Sticky, sweet and perfectly juicy, these baked balsamic chicken thighs are doused in a quick marinade then glazed in the oven. The combination of tart balsamic, sweet maple syrup, and creamy Dijon mustard is naturally gluten-free and so easy for a weeknight dinner.

Baked chicken thighs coated in a glossy brown sauce on a parchment-lined baking sheet, with a fork resting near the chicken.

When the school year gets going, I’m always looking for interesting (yet easy) ways to batch cook a bunch of chicken for lunches and dinners. One of my go-to’s is this baked chicken teriyaki recipe, but recently I was out of soy sauce and came across a bottle of balsamic vinegar languishing in my pantry.

Instead of making my usual gluten-free chicken marinade with it, I thought I’d up the sweetness and try to get that sticky, glazed balsamic sauce without any marinating time or dirtying a saucepan.

A bowl of raw chicken thighs, a bottle of balsamic vinegar, a bottle of maple syrup, a jar of Dijon mustard, and a garlic bulb on a white surface.

The balsamic marinade is fairly simple: maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, garlic, and Dijon. It looks thin when you whisk it together, but thanks to the sugar content, as the chicken thighs bake in the oven, the sauce thickens into a glaze that coats each chicken thigh—no separate reducing on the stove required.

How to make boneless balsamic chicken thighs in the oven:

A glass bowl on a white marble surface filled with a dark liquid marinade containing chopped garlic, onion, and orange peel.
Add the balsamic vinegar, dijon, maple syrup, garlic and salt to a bowl.
A hand uses a metal whisk to mix a brown sauce with visible bits in a clear glass bowl on a white marble surface.
Whisk the balsamic chicken marinade until smooth.
Raw chicken pieces marinating in a glass bowl with minced garlic and a brown sauce, placed on a white marble surface.
Add the boneless skinless chicken thighs to the balsamic marinade.
Raw marinated chicken thighs spread out on a parchment-lined baking sheet, ready to be cooked. The baking sheet is placed on a white marble surface.
Place the chicken smooth-side down on a parchment baking sheet.
Baked chicken thighs coated in a glossy garlic marinade sit on parchment paper atop a baking tray; some sauce has caramelized around the edges.
Bake at 400 for 15 minutes. Remove and flip. Add the remaining balsamic marinade.
Baked chicken thighs glazed with a dark, sticky sauce on a parchment-lined baking sheet, with a silver fork resting on the tray.
Bake for 10 more minutes. Flip the chicken around in the balsamic glaze and serve!

The beauty of this balsamic chicken marinade is that you don’t need to let the meat hang out in it for long to get a flavorful chicken. That said, it’s versatile enough that you can make and marinate the chicken in advance overnight in the fridge.

There are very few missteps you need to look out for with this baked balsamic chicken. The only thing is: If your oven runs hot, keep a nose out to make sure the residual balsamic marinade doesn’t burn on the pan. You will see it bubbling and foaming—that’s totally normal and will help give you that glaze quality.

Baked, glazed chicken thighs on a parchment-lined baking tray, with a fork resting on the tray. The chicken appears caramelized and saucy, against a white marble background.
A hand holds a fork with a glazed piece of baked chicken above a tray lined with parchment paper, featuring more glazed chicken pieces in the background.
A plate of glazed chicken wings coated in a dark, sticky sauce with a spoon resting on the side, set on a white marble surface.

The recipe calls for flipping the chicken once and returning it to the oven with the remaining marinade spooned over the top. You will also want to flip it around a few times after it comes out and the glaze continues to thicken on the pan.

To serve the balsamic baked chicken, simply garnish with a few herbs and enjoy as a topping for a green salad or with your favorite sides. Broccoli or asparagus would be great additions directly to the sheet pan.

Two plates with glazed, cooked chicken; the larger plate holds several pieces coated in a dark sauce, while the smaller plate has sliced chicken with sauce and a fork on the side. Both plates have brown rims and rest on a white surface.
A hand holds a fork with a piece of glazed cooked chicken, with plated pieces of chicken on two blurred plates in the background.

Read on for these amazing baked balsamic chicken thighs and don’t forget to check my archives for more easy gluten-free chicken recipes!

With health and hedonism,

Phoebe

A plate of glazed, saucy chicken pieces garnished with herbs, with a spoon resting on the rim, on a white marble surface.
Baked chicken thighs glazed with a dark, sticky sauce on a parchment-lined baking sheet, with a silver fork resting on the tray.

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30-Minute Baked Balsamic Chicken Thighs

Sticky, sweet and perfectly juicy, these baked balsamic chicken thighs are doused in a quick marinade then glazed in the oven. The combination of tart balsamic, sweet maple syrup, and creamy Dijon mustard is naturally gluten-free and so easy for a weeknight dinner.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian
Diet Gluten Free, Low Fat, Low Lactose
Keyword baked, chicken thighs, dairy-free, marinade, sheet pan dinner
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Author Phoebe Lapine

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, garlic, Dijon mustard and salt until smooth.
  • Add the boneless chicken thighs and swish around in the balsamic marinade until fully coated. Feel free to marinate the chicken for 30 minutes on the counter, or covered overnight in the fridge. Even with no marinating time, it will be delicious.
  • When you’re ready to bake the balsamic chicken thighs, transfer the meat to the prepared pan smooth-side down. Reserve the extra balsamic marinade.
  • Bake the balsamic chicken in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the pan, flip the thighs, spoon with the remaining glaze and return to the oven for another 10 minutes. Allow the thighs to cool on the pan slightly, flipping a few times in the glaze so they are coated.
  • The baked balsamic thighs can be served immediately, directly from the pan, garnished with basil, or you can transfer them to a work surface to thinly slice and then spoon the reduced balsamic glaze from the pan over them. If you serve the chicken room temperature, the balsamic marinade will naturally thicken as it cools thanks to the drippings.