Extra Crispy Oven-Fried Chicken Thighs
Oven-fried chicken thighs are a tasty, healthier alternative to traditional fried chicken. Not only do they taste just as delicious without all the grease, but they also require fewer calories and cholesterol than their deep-fried counterparts.
Ingredients
- 10 bone-in skinless chicken thighs (about 3.0 lb, trimmed).
- 1 Tbsp BAKING POWD do not use baking soda as it is NOT the same thing
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt plus additional to your taste
- 2 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 Tbsp Buffalo Wing Sauce plus additional to taste; see notes.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F
- Use paper towels to dry chicken thighs. Make sure they are as dry as possible. Sprinkle with salt, paprika and pepper. Rub your hands gently all over to ensure even coverage. (See note).
- Place the chicken thighs on a coking rack. Leave a little space between each piece. To minimize sticking, you can spray the cooling rack with oil or spray it with PAM.
- Note: You can also skip the cooling rack but it will cause the bottoms to become greasy. To remove any grease, place the thighs on a piece of paper towel after baking.
- Transfer the legs to a large baking tray lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Either option is fine, but it makes cleaning much simpler.
- Bake the baking sheet. The oven should be switched to 425F convection. This is crucial. Convection is required to achieve the same crispiness.
- Bake for 30 minutes to achieve a crispier crust and great juiciness.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes to achieve crispiness and tenderness.
- Let the thighs cool in the oven for five minutes. This will help ensure that the skin of the thighs remains crisp after being tossed in Buffalo wing sauce.
- Serve the thighs with Buffalo wing sauce or another sauce or a mixture of hot wing, BBQ sauce. You can also serve the thighs with a dipping dressing.
