Oven Fried Chicken with Honey Garlic Sauce

 

Serves 4-6

For The Chicken:

• 6 skinless chicken thighs, bone in*
• Salt and pepper to season
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon paprika (sweet or smoky)
• 1 1/2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

For The Honey Garlic Sauce:

• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar (or white or apple cider)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 390°F . Line a baking sheet with baking / parchment paper and set aside.
• Season chicken with salt and pepper. Set up a work station with 3 shallow bowls. To one bowl, add the flour and set aside. In the second bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, garlic powder, the 3/4 teaspoon of salt and paprika. In the third bowl, mix the Panko with the vegetable oil.
• Working one by one, evenly coat the chicken in the flour, then dip into the egg mixture, then dredge in the Panko mixture, pressing to coat. Place onto prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining chicken thighs.
• Lightly spray each chicken thigh over the top with cooking oil spray (this is optional, but I have found it to crisp the chicken even more). Bake for 25 minutes then rotate tray and place back into the oven to cook for a further 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F. the crust is crispy and golden brown. 
• While the chicken is in the oven, prepare the Honey Garlic Sauce: In a small saucepan, combine honey soy sauce, vinegar (if using) and garlic. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, and quickly reduce heat to low. Pour the prepared cornstarch mixture into the saucepan and stir through until sauce thickens (about 2 minutes). Set aside and allow to cool. Serve immediately with the honey garlic sauce.

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TASTE NOTES

This chicken is even better than chicken fried in oil. The honey garlic sauce puts it over the top and I can never help drizzling a bit on my side of rice. The chicken is juicy on the inside and incredibly crispy on the outside. The sweet and tangy sauce is so flavorful, it just requires a drizzle to make this a chicken dish you will want to make again and again.