Crispy Baked Parmesan Chicken Thighs

These Crispy Baked Parmesan Chicken Thighs are shatteringly crunchy without the frying or fussy egg-flour dipping. Flavourful, with insanely tender meat, you won’t believe how easy and simple they are to make. Without a doubt, this will become your family’s all-time favourite chicken dinner.

Long ago, I declared Ina’s pan-fried Parmesan chicken a special occasion treat only. With it’s crunchy exterior and tender juicy meat, it’s everyone’s favourite in this house. But that assembly line of flour-egg-parmesan-breadcrumb-dipping is just so time consuming, messy, and fastidious.

Not to mention pan-frying the chicken which also requires time and a lot more oil than the recipe says you need. Even Ina cautions not to make it for a crowd.

So imagine my delight when I discovered the shake-and-bake version for roasted chicken thighs from Jenny Rosenstratch, via Bon Appetit. It yields crispy chicken without all the fuss or frying.

The only problem? Too much butter. The chicken thighs are dipped in a Dijon mustard and butter mixture that acts as the glue for the breadcrumbs to adhere to. Super delicious, but way too much butter for my taste. Also, there were minor rumblings from a few household members that it wasn’t quite as crispy as a fried, or pan-fried chicken.

Secret For the Crispiest Baked Chicken

In this recipe for crispy baked Parmesan chicken, we completely eliminate the butter and mix the mustard with an egg white instead. This turned out to be the magic ingredient for the crispiest chicken.

The egg white work beautifully as a super glue for the breadcrumbs. This means a ton of breadcrumbs stick to the meat, and stay stuck. More breadcrumbs = a crispier crust and juicier tender meat. The egg white also helps the crust stay crunchier long after cooling down.

To create more big, strong flavors, I add Parmesan to the breadcrumbs. The egg-white-mustard-dipped chicken thighs are then coated in the assertively-seasoned Parmesan cheese and breadcrumb mixture. After 40 minutes in a high-heat oven, the chicken emerges beautifully golden with an extra-crispy, extra savoury crust, and succulent meat that is fall-off-the bone juicy and tender. Divine.

Let me emphasize this is not a sort-of crispy chicken that will only slightly appease your craving for fried chicken. This is as close as you get to a “fried” chicken recipe for all of us who love fried chicken but don’t want to fry, or eat, fried chicken.

It’s an easy weeknight, or dinner party-worthy dish that you re going to make on repeat.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Chicken thighs – Skin-on, bone-in thighs are unquestionably more flavourful and will give you the crispiest crust. If you prefer to use boneless, skinless thighs, or breasts, reduce the cooking time by 5 to 10 minutes. They will still be delicious, just perhaps not as crispy.
• Dijon mustard – The thick consistency of Dijon mustard works great at adhering to the chicken. It will also keep the chicken moist, and give great flavour to the meat.
• Egg white – Mixed with Dijon mustard, an egg white creates almost a super-glue for the breadcrumbs to stick to. It also helps keep the meat tender and juicy.
• Bread crumbs – Panko breadcrumbs are of course the easiest and most convenient. They also remain crispy when reheated or eaten cold. That said, if you prefer to make your own breadcrumbs, that works great too. Feel free to use gluten-free breadcrumbs if you wish.
• Reggiano cheese – The savoury flavour of Parmesan cheese is perfect for adding depth and complexity to the boring breadcrumbs. Grana Padano, or Pecorino  cheese would also be fantastic. If you’re avoiding dairy, try replacing the cheese with a few tablespoons of nutritional yeast.
• Spices and seasoning – I like to keep it simple and use only paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and freshly ground pepper to season the breadcrumb mixture. Feel free to use other dried spices such as sage, oregano, thyme or rosemary.
• Olive oil – Just one tablespoon of olive oil is used to moisten the breadcrumb mixture. The olive oil also helps the crust develop a nice golden-brown colour.
• Lemon wedges – Optional, but delicious, for serving.

How To Make Crispy Baked Parmesan Chicken Thighs

These oven baked chicken thighs couldn’t be easier to prepare and everyone will love them. Feel free to double the recipe if you’re feeding a crowd. Though be sure to use two sheet pans so the chicken is spread out in one layer, which is critical for optimal crispiness and browning. Leftovers are also delicious – cold or warm.

