Cheesy Baked Smoked Paprika Chicken

Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner! 

You’ll feel like a winner every time you make this quick and easy chicken recipe. Looking for a simple pantry meal that the whole family will love? Look no further! Made with just a few simple pantry ingredients, these chicken thighs are full of flavor, juicy on the inside, and crispy on the outside. They're perfect for serving with any of your favorite sides, such as rice, potatoes, or vegetables.

Ingredients.

Chicken. This recipe calls for boneless skinless chicken thighs. We chose to go with boneless, skinless to make this recipe easy and relatively quick and wanted it to appeal to even the pickiest eaters.  Thighs work well because they stay juicy.  It’s hard to cook a thigh to dryness! 

Of course you can substitute any cut of chicken in this recipe. Simply adjust the baking time. Whatever cut of chicken is used, be sure to cook it to the temperature of 165°F. 

Flour. Any kind of flour will work in this recipe. If you are avoiding wheat or need a gluten-free recipe use rice flour or any kind of nut flour instead of wheat flour. 

Egg. Using egg in the breading process allows the cheese and flour mixture to adhere to the chicken and helps to create a crispy crust. If you do not have access to eggs right now, a few tablespoons of mayonnaise makes an excellent substitute for the egg.

Parmesan Cheese. Parmesan Cheese melts into a crispy crust and adds a sharp, salty, and nutty flavor to this dish. Any grated hard cheese will work.

Butter. Melted Butter is poured onto the chicken right before adding it to the oven adding a savory flavor and a bit of fat to this recipe. 

Seasonings. 

Smoked Paprika SpiceTopia’s Smoked Spanish Paprika is a powder ground from the capsicum annuum pepper. The peppers are roasted over hot fires to deliver a deep smoky flavor before being ground. This is a great chile powder for adding lots of flavor without added heat. 

Minced Dried Garlic SpiceTopia’s Minced Dried Garlic is a convenient substitute for fresh garlic. With a package of this in your pantry, you won’t have to worry about dried up or sprouted garlic cloves! 

Pacific Flake Sea Salt. Pacific Flake Sea Salt is an all-natural kosher flake sea salt, expertly produced from the crisp, clear waters of the Pacific Ocean. The crystals are shaped like small, hollow pyramids, as in the tradition of this fundamental salt style. Unlike other kosher salts on the market, this salt is never refined, retaining its natural trace minerals, with zero additives or chemical processing. The fine, feather-like flakes lend themselves perfectly to everyday kitchen use for finishing, baking and cooking. 

Technique

This recipe uses a simple breading method which isn’t hard, but be warned, your hands may get a bit messy.

You’ll need two shallow bowls or pie tins. 

1. In the first bowl, place the beaten egg. 
2. In the second bowl, place the flour, spices, and cheese mixture. 
3. Dip the chicken in the egg mixture. Then immediately roll it in the flour mixture until it is well coated. 
4. Place the coated chicken on a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
5. Gently pour melted butter onto to chicken being carefully not to wash off coating. 
6. Slide into your oven and bake until crispy and cooked through!