Baked Crispy Chicken Thighs

This chicken is going to knock your socks off! Back in April when Enjoy Life Foods had a contest to use their Plentils chips in a recipe, I’d made a few things: the Vidalia Onion Tart, which Enjoy Life picked as their winning recipe (stay tuned for that!), Fish cakes, and these unbelievable pieces of chicken thighs.

I chose boneless skinless chicken for this recipe because frankly, I try to simplify my life any way I can, whenever I can. You see, Munsur won’t eat the drumstick as is. Sofia is definitely not finicky when it comes to her food, with the one exception; if her brother wants a food served a certain way, so does she. Although he loves the crispy skin and the chicken itself, every time I make my Roasted Chicken Legs, there’s a procedure I must perform: first, I have to peel the skin off, then I separate the meat from the bone, and finally inspect the meat for any cartilage that’s hidden inside. At this point, my fingers are throbbing and beet red from the extreme heat {the things you do for your kids.} Then – because we’re not done yet, I put said meat pieces on his plate, followed by the crispy skin on top. They’re called ‘hats’. Only then, will Munsur and his sister eat the chicken. Because God forbid he finds or feels any of the above mentioned things in his mouth…well, there’s no need to give you an imagery of what happens next.

How did this recipe come to be, you ask? Well, my son wanted to have chips the night before but it was too late to have them. So I promised that I’d include chips in his meal the next day. I’m not a fan of chips and processed things, however, I love these chips! I don’t feel guilty when I enjoy them. You’ll know what I mean when you buy your bag to make this recipe. Except, I highly recommend you get a couple of bags because you’ll need one to make the chicken, and the other one to nosh on while you wait for your dinner to come out of the oven.

The next day I went to pick up the usual skin-on chicken legs but they were out. So I had to improvise with the skinless options. Problem is, I knew that Munsur would’ve given me a hard time with every bite: “Mama where’s the skin? How come you didn’t buy it with skin? Why is the chicken without the skin, I just don’t get it? Mama, why aren’t you answering me? Hey mama, I’m talking to you!” and so on.

I had no bread crumbs but thankfully, I remembered the lentil chips I’d bought for the kids to eat with their chicken. And the rest, as they say, is history :) Munsur had no clue he ate the chicken without any skin…and became ecstatic when he realized that the chips that were promised to him were actually on the chicken. My husband also loved the taste and how effortless they were to eat (although he complained that he couldn’t stop eating – can’t win it seems.) And I personally loved how simple this recipe was to make – one bowl and 4 ingredients (not including the sea salt) to the perfect dinner. Thank goodness for another successful recipe experimentation.

Ok, now that you’ve found out how this all happened – and if you didn’t care how it did then I apologize – go and make this chicken. I guarantee that you will absolutely love these chicken thighs. They’re the perfect size for little hands to hold onto and eat, it’s technically healthier because it’s skinless, and the taste is truly something you’ll need to experience for yourself.

Happy Crispy Chicken baking, my friends.

xo, Laila

Free from: dairy, egg, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, soy, mustard, wheat, gluten.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425F.

1. Place chicken thighs in a large bowl. Add Vegenaise, 1 tsp sea salt, and oil. Mix well until chicken is fully incorporated with the ingredients.

2. Add half (3/4C) of crushed chips and mix well with chicken.

3. Spread chicken onto baking pan with parchment paper.

4. Add remaining crushed chips and press into chicken.  Sprinkle remaining salt all over chicken.

5. Place in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until chips are a light golden brown and chicken is cooked through.

Remove and enjoy hot and crispy.

Bon appétit.    :)