. Bake it at 350°F until just heated through, removing the foil toward the end of the cooking time to crisp up the skin.
- Can I freeze it? Definitely! Start with cooled chicken. Take the meat off the bones and place it into a freezer bag, pressing out as much air as possible before sealing. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months, and thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
A keeper. So easy. Yum! Satisfying
I tried this at home it was amazing. The flavor was really good and skin the perfect crispness. I will be making this for a 100 seniors for our senior lunch
That’s great! I’m very happy you enjoyed this recipe! Thank YOU! 🙂
Great recipe and made for juicy chicken!
Thank YOU! I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
This recipe is excellent.. I used chicken thighs, they were crispy and very juice. It’s a keeper for sure.
Absolutely tasty and moist! I tripled the recipe using thighs and legs. Followed the directions and will make this again 100%.
I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
This is the roast chicken recipe that matches my memory flavor search! It is easy, delicious , and brings Sunday comfort to any night of the week. Husband raved as well. Thank you! I will definitely look for more from you. Much appreciated.
That’s wonderful! I’m very glad you and your husband enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
This was by no means a dry piece of baked chicken! Very flavorful combination of seasonings and cooking method . Temperature and time were spot on. Thank you !
I tried this recipe for the 1st time today. The paste on the chicken pieces make for a very very salty baked chicken. I would use less seasoning and definitely less salt if I made this again. I will have to salvage this chicken and make soup or sandwiches with it.
Thanks for the recipe! You’ve really got it down to a science!
I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Not sure about the recipe – it says whole chicken cut up – use 4 drum sticks along with other parts – since when does a chicken have 4 drum sticks???
My thoughts exactly. Also it says to tent it before cutting. Didn’t it say to cut pieces in the beginning?
Can you add BBQ sauce? Maybe when lowering the heat? Thanks!
Hi!
Yes, you can definitely brush some bbq sauce on the chicken pieces.
This was lovely! Thanks so much
I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