Southwest Buttermilk Baked Chicken Thighs

My Southwest Buttermilk Baked Chicken Thighs are packed with Southwest flavors the whole family loves, and it only takes 10 minutes to prepare! These oven baked chicken thighs make the perfect dinner all year round.

We love pairing oven baked chicken thighs with mashed potatoes and roasted broccoli.

Oven Baked Chicken Thighs

You are in for such a treat with these oven baked chicken thighs! This simple chicken recipe is a must make. Literally in the oven in 10 minutes. No fuss chicken that is so tender, you barely need your fork. With just a few pantry staples you are likely to have on hand, you’ll have a new dinner recipe in no time. Hope you enjoy!

Try my Crock Pot Chicken Thighs recipe too! Follow Picky Palate on Instagram for daily recipe inspiration.

chicken thighs in baking dish

What You’ll Need

You’ll need some easy to find ingredients to make oven baked chicken thighs. Be sure to see my recipe card located at the bottom of this post for full details.

  • boneless skinless chicken thighs– Look for chicken thighs near the chicken breast in the meat department of the grocery store. Get the package that is boneless and skinless.
  • cumin– Ground cumin can be found in the spices section of the grocery store. It is aromatic and a delicious smoky spice on chicken.
  • paprika- Paprika is another great spice that is perfect on chicken.
  • garlic salt– Look for the Lawry’s brand of garlic salt, it’s my favorite.
  • kosher salt– Kosher salt is a bit more coarse than the traditional table salt. I prefer it in my cooking and baking.
  • black pepper– For best tasting results use freshly ground black pepper.
  • buttermilk– No substitutes here, use the real buttermilk you get in the dairy section near the milk.

How To Make Oven Baked Chicken Thighs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place chicken thighs into a 9×13 inch baking dish.

Seasonings. Place cumin, paprika, garlic salt, salt and pepper into a small bowl. Mix to combine then sprinkle over tops of chicken thighs.

Buttermilk. Pour buttermilk over top, cover baking dish loosely with tin foil.

How Long To Cook Chicken Thighs

Cook. Cook for 1 hour. Remove and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with your favorite roasted vegetables and salad if desired.

Recipe Tips For Success

  • Prepare the seasonings for oven baked chicken thighs in advance to save some prep time.
  • Don’t substitute the buttermilk. Use real buttermilk from the dairy section, not the powder you mix with water.
  • The chicken thighs make great leftovers, shred the chicken and use for another dinner later in the week. It’s great in pasta, salad and sandwiches!

baked chicken thighs on serving plate

How To Serve Chicken Thighs

I served our chicken with a variety of roasted vegetables such as asparagus and even corn on the cob. Oven baked chicken thighs are also delicious with baked potatoes. Simple and satisfying, perfect for a home cooked Sunday dinner or any night of the week. Enjoy!

Storage Instructions

Refrigerate. Serve any leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Reheating Instructions. Reheat chicken on a heat proof plate, loosely covered in the microwave for 60 seconds, or until hot.

Try More Chicken Recipes

Southwest Buttermilk Baked Chicken Thighs

Southwest Buttermilk Baked Chicken Thighs

Add my Southwest Buttermilk Baked Chicken Thighs to your menu this week! This easy dinner recipe has punches of flavor the whole family loves, and it only takes 10 minutes to prepare!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 381kcal
Author: Jenny
Cost: $25
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Equipment

  • Oven
  • 9 x 13 inch baking dish
  • measuring cups
  • measuring spoons
  • mixing bowl

Ingredients

  • 10 boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon Lawry’s Garlic Salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup buttermilk

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place chicken thighs into a 9×13 inch baking dish. Place cumin, paprika, garlic salt, salt and pepper into a small bowl. Mix to combine then sprinkle over tops of chicken thighs. Pour buttermilk over top, cover baking dish loosely with tin foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with your favorite roasted vegetables and salad if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 381kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 57g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 275mg | Sodium: 1044mg | Potassium: 811mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 430IU | Calcium: 108mg | Iron: 3.4mg
Keywords: baked chicken thigh recipe, baked chicken thighs, baked chicken thighs recipe, boneless chicken thighs recipe, chicken thigh baked in oven, chicken thigh recipes, chicken thighs, chicken thighs recipe, how to bake chicken thighs

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photo collage oven baked chicken thighs

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93 Responses
  1. Tiffany

    Made this for dinner tonight and we loved the flavor. Took the full hour with boneless skinless thighs. Used only 8. The sauce was slightly curdles and would have made a delicious sauce/gravy if I had wanted to seperate it from the grease (didnt want to wash the extra dishes). For company I would have had to strain it as well. Die hard could have easily just scooped the sauce from below the grease. I took the suggestion to immediately pull the thighs from the grease and they were delicious. Definitely an easy quick thing. Will make again!

