Paprika Panko Crusted Chicken Thighs

One of my favorite cooking blogs posted this recipe on Wednesday and I tried it out for supper last night. I knew instantly that I wanted to try this recipe because it looked so simple and really tasty. We have vacation in a few weeks so we are really trying to eat super light and healthy meals until then. The focus is on eating fresh foods and trying to make smarter choices in our meats, which means lots of lean protein, so I apologize if you are seeing a lot of poultry recipes lately.

These crusted chicken thighs are delicious. I am quite confident that you could use boneless chicken breasts or drumsticks and the end results would still be great. I chose to use chicken thighs because that is what the recipe called for. I just trimmed any other visible fat on the chicken thighs before I breaded them. I served these chicken thighs with some garlic and olive oil angel hair pasta that I tossed together and some steamed fresh broccoli and carrots with butter and herbs thrown on top after they cooked.

Paprika Panko Crusted Chicken Thighs
Serves: 4 to 6
Adapted by: http://www.fortheloveofcooking.net/2012/05/paprika-panko-crusted-chicken-thighs.html

Ingredients
5 or 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/2 cup low fat buttermilk
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
cooking spray

Directions
-Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
-Line a baking sheet with foil and then place a cooking rack on top of the foiled baking sheet. This will allow the chicken to cook evenly and will give it the crispy crust on all sides of the meat.
-Pour the buttermilk in a small bowl. In another small dish, combine the panko, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper, and mix until combined.
-Dip chicken thighs in buttermilk and then in the crumb mixture until evenly coated. Place on the baking rack and repeat with all chicken thighs.
-Season the tops of all chicken with additional salt and pepper, if desired, then spray with nonstick cooking spray.
-Place in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until chicken is 170 degrees. Remove from the oven and let the chicken rest for a few minutes before serving.
-Serve

Enjoy! :)