I love chicken thighs. For years, I refused them and ate only the skinless boneless breasts. Today, I boldly admit chicken thighs have more flavor than chicken breasts ever knew existed. Chicken thighs are what’s happening. I wish chickens had four legs which would give them four thighs. Better yet, they could be classified as spiders and have eight legs which would give them eight thighs. That would make spiders taste like chicken. I could live with that.
My aunt Mary’s backyard chickens were the star of the show in the post “A Chicken in Every Pot”. In that story, I describe how I come from a long line of “growing chickens in the backyard” people. Ancestors just didn’t have the conveniences , or the money, we do today. They had to be self-reliant and that included catching and butchering their food at times. I’m far removed from that and have become dependent on other sources for a lot of our food. I grow fruits, berries and vegetables and the idea of being completely self-reliant appeals to me. Homesteading is a fast growing trend that has adopted a sustainable, self-sufficient lifestyle that supports a back-to-the-land movement. While this movement may seem undesirable to some, it was a way of life only a few generations ago. Times have changed dramatically. Circumstances have never warranted me wringing a chicken’s neck. I’ve been blessed by much good fortune and have never had to experience hard times like my grandparents when food was scarce. However, I do believe if a chicken’s neck stood between me and starvation, the wringing would be inevitable. The first time would be traumatic for both me and the chicken’s neck, I’m sure. But, the will to survive would give me the strength to do what’s needed to feed my family.
There must be a lot of satisfaction that comes from living off the land. I tip my hat to all the homesteaders and self-reliant people where ever you may be.
Now back to my love of chicken thighs. I’m always trying to come up with different ways to cook chicken thighs. Lots of folks coat boneless, skinless chicken breasts with a breading and then bake. Quite often, that breading will contain a hard, grated cheese to add some fat which will help the skinless, dry, tasteless chicken breast crisp up and have a little bit of flavor. If breading can help chicken breast that much, I thought I wanted to try it on skin-on, bone-in, moist, juicy, tender chicken thighs. I couldn’t find a thing wrong with that idea.
The thighs were delicious and the breading and skin did crisp up nicely. Instead of my usual buttermilk for the marinade and “glue” for the breading, I wanted something a little thicker that would grab on to more breading so I used sour cream with a beaten egg.
I formulated this recipe for 8 chicken thighs. If chickens were classified as spiders, we would have only needed one chicken for this meal. Instead, it took four. Just sayin’.
Y’all come see us!
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Parmesan Crusted Chicken Thighs
8 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg, slightly beaten
3/4 cup Italian-style bread crumbs
1/2 c up grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon of your favorite seasoning (I used Lawry’s Chicken and Poultry Seasoning)
salt and pepper to taste
Wash and pat dry chicken. Mix sour cream and egg together. Coat chicken with the sour cream mixture , cover and place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours, to marinade. I didn’t season the chicken with additional salt. Parmesan cheese is salty plus the seasoning that we are adding to the breading has a lot of salt.
Mix bread crumbs, cheese and seasoning in a shallow dish.
After the chicken has marinated, roll in the breading mixture. See how nice and thick the sour cream is? That’s exactly what I was going for. Lots of the breading can grab on to it. We’ll have a nice, sturdy breading which add flavor and crispness. Parmesan cheese will keep the breading from globbing up and getting gummy.
Place the breaded chicken on a large, prepared baking sheet. Don’t crowd the chicken or it will steam and never get crisp. I sprinkled a little bit of the left over breading on top. Remember, we are going for a nice, sturdy breading.
I drizzled a little olive oil over the thighs just for the heck of it and to make them crisp up even more.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until the thighs reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Other recipes you might enjoy:
Jan says
Amen, Sister! I love chicken thighs. They are so much more flavorful than chicken breasts. Yes, they have more fat but it’s absolutely worth if for the flavor. I’ll be trying your recipe very soon.
Jackie Garvin says
Jan,
Thanks so much! I hope you give the recipe a try. Please let me know what you think about it. 🙂
Daina Chamness says
This looks so yummy! I get tired of eating only the things the diet books say are best for us. Portion control, and enjoy it!
Jackie Garvin says
Daina,
I couldn’t agree more. Portion control is the key. Don’t deny yourself. It only makes you want it more and then you might really go off the deep end.
Thanks for your comment, Daina! 🙂
nancy Erickson says
Yes, finally someone else fesses up to this discovery. Nothing like validation to forgoe that chicken breast.