  2. Lindsey

    Excited to try this tonight!! I actually had some milk to use up before it went bad so made my own buttermilk, ended up making some last night to brine the chicken in over night and making this tonight for my Dad, Brother and Niece when they come over. 🙂 Serving with pan roasted Brussels sprouts, Salad and a french baguette. Yummy!

  3. Tee

    I am using 2 meat probes on the chicken . One reading 166 after one hour and the other is at 155 after the hour. What do you do in this situations? There is still 8 other thigh in there but wanted input from other cooks out there thanks!

  4. Susan Highland

    I always have buttermilk in the fridge. Going to try this tonight with a bone-in chicken breast. I may cook it less than an hour because breasts cook faster. I’ll check the temp. Serving over mushroom risotto. Gonna leave out the cumin and substitute with thyme / parsley.

  5. Susan Rubino

    Oh My God this recipe is absolutely DELICIOUS. It’s quick to put together and so tender. My family loved it so much I made it 2 days later. Thanks Picky Palate. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes.

  6. sumati

    My buttermilk just curdled. I could not make a sauce. The chicken tasted great, but I was hoping to be ably to make some kind of gravy or sauce. Any thoughts?

  7. Bruce

    Tried this last night; very tasty! When the thighs were cooked through (180ish internal temp)!i removed them to a clean warm Pyrex and covered w foil to keep warm. The remaining liquid didn’t look super appetizing as it was very thin and had many milk solids floating. I strained the liquid into a wide sauté pan and reduced over med-high heat. I brought a tad of color to it with a squirt of Ketchup and to be a bit more decadent, about 1/4 cup Heavy Cream! This produced a beautiful sauce which I poured back over the thighs–which I drained one more time as they accumulated a noticeable amount of liquid. Sprinkled with chopped cilantro. It was truly a home-run dish! I DO recommend watching the salt as both Garlic Salt and regular salt, as called for in the rub led to a bit too salty reduction. Next time I will omit the added plain salt or perhaps use Garlic powder (or why not fresh!?) instead of Garlic Salt. Still wonderful–especially with my tweaking!!

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  9. Judy

    I hate to be the one leaving a negative post, but I thought this was a horrible recipe. I’ve used chicken thighs for cooking before and they usually always turn out moist, this recipe was no exception. But the seasonings and flavors and the buttermilk just missed the mark. It’s almost as if it was meant to be grilled with a better sort of “rub” on the thighs. My husband would not touch them and my young son did not like them at all. I’m usually one that’s easy to please, especially since I’m the one cooking, but this recipe was not a keeper!

      1. Molly Cour

        I took foil off toward end of baking and actually turned heat up a little in oven. Also left in longer…it gave the outside just a little crisp!

  10. SalBug

    Hi Jenny – just made this tonight after finding your recipe on Pinterest searching for buttermilk recipes. It was delicious and so so so easy. My family loved it. For fun I’m going to try it next time with an Italian spice mix. Thanks so much!

  11. Lindsay Rector

    Hey Jenny, if I make this with boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of thighs, does the baking time or any prep work need to be altered? I’m hosting a family dinner for 20 and want to do this for tmrw night 🙂 thanks! Lindsay

  12. sandy

    These look great! I want to make them tonight but I only have regular paprika, not smoked. Do you think that will be fine?

  13. Michelle

    I made this recipe yesterday and it was very simple and delicious. The liquid in the pan at the end looked like the buttermilk curdled. It tasted fine, but did not look appetizing. Is this normal? The only change I made to the recipe was use a little more than a cup of buttermilk.

  14. Jocelyn@Brucrewlife

    I’m thinking this chicken needs to happen in my house very soon!! I love how quickly it’s prepared, and how delicious it looks!!

  15. Layla @ Brunch Time Baker

    This s soo good!! I love these kind of meals, will be making this for the fam tonight! Thank Jenny!

  16. Sean

    Does pouring the buttermilk over the thighs wash away the s&p/cumin/paprika mixture? Can you do these 2 steps in reverse (i.e. pour buttermilk, then sprinkle mixture)? Or should you just pour the buttermilk in the baking dish but not directly on the thighs as to not wash away the spices? Thanks.

    1. Jenny

      Hi Sean, I just kinda poured the buttermilk in between the thighs and lightly over some of the tops. Didn’t wash away the spices. Hope this helps!

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