Fried Chicken Thighs

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs, 8 pieces
• 2 teaspoons Salt, plus a pinch or two for the cooked fried chicken thighs
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1 teaspoon Paprika
• ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
• ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
• ¾ cup All Purpose Flour
• ½ cup Milk
• Canola Oil, for frying – enough to cover the bottom of a large skillet with ¼ to ½ inch of oil

Prep work

There is a little prep work with this comfort food classic. Anytime there’s dredging and breading involved there’s work…but it’s totally worth it!

Preheat the oven to warm (or to its lowest setting) to keep the chicken warm while frying the second batch.

Line a baking sheet with a cooling rack to place the chicken after it’s fried so it doesn’t get soggy. The cooling rack elevates the chicken so air can circulate around it.

Then line another baking sheet with parchment paper. This one is to place the chicken after it’s coated. The flour and milk coating is sticky stuff. The parchment paper will prevent it from sticking to the pan.

Make a seasoning mix by combining 2 teaspoons of salt, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder and the black pepper in a small bowl. Stir the seasonings together to combine.

Trim any excess fat off the chicken. Finally, season the chicken thighs on both sides with half the prepared seasoning mix. Reserve the remaining half for the flour.

Coat the chicken

I love this technique. It’s like breading but we use a flour-liquid-flour combination instead of a breadcrumb coating. The coating on the chicken crisps up nicely. The color is golden and beautiful, and the taste is fantastic!

Start by setting up a dredging station

• Mix the flour, and the remaining seasoning mix in a shallow pan or plate.  We use a quarter sheet pan, it’s the perfect size. A large casserole dish works great too.
• Pour the milk in a medium bowl. Make sure it’s large enough that the chicken will fit comfortably.

Working with one piece of chicken at a time, lightly coat it with the seasoned flour. Shake off any excess.

Then then dip the coated chicken piece into the milk bowl.

Make sure the entire piece is moist.

Next, place the chicken back in the seasoned flour mix, ensure the chicken is completely coated. Shake off excess flour.

Finally, set the chicken on the parchment paper-lined sheet pan. Repeat with the rest of the chicken pieces. Discard any leftover flour and milk.

Fry the chicken

Pour enough oil in a large, heavy skillet to cover the entire bottom by about a ¼ - ½ inch. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.

When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add one pieces of chicken to test the oil. If it starts bubbling and makes a sizzle sound, it’s ready to go.

Add about half the chicken to the skillet, don’t overcrowd. Fry the chicken for about 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown.

If the chicken is browning too quickly, lower the heat a little bit and turn frequently to brown evenly on both sides.

Use tongs to turn the chicken, that way the coating doesn’t flake off. Also, if you pierce the chicken with a fork, juices are going to run out and that area will be soggy.

Remove the skillet from the heat. I like to place it on an empty burner. That way I’m not fiddling with trivets. Remove the chicken from the skillet and place them on the cooling rack lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the chicken with a pinch of salt. Keep the fried chicken thighs in the warm oven while you fry the second batch.

Make sure the internal temperature of the chicken reaches at least 165°F at the thickest part. Take the temperature of the biggest piece and use an instant read thermometer to make sure.

What to do if fried chicken is browning too fast and is still raw

If the chicken is browning way too quickly and you need to get it out of the oil, try this:

• Remove the chicken from the hot oil and place it on a sheet pan that’s lined with a cooling rack.
• Heat the oven to 350°F to 375°F
• Bake the chicken until the internal temperature is at least 165°F.

This may not be the ideal way to cook fried chicken, but it will save dinner.

Pair this recipe with one of our other comfort food side dishes:

Bacon green beans

Potato broccoli bake

Loaded tater tots