Just as Good as Fried – Crusty Paprika Baked Chicken Thighs

by Kristi Rimkus on January 14, 2012


I’m a big fan of cooking with fresh herbs. They brighten a ho-hum dish, and give it WOW factor.

Fried Chicken

Fried Chicken

But when I want to faux fry chicken, dried herbs create a savory appeal that does a good job of making my baked chicken taste as though I’d fried it.

Fried Chicken

Fried Chicken

Don’t forget to use Rocco DiSpirito’s faux frying technique and bake your chicken on a rack. You’ll be happy with the results. Every inch will be crispy and nicely browned.

Are you sure this isn’t fried chicken? Happy cooking!

Crusty Paprika Baked Chicken Thighs

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients

  • â…” cup low fat buttermilk
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1 ½ tablespoon smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ tablespoon onion powder
  • 4 large skinless chicken thighs

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Line a cookie sheet with foil and place a cookie rack on top. Spray with cooking spray for easier cleaning.
  3. Combine panko, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder in a bowl. Place buttermilk in another bowl.
  4. Dry chicken thighs and then dredge in them buttermilk and panko mixture, then place on cooking rack. Spray with olive oil cooking spray.
  5. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink next to the bone.
Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin
http://motherrimmy.com/paprika-baked-chicken-recipe

Nutrition Per Serving
Calories: 182, Weight Watchers PointsPlus 4
Total Fat: 3.24g
Cholesterol: 37mg
Sodium: 268mg
Total Carbs: 22.56g
Dietary Fiber: 1.38g
Sugars: 3.90g
Protein: 13.49g

Last updated by at .

{ 44 comments… read them below or add one }

Kiri W. January 14, 2012 at 3:25 pm

Mmm, love how crunchy your crust looks! That’s always a problem for me when I bake them. Paprika sounds wonderful, lovely recipe!
Kiri W. recently posted…Cherimoya – The Bubble Gum FruitMy Profile

Reply

krimkus January 15, 2012 at 8:34 pm

My faux fried recipes always came out soggy until I started cooking them on a rack and using panko bread crumbs. I often spray the top with olive oil cooking spray to help it brown. Works great. Enjoy the week to come!

Reply

Anna January 14, 2012 at 5:42 pm

I just want to dig into this chicken!! Looks great!
Anna recently posted…Cranberry Orange and Carrot BreadMy Profile

Reply

Liz January 14, 2012 at 6:49 pm

Wow, the crust on your chicken looks fabulous! Lovely recipe~
Liz recently posted…M. Jacques’ Armagnac Chicken~My Profile

Reply

Sandra January 15, 2012 at 7:01 am

You have elevated the lonely thigh to a new level. This looks amazing.
Sandra recently posted…I’m Planning a Dessert TableMy Profile

Reply

Laura @ The Art of Cooking Real Food January 15, 2012 at 8:05 am

What a great idea to put them on a rack – no flipping needed! Love smoked paprika, too; it lends such an earthy, outdoorsy flavor. Great recipe!
Laura @ The Art of Cooking Real Food recently posted…Slow Cooker Minestrone (and a peek into my Thursday)My Profile

Reply

krimkus January 15, 2012 at 8:15 pm

It really does work to bake on the rack, that way both sides get nice and crispy without flipping.

Reply

Angie@Angie's Recipes January 15, 2012 at 9:36 am

So brown and crispy! The chicken looks so succulent too.
Angie@Angie’s Recipes recently posted…Fennel Potato Soup with SaffronMy Profile

Reply

BBQ Smoker January 15, 2012 at 11:36 am

Ahh… Panko… how I do love thee! Love this recipe. I don’t fry foods at home, so normally we go out when I need a fried chicken fix. This is a super variation on the fried chicken theme, and I thank you for the post! Love the smoked paprika!
BBQ Smoker recently posted…Blog Spotlight – Freestyle Cookery for Some Smokey UK GoodnessMy Profile

Reply

krimkus January 15, 2012 at 8:07 pm

Isn’t panko the best? It makes the difference between a crunchy baked chicken and mushy if I use plain bread crumbs. Enjoy the week ahead!

Reply

Andrea@WellnessNotes January 15, 2012 at 12:17 pm

I really like dried herbs on baked/faux fried fish and chicken. Your dish looks & sounds delicious!
Andrea@WellnessNotes recently posted…Weekly Meals and WorkoutsMy Profile

Reply

Food Jaunts January 15, 2012 at 1:06 pm

I love oven fried chicken. Have you ever tried marinating yours in the buttermilk spice mix overnight before spicing and breading? Highly recommended!
Food Jaunts recently posted…Slow Cooker North Carolina Style Pulled PorkMy Profile

Reply

krimkus January 15, 2012 at 8:04 pm

I used to do that, but never had the buttermilk on hand. Now I buy powdered buttermilk. Thanks for the reminder – it does such a terrific job of tenderizing the meat.

Reply

Kristen (swanky dietitian) January 15, 2012 at 5:02 pm

Every so often I will really get a craving for fried chicken.
This looks so delicious! Thanks for sharing an amazing recipe.
Kristen (swanky dietitian) recently posted…Feeling Like A Kid AgainMy Profile

Reply

krimkus January 15, 2012 at 7:55 pm

I can’t say the last time I actually fried anything. I’ve gotten to the point where I prefer baking. Have a good week!

Reply

Magic of Spice January 15, 2012 at 6:43 pm

What a great crunchy breading, I bet this is much better than fried!
Magic of Spice recently posted…What’s for dinner? Truffled Mac n Cheese with Shitaki Shrooms and Spelt NoodlesMy Profile

Reply

Paula (Salad in a Jar) January 15, 2012 at 7:36 pm

What a great way to “fry” chicken! Gotta try it.

