How to Cook Chicken Thighs in the Oven (With Sausages + Grapes)
Chicken thighs are arguably the most delicious part of a chicken. They remain succulent, even when cooked at high temperatures. And they are so very tender and flavorful. My oldest son recently left the nest and moved out to his own apartment. Before he left, I made sure to teach him how to cook chicken thighs in the oven. This recipe for oven roasted chicken thighs with sausages and grapes, is particularly delicious in late summer and through January, when California grapes are at their peak!
Jump to RecipeCooking with Chicken Thighs
Chicken thighs are not only delicious, they are practically failproof. The best chicken thighs for roasting in the oven are skin on/bone in. The skin gets so crisp and helps keep everything moist. In my opinion, the best temp for chicken thighs is a nice hot oven – around 450 °F. At this temperature, the thighs are usually done in about 45 minutes, and end up very tender and moist with the most wonderful crispy skin!
An Easy Recipe for How to Cook Chicken Thighs in the Oven – with Sausages + Grapes
This recipe is perfect for cool fall days. Crispy succulent chicken thighs, spicy Italian sausage, garlic, and sweet, flavorful grapes are all baked together on a sheet pan (read, easy clean up!). I’ve tossed in some cubes of stale gluten free sourdough bread. The bread cubes are “optional” but they soak up the pan juices and become like crispy crouton flavor bombs. Grapes when roasted become so rich, with a wonderful concentrated flavor. They are a perfect compliment to the spicy sausage and herbed chicken. In California, where I live, grapes are in season through January. Use purple grapes if you can find them, but red grapes would work equally well.
Ingredients
- 9 small chicken thighs, about 2 1/2 pounds
- 4 links of uncooked spicy Italian sausage, about 2 pounds
- 1 large bunch of purple grapes, divided into smaller clusters(about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 10 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 1 tablespoon each of fresh thyme leaves, minced fresh rosemary, and dried marjoram
- generous sprinkle of salt & pepper
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- 4 slices of stale sourdough bread ( I used Cooks Gluten Free), cut into cubes
- Fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 °F. Place the chicken thighs skin side up on evenly around a half sheet pan. Generously salt both sides of the thighs.
- Slice the sausages into thirds and scatter around the thighs. Place the grape clusters and peeled garlic evenly around the thighs and sausages. Scatter the bread cubes around the pan.
- Sprinkle the thighs with the dried marjoram, and sprinkle the fresh thyme and rosemary evenly over everything. Drizzle olive oil evenly over the thighs, sausages, and grapes.
- Place pan in the oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked though and the skin is nicely browned. Remove everything to a large platter and sprinkle with fresh parsley if desired. Serve immediately with mashed potatoes or polenta.
You will find that cooking with chicken thighs is so simple. This recipe is easy enough for a weeknight, but seems fancy enough for a dinner party. And since the whole things cooks on a sheet pan, clean up is a breeze.
Looking for more delicious oven roasted recipes? We’ve got you covered!
- Easy Oven Chicken Thighs with Paprika and Rosemary
- Oven Roasted Grapes and Spicy Italian Sausages
- Lemon Lavender Roasted Chicken
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An Easy Recipe for Oven Baked Chicken Thighs with Sausages + Grapes
Equipment
- Sheet Pan
Ingredients
- 9 small chicken thighs about 2 1/2 pounds
- 4 links of uncooked spicy Italian sausage 1 1/2 pounds
- 1 large bunch of purple grapes divided into smaller clusters(about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 10 cloves of garlic peeled
- 1 tablespoon each of fresh thyme leaves minced fresh rosemary, and dried marjoram
- generous sprinkle of salt & pepper
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- 4 slices of stale sourdough bread I used Cooks Gluten Free, cut into cubes
- Fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 °F. Place the chicken thighs skin side up on evenly around a half sheet pan. Generously salt both sides of the thighs.
- Slice the sausages into thirds and scatter around the thighs. Place the grape clusters and peeled garlic evenly around the thighs and sausages. Scatter the bread cubes around the pan.
- Sprinkle the thighs with the dried marjoram, and sprinkle the fresh thyme and rosemary evenly over everything. Drizzle olive oil evenly over the thighs, sausages, and grapes.
- Place pan in the oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked though and the skin is nicely browned. Remove everything to a large platter and sprinkle with fresh parsley if desired. Serve immediately with mashed potatoes or polenta.
Notes
Nutrition
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this was super delicious! i made the recipe basically as written, with modifications for the quantities, as i was feeding only 2 people. i also squeezed lemon and sprinkled maldon salt over the finished product. thanks for the great dish!
Great suggestions – so glad you loved it!