Jackie Garvin says
Nancy,
The burden of chicken breasts has been lifted! Enjoy your thighs! 🙂
Mary says
Love the idea of sour cream – usually use buttermilk . Will definitely put on menu for a Sunday meal. The dark meat has always been my favorite, but my husband is white meat only. I just cook a cut-up chicken, and we have plenty of left overs!! Thanks for another great recipe.
Jackie Garvin says
Mary,
Sour cream did just what I was hoping it would do. I usually use buttermilk, too, but I wanted a thicker consistency so it would grab on to more of the breading.
It’s so nice to have a white meat/dark meat relationship. It’s much neater that way instead of fighting over parts!
Thanks for your comments, Mary! 🙂
Jean says
Morning Jackie…
I have never been a fan of thighs. Fried chicken must be white..although now I am getting away from breast meat and wings are my favorite. Imagine a chicken with extra wings. Between your extra thighs and my extra wings they never would catch that sucker! I will admit
thighs are good for bbq and other cooking methods which tend to dry out the other parts quicker. This recipe looks delish and I feel sure it would work on my other parts of chicken as well. Trying to imagine our chicken in my head….LOLOL!!!!!
Jackie Garvin says
Jean,
Thinking about “our” chicken makes me laugh, too! I’m all far extra wings because I love them, too! They have a high percentage of skin to flesh and crispy chicken skin is just flat out good.
Thanks so much for your comment, Jean! 🙂
Laura Stark says
Did you know that the dark meat of a chicken actually IS better for you! Thighs and legs have more of the nutrients that are needed in our bodies, with only 10-15 more calories per serving. I’ve always eaten the dark meat; not a fan of white, except for the wings!! Great recipe and keep up the writing; you’re doing an awesome job!!!
Jackie Garvin says
Laura,
Yea for thighs! Thanks for sharing your information about nutrition. I love the wings, too, but I think it’s because they’re primarily skin. Crispy chicken skin is just flat out good!
Thank you so much for your comments, Laura. They mean more to me than you will ever know. 🙂
Laura says
I, too, have just discovered the flavor of thighs over breasts. This recipe sounds soooo good! I can’t wait to try it. Thanks for sharing!!
Jackie Garvin says
Laura,
Enjoy you some good chicken thighs, Shug! And…join the crowd of converts from breasts to thighs. The groups growing bigger everyday! 🙂
Melissa says
These sound heavenly! Can’t wait to try the recipe! Another fun and wonderful chicken cookbook is called “Bistro Chicken” by Mary Ellen Evans. So many ways to prepare this versatile little bird!
~Melissa
http://www.ChinDeep.com
Jackie Garvin says
Melissa,
Are you a chicken thigh fan, too? I’m not familiar with that cookbook but I will look it up. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. Thanks for the cookbook tip, too! 🙂
GINGER says
Hi Jackie 🙂 Oh my it’s been too long since I’ve stopped in for a visit . I’ve been a very busy girl,I’ve been in my art studio working away! Since I have some time tonight ,I am catching up with my Syrup and Biscuits reading.
I love me a good chicken breast, but you know they are dry most of the time..so maybe I should give the thigh a chance ! 😉 I’ll grab me some thighs the next time I go grocery shopping and give your recipe a go..I wonder what my girls will think?? They’re chicken breast snobs just like there momma… I’ll let you know how it turns out.
I’ll try not to visit more often!!
-Ginger 🙂
Jackie Garvin says
Hey Ginger!
I’ve been missing you! So glad you stopped by for a visit. I can’t wait to see what you’ve been working on in your art studio. I’ll keep checking in on your blog to find out. 🙂
GINGER says
Hey Jackie, I just reread my closing and I soo typed it wrong!! I meant to say “I’ll try to visit more often” :0 opps!
I’d love for you to stop by my art blog and see my work. Art is my passion and I am trying to share my art more and more with the world. http://lostfoundcreated.blogspot.com/
-Ginger 🙂
Jackie Garvin says
Ginger,
I knew what you meant! I will hop on over to your art blog now. Ready or not….here I come! 🙂
Sara says
Does this work with boneless skinless thighs too?
Jackie Garvin says
Sara,
You could certainly get away with using boneless thighs. The breading might not adhere quite as well. If you give it a try, please let me know the results.