1. Place a rack in highest position in oven; preheat to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (optional for easy cleanup).
2. Make the seasoned bread crumbs: In a medium bowl mix the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and use your hands to thoroughly coat the mixture. Alternatively, you could do this in a small food processor.
3. In another medium, shallow bowl whisk the mustard with the egg white until well combined. If too thick, add a teaspoon of water, wine, or chicken broth.
4. Trim the fat and some of the skin off the chicken thighs (optional). Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season on both sides with salt and pepper. Dip each piece, top side only, in the mustard mixture the coated side into the crumb mixture, pressing gently to make the crumbs adhere. Place on the prepared sheet pan, crumb-side up.  Tip: After dipping a few pieces, use your fingers to fluff up the breadcrumb mixture. A packed down mixture does not stick as well.
5. Bake the chicken for 40 minutes, or until nicely browned. Serve hot, warm, or cold, with lemon wedges if desired.

Tips And Notes For Crispy Baked Chicken Success

• Don’t overcrowd the pan: The chicken pieces need plenty of space to get crispy and brown evenly all around.
• Bring the chicken to room temperature before cooking: In fact, this applies to any meat. Room temperature meat will cook through in the centre a lot more evenly, and faster, than if cooked cold from the fridge.
• Remove excess chicken fat and skin: Most skin-on chicken thighs come with a lot of excessive fat and skin. You don’t have to cut it off but I prefer my chicken a little leaner and it does not compromise any flavour or crispiness. In fact, I cut off most of the skin leaving only a small piece on top. Kitchen shears, as opposed to a knife, make this job a lot easier.
• Pat the chicken dry: This ensures the mustard/egg mixture will adhere better to the meat.
• Add a little water to the mustard/egg white mixture: If the mixture seems a little thick, loosen it by adding a few teaspoons at a time of water, chicken broth, or white wine. Just be cautious to add the liquid a teaspoon at a time because you don’t want the mixture too loose.
• Coat only the top side of the chicken with breadcrumbs: Breadcrumbs on the underside of the chicken will get too soggy.

To Make Ahead And Reheat

This crispy baked Parmesan chicken tastes just as good served at room temperature as it does when served piping hot from the oven.

Make ahead: I don’t recommend breading and chilling the chicken ahead of time before cooking it. Breadcrumbs tend to lose their crispiness when chilled. You can make a few hours ahead by cooking the chicken (slightly undercooking it), then reheating when ready to serve.

To reheat: To regain crispiness, simply place chicken pieces on a baking sheet and bake in a 400ºF preheated oven until warmed though, about 15 to 20 minutes. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

To Serve

I love this chicken with roasted sweet potato and fennel wedges. Broccoli, carrots, baby potatoes are all great contenders for the roasted veggie side. Because this chicken is roasted on a baking sheet, you’re probably thinking it’s a great opportunity to add said veggies to the same sheet pan and make it a one-pan meal. You’d be right. You will however, need to be cognizant that overcrowding the pan will lead to too much moisture which results in a less crispy chicken. No bueno.

If you have a commercial size baking sheet, and you are roasting a maximum of 6-8 chicken pieces, then go ahead and add some veggies. Otherwise, err on the side of caution and use a separate baking sheet for the veggies.

For picnic season, I can’t think of anything better than sitting on a blanket and enjoying a bucket of this crispy baked parmesan chicken with some buttery, crunchy cornbread.

If you need a bit of a fried-chicken palate cleanser, nothing beats a fresh and cooling crunchy slaw. Or this crunchy, hearty Mexican chopped salad that is hugely popular on this blog.

We all know crispy chicken can be even more addictive with sweet and spicy notes; drizzle some hot honey all over your crispy baked Parmesan chicken thighs. (To make: heat half cup of honey in a small saucepan set over low heat and add 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or hot sauce to taste.)

When fat juicy tomatoes are in season, I would definitely consider serving the chicken with this knock-out panzanella salad. So good!

If  you give these Crispy Baked Parmesan Chicken Thighs a try, please feel free to leave a comment and/or a star rating below. We appreciate and welcome all your feedback. Thank you!