These Crispy Oven Fried Chicken Thighs are a great alternative to traditional frying! Bread bone-in chicken thighs, then throw them in the oven to crisp up perfectly. They’re so easy to make — don’t forget to add the honey mustard sauce!
Crispy Oven Fried Chicken Thighs
My husband is always asking for fried chicken — always. As in, every time I ask what sounds good for supper, he gives me the same answer. At this point, I really don’t know why I even ask!
While I do like fried chicken, I don’t like the amount of work that it requires and the mess it can make. Plus, it isn’t the healthiest meal to eat on a regular basis.
That’s why I like to oven “fry” my chicken. It’s less messy, and it’s a healthier option!
Normally, I just coat chicken in seasoned flour and bake it (I teach you how in this post for sheet pan Parmesan chicken), but I often miss that thicker breading and crunch you get when you traditionally fry chicken. You know what I mean?
I also make a wonderful homemade honey mustard sauce to drizzle over the top of this crispy chicken thigh recipe. It’s completely optional, but totally delicious!
Why You’ll Love Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Thighs
- No excess oil
- Crunchy and delicious
- Minimal ingredients
- Comes together in about an hour
- Family-friendly
Key Ingredients to Make This Crispy Chicken Thigh Recipe
- CHICKEN THIGHS – I’m using skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs for this recipe.
- ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR – You’ll need flour to create the breading. All-purpose is easiest to find, but you can also use your preference.
- SALT – To taste.
- SEASONINGS – Use a combination of onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika.
- EGGS – To help the breading stick to the chicken thighs.
- MILK – Also needed in the breading process!
- CORNFLAKES – Here’s where that signature crispy crunch comes in. Use crushed cornflakes!
- OLIVE OIL – Combine the cereal with olive oil to help it stick, and to help get that golden brown color on the finished results.
- HONEY MUSTARD – Again, creating your own is optional, but I can’t recommend it enough! You’ll need mayonnaise, honey, and Dijon mustard to make it.
Instructions to Make Oven Fried Chicken Thighs
PREPARE THE DREDGING STATIONS: Add the flour, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika to a shallow dish. Combine the eggs and milk in another dish. Finally, add the crushed cornflakes and olive oil to a third dish.
BREAD THE CHICKEN: Dredge one chicken thigh in the flour mixture. Dip it into the egg wash and then into the cornflake mixture. Make sure to coat both sides of the chicken! Place it on a large baking sheet and repeat with the other thighs.
BAKE: Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
MAKE THE HONEY MUSTARD (Optional): If you want to make my quick honey mustard, simply combine the mayonnaise, honey, and Dijon mustard in a small bowl.
Serve your crispy oven baked chicken thighs with your favorite dipping sauces and enjoy!
What to Serve With Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Thighs
Looking for serving suggestions for your breaded baked chicken thighs? Look no further!
- Skillet Garlic Green Beans
- A simple side salad made with Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
- Easiest Mashed Potatoes
- Slow Cooker Baked Potatoes
- Bacon Mashed Potatoes
- Old Fashioned Potato Salad
- Creamy Key Lime Fruit Salad
- Creamy Coleslaw
- And for dessert: No Bake Vanilla Cheesecake
FAQ
It truly depends on your specific tastes and preferences, as well as how much time you have. I think that my breaded chicken thighs taste great when cooked in the oven — plus you don’t have to use a lot of excess oil.
If you don’t have time to bake your chicken for an hour, your best bet is to pan-fry it. This post has some tips for cooking chicken in a skillet!
You can absolutely get the same crispy and crunchy texture you achieve from frying if you use the oven. This breaded baked chicken thighs recipe is proof! The key is in the added olive oil in the breading, as well as the cornflakes. Both come together to bring you crispy oven baked chicken thighs that you won’t believe aren’t actually deep-fried!
You don’t have to for this crispy chicken thigh recipe! It’s perfectly fine to bake breaded chicken thighs uncovered.
I cook mine at 400 degrees F, as I find that a higher temperature really helps them crisp up perfectly. They’ll cook up a lot faster too!
More Chicken Recipes to Try
- Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
- Chicken Florentine Pasta Casserole
- Creamy Chicken Stew
- Poppy Seed Chicken Broccoli Casserole
Thanks so much for reading! Let me know what you think about this crispy oven fried chicken thighs recipe in the comments below!
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Crispy Oven “Fried” Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 6 bone in skin on chicken thighs
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- Season salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon of each: onion powder, garlic powder, paprika
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1½ cups finely crushed cornflakes (I like to do this by placing in a resealable plastic bag and using a rolling pin to crush)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- HONEY MUSTARD SAUCE
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a shallow dish combine the flour, salt, onion powder, garlic powder and paprika. In a second shallow dish combine the eggs and milk. In a third shallow dish combine the crushed cornflakes and olive oil.
- Dredge one chicken thigh in the flour mixture coating all sides. Dip into the egg wash coating all sides. Dredge in the cornflake mixture coating all sides. Place on a large baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken thighs. Bake for 45 minutes or until an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- OPTIONAL HONEY MUSTARD SAUCE: In a small bowl combine the mayonnaise, honey and dijon mustard.
Notes
- If using a food processor to make your cornflake crumbs be careful not to process too fine.
- Panko breadcrumbs can be substituted for the cornflakes.
- Chicken can be soaked in buttermilk overnight.
- Can use cut up chicken pieces as well.
- Nutrition Facts: Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the information shown is just an estimate. Nutrtion includes 1/6th of the honey mustard sauce.
Nutrition
Really easy, fast, crispy and flavorful. Usually my Mom doesn’t eat the skin but she did this time. The oven temperature and cooking time were spot on. Usually my chicken is raw near the bone when I first check it but with this recipe it was completely cooked. Yay!! Thank you!
Thank you so much Jinjer!! I am so glad you and your Mom enjoyed the chicken thighs!! And thank you so much for leaving your comment!
Had this for dinner and it is everything you could hope for. Substituted pinko with Italian bread crumbs because I had it!
Thank you so much!! And thanks for sharing about your substitution!
So pleased with this recipe!!! I substituted several things- coconut flour, avocado oil, and gluten free panko style bread crumbs. It only took 20min to reach 165’ but I cooked for the full 45min to make sure they got crunchy. I also flipped them over at 20min when I checked the temp., I’ve only made this once so I don’t know if the flipping is necessary. Don’t microwave the leftovers they turn out super soggy, to reheat broil in the oven for a couple minutes on each side, gets SO crunchy, still delicious the second time! We ate these with sweet baby rays BBQ sauce.
I am so glad you liked it!! And thank you for sharing your substitutions and changes!!
about how many ounces is 1 thigh in this recipe?
Hi! It is roughly 4 ounces including the skin and the bone. Hope that helps!
I got pretty creative with this one as I hadn’t realized when I started that my ingredient cabinet was running so low 😂 but it turned out PHENOMENAL! Thanks so much for this! The two main changes I had to make included using stop top chicken stuffing instead of Panko/cornflakes & instead of 1/4 cup olive oil (as I only had roasted garlic olive oil) was 4tbs oil, 2tbs organic honey and a sprinkle of brown sugar. Strange I know but it somehow worked and added a slight sweetness and richness to the coating!
Lol! That’s so awesome that you used what you had on hand and made it your own!! Thank you so much for sharing and so glad you enjoyed it!! 🙂
I love this recipe! I added some cayenne pepper to the flour mix because I like spicy (but not TOO spicy) food. All I can say is that, if chicken were heaven, this is it!
My husband would love it if I added cayenne as he loves his food extra spicy. However, the rest of us don’t so he has to add hot sauce when eating. I am so glad you liked it and thanks for sharing!! 🙂
Yum! Sounds good. This is the one I’m going to try tonight. I actually have all the ingredients haha!
Great!! Let me know how you liked them!!
Excellent app
What would be the cooking time for boneless, skinless thighs?
Check them after 30 minutes. Thanks for asking and let me know how you like them! 🙂
I tried this and the skin was not crispy at all.
I’m sorry the recipe didn’t turn out as you hoped!
do you have any idea why that happened?
Hi there, sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner!! It’s hard to say what could have gone wrong. They won’t be the same as fried chicken but the coating shouldn’t be soggy either. You could try using panko breadcrumbs instead of the cornflakes to see if that works better for you. Let me know if you try these again! Thank you!
I dont have corn flakes can i use breadcrumbs instead?
Yes, you can. It may not be as crispy though. Thanks and I hope you enjoy! 🙂
WOW! These chicken thighs look dymanite! I’m a sucker for anything involving a nice crunch and a honey mustard dipping sauce, so I have good reason to think these wouldn’t last long in my house! YUM!
Thanks Erin!! 🙂
Hey Malinda this chicken recipe looks so yummy! I can not wait to make at home! Is it easy to make?
Yes, I feel they are pretty easy to make. I hope you enjoy!
Made these for Paul and me for lunch yesterday and we both thought they were scrumtous. Had drumsticks on hand so used them but it worked real good too.
I’m so glad you liked them!! Thanks Grandma!
You had me at FRIED Chicken!!! I can’t wait to give this a try! And the honey mustard!!! MMM!!!
Thanks Julie!! 🙂
I have people in my family who always suggest the same thing when I ask what they want for dinner, too. I’m like, “We can’t have chicken and potatoes for every meal,” and they are like, “Why not?” I bet they would love these, and I love that it doesn’t take all the time or make all the mess of traditional fried chicken!
Lol! I’m glad we aren’t the only ones!! Thanks, Melissa! 🙂
I am a huge fan of honey mustard! This looks great, and I’ll be trying the honey mustard addition for sure!
Thanks Danielle!! 🙂
I must get some chicken and make this. I know Paul will love them and also the honey mustard sauce.
Let me know how you like it!
This looks absolutely delicious! I can’t wait to try it! Thanks, Malinda.
Thank you Amanda! I hope you enjoy!
If you pan fry the tops for about a minute or so before putting it in the oven, it makes a huge difference! Super crispy!! 😊
Wonderful tip!! Thanks! 🙂
You left out how high to set oven. I’m going to assume it’s 350-375 if it cooks for 45 minutes,
Thanks for catching my mistake, Barbara! I fixed it in the recipe. I actually cook it at 400 degrees F which helps it get the crust crispy. Thanks again hope you enjoy.
Thank you. I actually cooked it at 400 as well. I really liked it – others didn’t like the crust but I did change it just a tad. 🙂 I didn’t put the oil in the corn flake crumbs (which I finely ground). I just used them plain but sprayed Pam on it for the oil content. I guess, for any one else who might read this, doing the corn flake crumbs that fine made it more like corn meal. But as I said I really liked it. Thanks again
I’m sorry the others didn’t like it Barbara! Maybe I should specify in the recipe directions not to grind them too fine. Thank you so much for your comment!!
Do you grease or oil the baking sheet?
You can lightly grease it if you want. I do if I remember. 🙂
Is it possible to substitute cornflakes with Panko Bread Crumbs?
Yes, that is a great substitution! Thanks for asking!
Thanks. Dinner should be great tonight
Try replacing the corn flakes with crushed crushed chicken flavored stuffing mix. MmmGood
What a good idea!! Thank you Bruce!!
Tonight is the third time I’ve made this chicken and it’s fantastic 🙂 It works with an air fryer as well, but the oven is my favorite way. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!
Thank you very much!! And so glad it works in the air fryer too!! Thanks for sharing!
Not sure if the author edited this after your comment, but the instructions definitely say preheating your oven to 400 degrees is the 1st step.