Crispy Spice Rubbed Chicken Thighs
These super easy Spiced Chicken Thighs show off the power of spices, and how you can make a truly delicious meal with a handful of ingredients from the pantry!
How often do you go into your spice cabinet?
The other day I realized I had completely forgotten about the greatness of spices. I haven’t done a rub in ages!
While there’s definitely something to be said about fresh ingredients, having so much flavor sitting in your cabinet all year long, right at your fingertips, can be very handy. Especially if you know how to pair those spices together.
The collection of spices I’m sharing with you today is my favorite rub to put on chicken. It has some Indian and Chinese influences in there, with very warm spices, like ginger, cardamom, cumin, and so on.
I keep a jar of it in my pantry all the time so if I’m feeling tired on a weekday, I know that I can rub it on some chicken and make a simple meal.
My recommended cut for this rub is chicken thighs, and you’re going to cook them in a way that gets the skin all crispy. My husband put it perfectly when he said this dish tastes sort of like Indian Fried Chicken.
The chicken thighs I buy happen to have a lot of excess fat/skin on them, so if any overhangs the main portion of meat, trim it off with a knife or scissors:
This dish goes great with a little quinoa and a dollop of thick yogurt on the side, but similar grains like couscous or farro would work well too.
In the comments below, what is your favorite spice? Mine would have to be…cinnamon! Cumin is a close second.

Crispy Spice Rubbed Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 2 or 3 lb package skin-on bone-in chicken thighs about 5 pieces
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground chipotle pepper
- 2 tsp yellow curry powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1.5 tsp sea salt
- olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Stir to combine the ginger, chipotle pepper, curry powder, paprika, garlic powder, coriander, cardamom, cloves, cayenne, cumin, and salt.
- Trim the excess fat from the chicken thighs (any part that overhangs the main piece). Rub the chicken thighs all over with the spice rub.
- Heat an ovenproof skillet over medium heat and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan (about 2 tbsp). Cook the chicken thighs skin side down (in a single layer) for 10 minutes, until the skin gets crispy (and if the skin isn’t golden brown and crispy after 10 minutes, cook it for a few minutes longer). Flip the chicken and cook for another 5 minutes, then transfer the skillet to the oven to cook for additional 10-15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and has reached an internal temperature of 180 degrees F. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
47 Comments on “Crispy Spice Rubbed Chicken Thighs”
Extraordinary flavour. Thank you
We absolutely love this recipe! It is a favorite in our family. The thighs are definitely the better choice over chicken breast. So juicy and crispy. If you do go for chicken breast, check what internal temp is best. I think it is 165. And don’t put it in the oven after that. They will be overcooked.
I’m wondering if I can grill the chicken instead, if you think it would still turn out ok?
Absolutely!
Tried it tonight
Amazing
Got it from a friend. Sharing tomorrow with my daughter
Side dish spinach & rice
Thanks
Ann
absolutely loved the flavor profile here – I did adjust ingredients on hand (ancho chili powder) and threw in some coarse ground pepper….also let the oven do more of the “crisping” due to my sensitive smoke alarms. I doubled the recipe as I was cooking 5 pounds of thighs….at the same time, I sautéed onions and added yellow squash and zucchini and sautéed – add the left over seasoning and some butter and it is FANTASTIC. first time on this site and I”m impressed, I will be back.
That all sounds great. Glad it went so well for you!
I used boneless, skinless thighs cooked in coconut oil. I didn’t have cumin but the lack of that particular spice did not at all detract from the outcome. It was delicious and I will definitely make this again!
I made this tonight and it was very good. I used skinless thighs and served it with farro, raita and today’s pocketless pitas. It is an easy weeknight meal.
I made this tonight – and it’s REALLY REALLY good! It was SUPER easy. Hubby loved it too. I made it exactly as written except the cardamom – i didn’t have that.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. It’s going in my “Whole 30” recipes! It’s a keeper!
Hi Cindy, so happy to hear this!
I made this spice with the chicken thighs. Love it! I will be keeping me a stash pre-made to use on hand. Thanks!
Hi Angie, really happy to hear that! I just made a batch of this the other night too 🙂
I prepared this chicken today. Luckily, I had all the ingredients called for; except I left out the hot stuff! Delicious! I’ll do this one again when the whole family is over. Easy to follow instructions, too.
Thank you! Oh, I served this delicious chicken with Jasmine Brown Rice and Roasted Broccoli.
Hi Carolyn, that is wonderful to hear. I like the sides you served it with, too!
This was fantastic! I had all the spices except for the chipotle (subbed in ancho chili powder….pretty good!). Recipe was fast and I like that ther was essentially no clean up after. Great thigh recipe! :). Had it with millet and roasted cherry tomatoes.
Just tried this recipe. I absolutely loved it. The chicken was flavorful through and through and I loved home it made the house smell. I will definitely be adding this to my regular rotation.
This is one of the five best food discoveries I have ever made on Pinterest. Easy to make, packed with flavor, and the crunch the skin gives it is out of this world. Will definitely be making these again (and again, and again).
SO happy to hear that, Mattie! This is one of the dishes in my regular rotation, and I always keep the rub on hand!