Butter-Dijon-Parmesan Crusted Oven Fried Chicken Thighs

Crispy Butter Dijon Parmesan Crusted Chicken Thighs. Oven baked to a crispy crunch!  Dredged in a simple concoction of butter and dijon then dipped in panko crumbs and parmesan.  Crispy on the outside and tender in the middle, this chicken is oven baked, but with all the crunch of fried chicken. One of our most favorite family chicken dinners to make! 

Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Thigh Recipe

Mr. Laughing Spatula hums when he eats these….you know… the nom nom hum?  Nommm, nommmm, nommmm…I just love it when he loves what I make. We make these crispy baked chicken thighs on repeat.  Easy to prepare and love the leftovers over salad or rice.  Baked, or air fried with easy clean up no matter the method.  My kind of dinner!

Ingredients for  Crispy Chicken Thighs

• 6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (bone in can be used as well, see recipe card for directions)
• Butter
  • Salted or unsealed, just bear in mind that parmesan cheese can be quite salty as it is.
• Dijon mustard
• Panko crumbs
  • Don’t sub for breadcrumbs. Panko crumbs are denser in texture, and have better crunch. 
• Parmesan cheese
• Drizzle of honey if desired

Making Baked Crispy Chicken Thighs

This is a very simple, straight forward recipe. I’ve served it to a crowd, and I’ve also just made it for my family. The only difference in serving quantities is you just sometimes need a bigger sheet pan (and also increase the ingredients).

Cooking for a Crowd: Load up 2 sheet pans full of crispy chicken thighs in the oven. On a standard 18×26 inch sheet pan you can fit about 8-10 pieces of chicken, just be sure they have an inch or two apart so they cook evenly. When you serve it, put some condiments to spoon over the chicken on the side (ranch, honey mustard, honey, sriracha mayo, etc). Almost like a crispy chicken thigh bar! Clever, huh?

Assembling Crispy Chicken Thighs

• To get started, preheat the oven, and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. You can also use foil, just be sure to spray the foil with nonstick spray. 
• In 2 separate bowls: 1) combine butter and dijon, and in bowl 2) combine panko and parmesan.
  • I do recommend patting the chicken thighs dry, they will coat better in the butter and dijon mixture.
• Simply dip the chicken in the mustard mixture and press in to the parmesan and panko crumb mixture. 
• Lay them on foil or parchment covered sheet pan for easy clean up!

PRO TIP:  Spray the top of the chicken with non stick cooking oil spray to give it even more crunch. I like to use Trader Joes’ spray olive oil. 

Bake it up and you have some of the yummiest Oven Baked Chicken Thighs around. The dijon gives it a nice kick and the couple tablespoons of butter make the crust crispy. There really isn’t a science to this recipe, which is what has made it so popular over the years. Coat, bake, enjoy. Simple! 

Air Frying Crispy Chicken Thighs

You can absolutely use an air fryer and get the same (if not better!) results. Chicken thighs are a really forgiving as far as cooking them goes, because they have dark meat, which is very rich (and doesn’t dry out as easily as chicken breasts). 

Air Fried Chicken Thigh Instructions

• Follow the directions, coating the chicken in the butter/dijon mixture and then the panko crumb mixture.
• Preheat your Air Fryer to 400 degrees.  
• Spray tops of chicken thighs with nonstick spray, or spray olive oil.
• Air fry for 20 minutes turning once.  
• Chicken is cooked when internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

We double the batch and use the leftovers for a crispy chicken salad the next day.  These are also fabulous cold.

Serving, Variations, & Storing Chicken Thighs

Serving Suggestions

When I serve these easy chicken thighs, I plan on a serving being about 1.5-2 chicken thighs per person. I like them with a vegetable, or white rice. Here’s some of my favorite recipes to go with them.

• Rice goes so well.  We bake ours in the oven and it comes out perfect every time.
• Caeser Pasta Salad – all the flavors you love with pasta.
• Creamy Caulifower Augratin – cream and veggies..yes.
• Cauliflower Rice with Mushrooms – 20 minute delicious and healthy side dish.

Variations:

You can add so many different flavors to this recipe! The most important part is using the base with the dijon, the butter, and panko crumbs. The dijon emulsifies the butter which is what helps give this chicken such a nice crust.

• Add lemon zest, and fresh chopped rosemary to your panko crumb mixture for added flavor. 
• Instead of parmesan, try feta cheese & fresh lemon zest for a Greek twist. 
• Make it spicy! Add hot honey drizzled on top if you like a kick. 
• Want it even spicier? Consider topping it with chopped jalapeños. 

Storing & Reheating Crispy Chicken Thighs

If you have leftovers, simple store them in a lidded container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. I like to reheat mine in the air fryer to freshen up the crispy exterior. If you are at work and don’t have air fryer access, you can simply microwave your chicken thighs for 30 seconds at a time, until heated throughout.

More Chicken Recipes

•  Greek Yogurt Chicken
• Hot Honey Chicken
• Honey Roasted Chicken and Sweet Potatoes
• Chicken and Orzo
• Oven Baked Chicken Thighs
• Garlic Lemon Rosemary Chicken Thighs
• 13 Easy Boneless Skinless Chicken Thigh Recipes
• Garlic Honey Roasted Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

Let’s eat! – Kathi and Rachel

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The Best Chicken Thigh Recipes: Crispy Crunchy Chicken

A Crispy Crunchy incredibly easy to make chicken dish!  We like it with a drizzle of honey.  Make a double batch for crispy chicken salads tomorrow night!

4.20 from 61 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Author: Kathi & Rachel

Ingredients

• 6-8 boneless chicken thighs (bone in would be fine too just increase cooking time)
• 4 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/3 cup dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 cups Panko crumbs
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• honey for drizzle if desired

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil or parchment for easy clean up. Spray with non stick spray.
• Rinse and pat dry chicken thighs - set aside.  Dryer the chicken, the more it will crisp up for you.
• Mix together melted butter and dijon in a medium bowl. Combine Panko, parmesan, salt and pepper in another bowl.
• Add chicken thighs to butter/dijon mixture and gently toss to be sure each piece of chicken is fully coated.  
• Press each chicken thigh into Panko crumb mixture and place on prepared pan.
• Spray top of coated chicken thighs with additional non stick spray.  This really helps those crumbs get crispy!
• Bake 25-30 minutes until coating is crispy and brown and chicken is cooked though to an internal temp of 165 degrees.
• Serve with a drizzle of honey, or honey mustard if desired.  We like this with mashed potatoes and a side of steamed broccoli.

Notes

• If using bone in chicken thighs increase cooking time to about 40 minutes.  
• Internal temperature of chicken should be 165 degrees fahrenheit. Use a meat thermometer for accuracy. 
• Air Fryer Instructions:
  • Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees.  Cook for 20 minutes flipping once.  Cooking time may vary depending on the thickness of the chicken.  Internal temp should be at 165 degrees.

Nutrition

Calories: 419kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 138mg | Sodium: 742mg | Potassium: 291mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 403IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 139mg | Iron: 2mg