Oven Baked Breaded Chicken Thighs
Cajun-Spiced Oven-Fried Chicken Thighs
These thighs deliver all the crunch of fried chicken without the mess of hot oil. The three-stage breading creates layers of texture, while Cajun spices bring just enough heat to keep things interesting. It's comfort food that actually makes sense on a weeknight.
AmericanSouthernDinnerComfort FoodBakingChicken
Ingredients
- 3 lbboneless skinless chicken thighs, excess fat trimmed
- 1 cupall-purpose flour
- kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cupwhole milk
- 1 tbsphot sauce, like Frank's or Crystal
- 1½ cuppanko breadcrumbs
- 3 tspCajun seasoning blend
- 1 tspsweet paprika
- ¼ cupneutral oil like peanut or vegetable
Instructions
- Get your oven heating to 375°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. The parchment prevents sticking and makes cleanup painless.
- Arrange three wide, shallow bowls in an assembly line. In the first, mix flour with generous pinches of salt and pepper. In the second, beat eggs with milk, hot sauce, and another pinch each of salt and pepper until smooth. In the third, toss panko with Cajun seasoning, paprika, oil, and final hits of salt and pepper — the oil helps the breadcrumbs brown beautifully.
- Work with one thigh at a time: dust it completely in seasoned flour, letting excess fall away, then dunk into the egg mixture until coated, and finally press into the seasoned panko, turning to coat all sides. Really press that coating on — it should stick like a second skin.
- Arrange the breaded thighs on your prepared baking sheet with space between each piece. Slide into the oven and bake for 45 minutes until the coating turns deep golden and the internal temperature hits 165°F. Let them rest for 5 minutes before serving — they'll be molten hot inside.⏱ 45 min