Chicken Parmesan Thighs
Also Known as Chicken Parmigiana, this classic dish is made juicier and tastier using thighs. Breaded and fried thighs topped with rich tomato sauce and a final layer of molten cheese to balance the dish out. A restaurant quality dish right at home.
Servings: 5 Servings
Calories: 680kcal
Ingredients
- 5 chicken thighs boneless skinless about 600g.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
For coating:
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning divided
- Salt and pepper
For the sauce:
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 can 15 oz tomato puree
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ¼ teaspoon basil
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes optional
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Salt to taste
For baking:
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- Fresh basil leaves
- Oil for frying
Instructions
Prepare the chicken:
- Place chicken thighs between two plastic wraps and pound to make them evenly thick.
- Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper, set aside while you prepare the sauce and coating.
Make the sauce:
- In a sauce pan heat oil over medium high heat then add garlic and saute for 30 seconds or until slightly golden brown
- Add chili flakes if using then pour in tomato puree, broth and all the remaining ingredients.
- Bring a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5-7 minutes until thickened.
Prepare the coating:
- Place eggs, breadcrumbs and flour in three shallow dishes.
- Season eggs with ½ teaspoon of Italian seasoning and salt and black pepper to taste then lightly beat them all together.
- Add parmesan cheese to the breadcrumbs season with the remaining Italian seasoning, garlic powder and salt and pepper to your liking. Watch out as the parmesan cheese already salty.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
Fry the chicken:
- Fill a large skillet with about ½ an inch of frying oil and heat over medium high heat.
- Take one chicken thigh, dredge in flour then dip both sides in egg mixture. Place in panko breadcrumbs and coat completely pressing on them so they coating sticks.
- Fry chicken in hot oil on both sides for about 2-3 minutes each side.
- Place on a paper towel lined plate and continue until you are done with all the chicken pieces.
Assemble and bake:
- Place fried chicken on a baking dish and spoon tomato sauce over.
- Sprinkle generously with mozzarella cheese then parmesan cheese.
- Bake in the center of your oven for 10-15 minutes until cheese melts.
- Serve garnished with chopped fresh basil.
Nutrition
Calories: 680kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 219mg | Sodium: 1445mg | Potassium: 407mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 622IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 472mg | Iron: 4mg