Reply

Sandi January 16, 2012 at 6:21 am

Reeaally like that you use buttermilk, great idea!
I use Panko on mine too, & recently used Panko for fried okra breading. I highly recommend!
Sandi recently posted…Just Read & What They AteMy Profile

Reply

krimkus January 16, 2012 at 7:05 am

I don’t even buy or make bread crumbs anymore. Panko does such a good job. I only wish I could find the whole wheat version, but my local grocery stores don’t seem to sell it.

Reply

Suzanne January 16, 2012 at 9:25 am

yum these look delicious, and low in fat is even better. I will have to make these this week thanks Kristi :)
Suzanne recently posted…Smoky Corn ChowderMy Profile

Reply

Cucina49 January 16, 2012 at 12:55 pm

These look wonderful, and I totally agree with you on the fresh herbs. Love the looks of these, particularly with the faux-frying!
Cucina49 recently posted…The Good, the Bad and the UglyMy Profile

Reply

Erin @ Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts January 16, 2012 at 4:38 pm

This chicken looks amazing – so much flavor and so crispy for being baked!! I have everything I need to make these, I am going to try them this week!

Reply

krimkus January 19, 2012 at 8:12 am

Hi Erin, be sure and let me know how they turn out!

Reply

Belinda @zomppa January 16, 2012 at 5:00 pm

Hmm!!! A perfectly baked chicken! Finger lickin’!
Belinda @zomppa recently posted…Could Bread by Any Other Name Taste as Smoky, Savory, or Sweet? ¡Viva Pan de Jamón!My Profile

Reply

wok with ray January 16, 2012 at 6:00 pm

I love how the color of paprika made the crust so vibrant. This is a beautiful dish, Kristi! Have a wonderful week!

~ ray ~
wok with ray recently posted…Oxtail Kare Kare (Filipino Oxtail Peanut Stew)My Profile

Reply

Kristen January 16, 2012 at 6:37 pm

I have only recently discovered how delicious smoked paprika can be. This sounds like a great way to serve chicken!
Kristen recently posted…Lasagna Soup: Your Recipe, My KitchenMy Profile

Reply

krimkus January 19, 2012 at 8:12 am

I really liked the paprika. You are right, it’s truly delicious!

Reply

Katerina January 17, 2012 at 7:32 am

Definitely a more healthy way of eating chicken and the addition of herbs I am sure made the chicken even more flavorful!
Katerina recently posted…Saint Basil’s Pie for 2012 (Vasilopita)My Profile

Reply

Irena January 17, 2012 at 12:22 pm

Kristi, looks sounds and tastes much better than fried. Yummy lunch. Love Panko:)
Irena recently posted…Banana Cream Pie, Low Fat RecipeMy Profile

Reply

krimkus January 19, 2012 at 8:09 am

Your banana cream pie is on my list. I’d forgotten how much I loved them as a kid!

Reply

Juliana January 17, 2012 at 2:25 pm

I love this recipe, especially because you use panko and is oven baked instead of fried. Looks delicious with the crunchy panko crust.
Have a great week Kristi :-)

Reply

krimkus January 19, 2012 at 8:05 am

You can’t beat panko for crunch, can you! Have a good day. :)

Reply

Andrea (questfordelish)b January 18, 2012 at 8:21 am

This looks so yummy and I think my kids would love it. thanks for sharing.
Andrea (questfordelish)b recently posted…Doughnut MuffinsMy Profile

Reply

Trish January 18, 2012 at 8:54 am

Hi, do you use boneless thighs or can u use bone in?

Reply

krimkus January 19, 2012 at 7:47 am

Hi Trish – thank you so much for visiting! You could use bone in or boneless. Either would work. So would chicken breast if you prefer. I just remove the skin because I don’t eat it and I want the crust on the chicken. Have a lovely day. :)

Reply

Pam January 18, 2012 at 9:13 am

I love how crunchy the coating looks. I may make this for dinner tonight!
Pam recently posted…Roasted Garlic Flaky BiscuitsMy Profile

Reply

krimkus January 19, 2012 at 7:48 am

It was nice as crunchy. My favorite kind of chicken. Perfect with roasted potatoes.

Reply

Trish January 18, 2012 at 2:47 pm

oops, i see the recipe is bone in…….

Reply

Kiran @ KiranTarun.com January 19, 2012 at 3:24 am

That looks so delicious — I love baked chicken recipes instead of deep fried ones :D
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com recently posted…Raw Kohlrabi & Grapefruit SaladMy Profile

Reply

Drick January 19, 2012 at 6:08 am

I have cooked many ‘fried chicken in the oven’ recipes, but none looked as good as yours… gonna do this one next, thanks
Drick recently posted…Spanish Sausage, Bean, Spinach SoupMy Profile

Reply

krimkus January 19, 2012 at 7:38 am

There’s nothing worse than soggy oven baked chicken. This method works really well, especially with panko.

Reply

Asmita January 19, 2012 at 6:09 pm

This chicken looks awesome. I love that it has buttermilk and best of all is baked. I really need to make this one!!!
Asmita recently posted…Lemon Yogurt CakeMy Profile

Reply

krimkus January 21, 2012 at 4:57 pm

Baking on the rack makes all the difference between mushy chicken and crunchy. It works so well. Have a good weekend. :)

Reply

Argie April 12, 2012 at 11:16 pm

It looks so crunchy and tasty. I would like to have this recipe at home. I hope it will work.

Reply

Leave a Comment

CommentLuv badge

{ 1 trackback }

Previous post:

Next post: