Panko Parmesan Chicken

The easy preparation makes home-made light and crispy chicken a breeze. Panko is Japanese for bread crumbs. Panko is more delicate and absorbs less oil than traditional bread crumbs while the Parmesan cheese adds an level of flavor not normally attainable with traditional fried chicken

Ingredients

• Dijon mustard  ·  3 tablespoons 
• Small to medium chicken thighs  ·  8 
• Olive Oil, plus 2 Tablespoons (for final drizzle on chicken)  ·  ¼  cup 
• Herbie's Thyme Leaves  ·  ½ teaspoon 
• Parmesan, finely grated  ·  ½ cup 
• Panko bread crumbs  ·  ¾  cup 
• Salt  ·  ½ teaspoon 
• Pepper, fresh ground  ·  ½ teaspoon 

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375˚F

Rinse and pat chicken dry. Trim thighs of excess skin. Place thighs in a baking dish without crowding. Season generously with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, add the Dijon and thyme. Whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. Spoon equal amounts of Dijon mixture on top of each piece making sure each chicken thigh is generously covered.

In another small bowl add the panko, parmesan, salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Again, generously heap panko mixture on each chicken thigh, gently pressing the crumbs evenly over each piece. Drizzle with a small amount of olive oil.

Position oven rack to center position, bake thighs for 30 minutes, turn and continue baking until golden brown and crisp.