Extra Crispy Oven-Fried Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
-
3 tbsp. Buffalo wing sauce (plus more to taste; see notes)
-
1 tbsp. black pepper
-
2 tsp. sweet paprika
-
2 tsp. kosher salt (plus more to taste)
-
1 tbsp. BAKING POWDER (do NOT use baking soda, it's NOT the same)
-
10 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 lbs, trimmed)
Method
-
01Preheat oven to 450℉.
-
02Dry chicken thighs with paper towels really well. Try getting them as dry as possible. Sprinkle on salt, paprika, pepper and baking powder and gently rub with your hands all over, ensuring even coverage. (See note).
-
03Lay the chicken thighs on the cooking rack, leaving a little space between the pieces. You may want to spray the cooling rack with PAM or rub it with some oil to minimize sticking. Note: you can skip using a cooling rack, but that will result in the bottoms of the chicken thighs becoming a little greasy. In that case, place the thighs on paper towels after baking to remove the grease.
-
04Transfer the thighs to a large baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and/or parchment paper. Either is optional, of course, but makes cleaning much easier.
-
05Place the baking sheet in the oven. Switch the oven to 425℉ convection. This is very important. You must use convection to get the same crispiness.
-
06Bake for 30 minutes for moderate crispiness and supreme juiciness. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes for ultimate crispiness and fall-off-the-bone tenderness, with perhaps a tiny bit reduced juiciness.
-
07Remove the thighs from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. This will ensure that the skin on the thighs retains much of its crispiness after tossing in Buffalo wing sauce.
-
08Toss the thighs in Buffalo wing sauce, or any other sauce, or a combination of hot wing and BBQ sauce and serve. Alternatively, serve with a dipping sauce on the side.
