Paprika Panko Crusted Chicken Thighs
I really REALLY loved this paprika panko crusted chicken thighs recipe that I found on Cooking Light Done Right. Not only was it super quick and easy to make it tasted fantastic. The chicken thighs turned out very crispy on the outside and moist and tender inside. I served this crispy chicken with the Italian Salad with the Fresh Basil Vinaigrette and a very tasty orzo side dish I will post soon. It was a wonderful meal the whole family enjoyed. I re-heated the leftover chicken in the oven for lunch the following day then tossed it with the leftover Italian salad drizzled with the fresh basil vinaigrette and it tasted fantastic!
How to Make Paprika Panko Crusted Chicken Thighs
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tin foil then place two (oven-safe) cooling racks on the baking sheet. This will help the chicken “air bake” which means the thighs cook evenly and will allow the chicken to be crispy on all sides.
Pour the buttermilk into a dish. In another dish, combine the panko, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste; mix until well combined. Dip the chicken into the buttermilk then dip into the panko crumb mixture until evenly coated. Place the coated chicken onto the baking rack-lined baking sheet; repeat with the remaining chicken thighs. Season the top of the crusted chicken thighs with a little more sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste, then spray with cooking spray.
Place into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until 170 degrees and the juices run clear. Remove from the oven and let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy.
Equipment
- 2 Oven Safe Wire Cooling Racks
Ingredients
- 5 chicken thighs
- ⅔ cup of buttermilk
- 1 ½ cups of panko crumbs
- 1 ½ tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tin foil then place two (oven-safe) cooling racks on the baking sheet. This will help the chicken "air bake" which means the thighs cook evenly and will allow the chicken to be crispy on all sides.
- Pour the buttermilk into a dish. In another dish, combine the panko, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste; mix until well combined.
- Dip the chicken into the buttermilk then dip into the panko crumb mixture until evenly coated. Place the coated chicken onto the baking rack-lined baking sheet; repeat with the remaining chicken thighs.
- Season the top of the crusted chicken thighs with a little more sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste, then spray with cooking spray.
- Place into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until 170 degrees and the juices run clear. Remove from the oven and let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy.
Yum! I’m loving all the flavors in here. And my oh my, those chicken thighs look so incredibly crisp and they’re not even fried! Well done, Pam.
Made this tonight for dinner, really enjoyed, will make this again for sure. From Langley B.C Canada
Love anything panko encrusted! 😉
Harika !
tüm tariflerini sevdim
This looks nice and crispy. The orzo salad looks great too!
The crispiness of this chicken shows in your photos, Pam! I never fry anything at home, and am always looking for ways to get that “fried” crispiness in the oven. This recipe looks like the perfect recipe! This is going on my “must try” recipe list!
This is yummy !!! I think panko is a kind of breadcrumb, it might be difficult to find onion or garlic powder here,what if I grate onions and garlic ???
Cheers
Panko is a Japanese bread crumb. Grating the onions may make the panko too wet but I bet fresh minced garlic would work great!
Cheers,
Pam
What is a good substitute for the buttermilk?
Michelle,
Here is a link that may help you:
http://joythebaker.com/2009/10/the-best-buttermilk-substitutions/
Pam
Love this, Pam! Paprika turns the regular, every day panko crusted chicken into something even more special and delicious!
That sounds very tasty! Now if only I had chicken thighs in the refrigerator waiting for a purpose! I love the air bake method. I like the chicken coating crispy too!
I love fried chicken that is not actually fried but baked. It’s crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside. That orzo salad looks like a perfect accompaniment, can’t wait for the recipe. I’m also all about meals that you can have as leftovers the next day.
This looks SO good right now, Pam! Definitely my kind of meal. Thanks for the recipe!
Those chicken look very tasty and crispy !!!!
oooh.. crusted chicken thighs… looks so healthy. i love using panko crumbs for baking.
i love paprika–i feel like it’s a woefully underused spice.
Wow, I love the crispy coating on your chicken!!! I’m always looking for new ways to make this chicken that fills our freezer and this looks like a winner. I also love the look of your side dish, too…double yum!
I can almost taste the crunch from here and I really like the color that is added by the paprika – as well as the taste.
I love chicken thighs, and the flavor of your breading sounds great!
Love panko Pam and this look really yum!
Looks delightful! By cooking spray, I’m assuming you just mean something like Pam? How interesting! Must look for cooling racks tomorrow 🙂 Love your blog – long time follower, first time commenting! Do you have a good resource for easy to prepare soy-free recipes? DD has just been diagnosed with a soy allergy. Thanks for sharing!
Simple and classic!
getting baked chicken to be THAT crispy is no easy feat! Looks great.
GIRL! You knock my socks off with your cooking blog! I now have 3 favorite cooking blogs. In fact one of my other favorites nibblemethis had a recipe from you that I saw. Who knew blogging could be such a fantastic experience in our lifetime! Thanks for having GOOD TASTE! YUMMO.
This is a gem of a tip. I don’t know why I never thought to place a rack in the cooking sheet.
The finished recipe looks so good.
” Line a baking sheet with tin foil then place two (oven safe) cooling racks on the baking sheet. This will help the chicken “air bake” which means the thighs cook evenly and will allow the chicken to be crispy on all sides.”
I love absolutely everything about this, all of my favorites 🙂 I have pinned this and will try to remember to make it next week. Thanks for a great recipe.
This looks like the perfect chicken. I am going to pin this to make soon.
I tried this tonight using chicken leg quarters, which required about double the cooking time. My husband declared it the best chicken he’s ever eaten and much better than KFC. I have to admit I thought it would need more spices but I was wrong. It was absolutely delicious just the way it was (okay I admit it: I mixed smoked and regular paprika). I’ve never been able to get such crisp yummy skin like that in the oven before. Thanks for the recipe! It will become a regular.
I can hear the crunch just from looking at that picture, Pam!
I made these for dinner last night. They came out great!!! It was a nice and easy dinner that my whole family loved. I served it with the leftover lemon orzo and mixed veggies. Thanks Pam for your great recipe ideas.
These sound delicious!
What a wonderful recipe. I’m going to try this today! My daughter is a big big fan of chicken thighs 🙂
I may want to add cumin into the mix, should give it a more mid-eastern taste 🙂
Happy Friday!!
I’m making this tonight, it’s in the oven!
I love this food, it is great!! 🙂 Kepp up the Good work
Can you use smoked paprika instead of regular
Linda,
I’ve never tried it but I imagine it would be great. Let me know how it turns out.
-Pam