Ketchup Glazed Baked Chicken Thighs with Lemon Recipe

These Ketchup Glazed Baked Chicken Thighs with Lemon are the perfect weeknight dinner — sticky, savory, and made with love.

Family Story Behind the Recipe

Every now and then, a recipe comes straight from the heart — not just from the pantry. These Ketchup Glazed Baked Chicken Thighs are one of those dishes that carry a little bit of everyone I love right on the plate.

I created this recipe thinking about my daughter-in-law. Now, this sweet woman loves ketchup — so much that she even puts it on pizza! That’s what gave me the idea for a baked chicken glazed with ketchup. It felt like the perfect way to celebrate her fun food personality and the two beautiful grandchildren she’s given me.

But there’s another layer to this story — the lemon. The lemon comes from my mom’s old-school lemon pork chops, a 1970s and ’80s family classic. She’d fry up the chops, pour on the ketchup sauce (ingredients escape me), top them with lemon slices, and bake until tender. My brother and I always knew it was going to be a good night when those came out of the oven — especially because she served them with buttered potatoes. To this day, I can still taste that cozy, tangy-sweet combination.

While I don’t cook pork much anymore, I wanted to honor that memory — and my brother — with a chicken version that’s every bit as comforting. This recipe brings those memories together in one pan: the sweetness of ketchup, the brightness of lemon, and the depth of garlic, soy, and paprika. Simple, nostalgic, and just a little unexpected.

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Ingredients

• 8 bone-in chicken thighs
• 2 cups ketchup (or more if you like it saucy)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 heaping tablespoon garlic powder
• 1–2 heaping tablespoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
• 8 lemon slices (about one slice per chicken thigh)

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Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C).
2. Make the glaze:
   In a medium bowl, whisk together the ketchup, soy sauce, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper until smooth.
3. Prepare the chicken:
   Arrange the chicken thighs in a 9×13-inch baking dish. (You can spray or butter the dish if you’d like, but bone-in chicken provides plenty of natural flavor and fat.)
4. Add the sauce:
   Spoon the ketchup glaze generously over the chicken. Don’t skimp — you’ll want every bit of that sauce baked in!
5. Top with lemon slices:
   Place one lemon slice on top of each chicken thigh, pressing it lightly into the glaze.
6. Bake uncovered:
   Bake for 20–25 minutes, or longer if needed, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C). Cooking time may vary slightly depending on the size of the chicken thighs.
7. Rest and serve:
   Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving. The glaze will thicken slightly as it cools.

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Serving Suggestions

These ketchup-glazed chicken thighs are gorgeous on the plate — shiny, deep red, and kissed with golden lemon. Serve them with buttered potatoes, a green salad, or simple steamed vegetables for a comforting family dinner that feels both nostalgic and fresh.

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From My Kitchen to Yours

I hope you’ll make this one for your own family and share it with someone who loves ketchup as much as my daughter-in-law does. Recipes like this are more than food — they’re little love letters from the past, written in flavor and memory.

With much love,
Pamela List
Founder of MommaCan.com

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