Super Crunchy Spicy Baked Chicken

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It’s not all fancy french recipes here. I mean, there are a lot. I like fancy french things. Fussy little pickles and rich spreads made from unspeakable parts of the animal, tasty pastries and bread, and wine. Did I mention wine? Now that i’ve got you thinking about delicious french deliacies, here’s something completely unrelated.

I’m from the 70’s and I’m here to help.

Remember when comfort food was sort of a euphemism for “stuff you would never order in a restaurant but was good, and made you feel like home?” I’m talking about the many many years before “comfort food” was a gastropub category, before anyone put lobster on Mac & Cheese and when mashed potatoes were gluey and the only add-in was butter.

This recipe is sort of from that era. But it’s good. Like really genuinely good. It’s baked, not fried, but in the end it’s got a crunchy slightly spicy crust that protects the tender juicy meat from the oven’s worst instincts. And yeah, it’s like that stuff from the brand we won’t mention that you saw advertised all the time when you were just waiting for Scooby Doo to come on.

Better than out of the box, this recipe gives you a chance to play around with the seasonings to your own liking. It’s great with a sour element like pickles or slaw, or traditional picnic sides. It’s even good cold.

Me, I like it with Tater Tots, Mac & Cheese, and some random vegetable that I won’t eat but still put on the plate so I feel better about myself and don’t constantly hear my mother’s voice yelling at me from the back of my head.

Super Crunchy Baked Chicken

Recipe by DrewDifficulty: Medium

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

45

minutes

Crunchy baked chicken like you remember from the 70’s.

Ingredients

• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

• 1 cup unseasoned bread crumbs

• 1 large egg

• 2 tbsp water

• 1 cup AP flour

• 2 tsp kosher salt

• 2 tsp ground, black pepper

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper

• ½ tsp garlic powder

• ½ tsp dried thyme

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 400°.
• Combine garlic powder, smoked paprika, cayenne, thyme, 1tsp black pepper, and 1 tsp salt with bread crumbs, whisking to combine.
• Season chicken well on both sides with remaining salt and pepper.
• Prepare an egg wash by beating the egg well with 2 tbsp of water.
• Set up a three-step breading station with 1 cup of flour in one bowl, the beaten egg mixture in the next, and the seasoned bread crumbs in the final container.
• Dredge each piece of chicken in flour. Allow the chicken to rest a few minutes for the flour to hydrate. Shake off any excess.
• Dip the flour-dredged chicken in the egg wash.
• Dip the egg-washed chicken into the breadcrumbs, using a dry hand to ensure that the coating is even.
• Place the breaded chicken on a rack over a sheet pan. Allow to rest 10-15 minutes for the breading to hydrate
• Place the sheet pan in the oven, cooking for approximately 40 minutes, or until the coating is crisp and the internal temperature has reached 170°.
• Serve with macaroni and cheese, coleslaw, tater-tots, or other comfort food classics.

Be sure to check out my other food project, The Weekly Menu!