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Oven Baked Chicken Thighs with Bacon and Ranch are incredibly tender, juicy and flavorful and offer an easy, delicious, budget-friendly roasted dinner the whole family will love.
Baking chicken and potatoes, or more accurately, roasting chicken and potatoes brings out so much delicious, earthy flavor and makes the chicken juicy, moist and tender.
On the practical side, I really like to be able to just put everything in one baking dish and relax for a half-hour while the oven does all the work.
I know my readers like baking chicken as well because my Oven Baked Chicken Breast recipe is one of my most popular recipes on the blog along with my Cajun Blackened Chicken recipe.
Why am I using chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts in this recipe? That’s easy. The chicken thighs are more tender and juicy and are less likely to dry out when you bake them.
I especially like the bone-in chicken thighs because they are generally even more flavorful than boneless chicken thighs.
Another benefit to using chicken thighs is that they are typically less expensive than chicken breasts so you can keep that money in your wallet, or use it for other groceries you would like to buy.
I realize many people use chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs, and you could certainly use chicken breasts if you have those on hand.
You would just need to adjust the cooking time based on the size and thickness of the chicken breasts. You don’t want to overcook them because they tend to dry out easier than chicken thighs.
How To Bake Chicken Thighs with Bacon and Ranch?
- Coat the chicken with a little olive oil. It helps the seasoning to stick to the chicken and helps the chicken skin to crisp up.
- Season the chicken with the desired seasonings, in this case, dry ranch dressing mix and, optionally, cayenne pepper.
- Add the potatoes and vegetables around the chicken thighs and season them.
- Put the chicken in the oven and bake for the specified time. Scroll down to see the printable step by step instructions.
Watch this video on how to make Oven Baked Chicken Thighs with Bacon and Ranch.
How Long To Bake Chicken Thighs?
- If you are using bone-in chicken thighs, they will cook a little longer than the boneless, skinless chicken thighs. You want to be sure to cook the chicken thighs until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F., usually, that takes about 35 minutes at 400 degrees F but the cooking time may vary depending on your oven and the size of the chicken thighs.
- For boneless, skinless chicken breasts, you also want to cook them until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F but it will likely take less time, usually about 25 minutes at 400 degrees F.
How Do I make the Chicken Thigh Skin Crispy?
There are two ways that you can get crispy skin on the chicken thighs.
- Saute the chicken thighs, skin-side down, in a hot skillet, preferably a cast iron skillet, before baking in the oven
- After baking the chicken put it under the broiler for a minute or two and that will quickly crisp up and brown the chicken skin.
With both methods, be sure to watch the chicken closely so it does not burn.
What To Serve With The Oven Baked Chicken Thighs with Bacon and Ranch?
The best thing about this recipe is that you can add vegetables to the pan and let them cook with the chicken! Easy, peasy and you have the entire dinner ready when you take the pan out of the oven. Here are some of our favorite sides to bake with the oven baked chicken thighs.
- Potatoes – Cut the white potatoes into bite-sized chunks and let it cook with the chicken. I use the same ranch seasoning on them and top them with bacon.
- Sweet Potatoes – If you prefer sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes, go for it. These bake up nicely alongside the chicken.
- Cauliflower – Roasted cauliflower is absolutely one of my favorite vegetables. Check out my Garlic Parmesan Oven Roasted Cauliflower recipe, or just add the cauliflower in the same pan as the chicken and add the same ranch seasoning and bacon.
- Onions – Slice up an onion and spread the onion slices throughout the pan of chicken. Keep the slices on the thick side. If you slice the onion too thin, they will cook too quickly and burn.
- Bell Peppers – Slice up a red or green bell pepper and let them cook with the chicken and use the same bacon and ranch seasoning.
- Broccoli – Cut a head of broccoli into florets and season them with the bacon and ranch seasoning and let them cook alongside the oven baked chicken thighs.
It is now your turn to cook this amazingly delicious Oven Baked Chicken Thighs with Bacon and Ranch. Just follow the step by step instructions below in the printable recipe. Then swing back by and leave a comment to let me know how you liked the recipe!
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Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 onion roughly chopped
- 1 bell pepper roughly chopped
- 2 lbs russet potatoes chopped in bite-sized pieces
- 8 slices bacon chopped in bite-sized pieces (about 1" pieces)
- 3 tbsp ranch dressing seasoning mix (or 1 store-bought packet)
- 1/2 tsp cayenne (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking pan with foil or spray with cooking spray.
- Use one Tablespoon oil to spread over the chicken. Sprinkle the chicken with the half the ranch dressing seasoning mix and (optionally) cayenne.
- Place the potatoes, chopped onions and bell peppers in a medium-sized bowl. Coat with the other tablespoon olive oil.
- Sprinkle the potatoes and vegetables with the other half of the ranch dressing seasoning mix and the cayenne (optional.)
- Place the chicken in the baking pan and spread the potatoes and vegetables around the chicken.
- Place the chopped uncooked bacon pieces on top of the chicken, potatoes and vegetables.
- Bake in a preheated oven for about 35 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Jackie says
Hi Michele
Do I saute both sides of the chicken or just the skin side of the chicken.
Michele says
Hi Jackie, That is an excellent question. It is a matter of preference. You can certain saute both sides of chicken if you prefer. However, the tip was for crispy skin and in that case, then it would only be required to saute the skin side of the chicken.
Kim Squier says
I do it on both sides in my cast iron, works great and seals in those juices!
Sonja says
This sounds delicious! I am wondering, though, if you think it could be adapted for “low and slow” baking, and if so, how I might go about that. I’m specifically looking for a recipe that can be in the oven for a minimum of two hours while we’re at church, and then be pretty much ready to serve as soon as we get home. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Michele says
Hi Sonja, the chicken thighs are probably going to cook too quickly in the oven for that purpose. I have not tried cooking them at a low temperature for a long time. You could, instead, try our Oven Roast Chicken recipe with a large whole chicken and it would likely be finished when you get back home. If you like the seasoning in this recipe, you can use the seasoning in this recipe and use it on the whole chicken.
Jill Moon says
The directions don’t say anything about sauting the chicken, but the comments do. Do I saute or not? My chicken thighs are boneless and skinless. Can I use them
in this recipe? They sound delicious!
Michele says
Hi Jill,
When I first wrote the recipe and prepared it, I did not sauté the chicken. It is not necessary. However, in a previous comment, I answered a question from someone who wanted to sauté the chicken. If you like crispy skin, then sauté it. If they are boneless and skinless, you don’t have to sauté.
Thanks,
Michele