These Rice Crispy Chicken Thighs are a fun and easy dinner to throw into your dinner rotation. How much do we love a simple dinner that every member of the family gets excited about? So much, right!?
Basically, baked chicken of any kind goes over really well with my kids. Here are a few of their favorites that I’m sure your kids will love too. The Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs are their absolute FAVE!
- Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs
- Sticky Teriyaki Baked Chicken Thighs
- Mom’s Baked Soda Cracker Chicken
If you’re a fan of quick dinners you can toss in the oven, here are a few more you should try:
- Oven Baked Parmesan Pork Chops
- Baked Butter Garlic Shrimp
- Kielbasa and Roasted Vegetables
- Classic Meatloaf Recipe..Just Like Mom Used to Make
How to Make Rice Crispy Chicken Thighs:
- All you need are some chicken thighs, melted butter, rice crispies, some seasonings and a pan.
- Crush the rice crispies in a bag (I usually make this recipe when I realize I have just a few cups of rice crispies in the bottom of a box…then I just use the cereal bag and slightly crush them, in the bag, with my hands a few times). Another option is to put them in a Ziploc and roll them a few times with a rolling pin… or not smashing them at all is also an option. When you do smash them you don’t want to obliterate them…just give a variety of size and texture to them.
At this point you can pour the slightly crushed rice crispies into a pie tin or shallow bowl. The melted butter also needs to be in a shallow bowl.- Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray…Sprinkle the pan generously with the spices you are using. Set them aside, you will need them later.
- Dip the chicken thigh in the melted butter and then the rice crispies until evenly coated. Place the coated chicken thigh on the sprayed and seasoned cookie sheet. Repeat with the rest of the chicken thighs. Leave an inch or two between each piece.
- Sprinkle the tops again with a generous amount of the seasonings you chose. About the same amount you would use to season a big hamburger patty you were grilling.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 40-60 minutes depending on thickness of thighs. You can use a meat thermometer to check them. They should reach an internal temp of 165 degrees. Serve with veggies of your choice.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Can I use bone-in chicken?
Yes, I would suggest removing the skin first and you will need to adjust the cooking time by approx 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165 degrees.
Can I Use Frozen Chicken Thighs?
Technically you can, they will need to cook longer and the coating will most likely get very mushy on the bottom do to the extra moisture that will be released when cooking. It will also be problematic when you are dipping the chicken in the melted butter the butter will start to solidify before you can get the chicken dipped in the rice crispies because of the colder temp of the meat. I do not recommend using frozen chicken thighs.
HOw Long Do Chicken Thighs need to Cook in the oven?
Some chicken thighs are thicker than others. This is why it is a good idea to have a meat thermometer that you can use to check the internal temperature. Instant read Meat Thermometers are getting very popular and you can get a decent one for less than twenty dollars. If you do not have a thermometer you can also know that a rule of thumb for a chicken thigh is around 40 -60 minutes if baked at 375 degrees, or 30-40 baked at 400 degrees.
Can I use Chicken Breasts or Chicken Tenders?
Yes, of course. They will be slightly dryer than the thighs, but will still be delicious. Tenders will only need 25-30 minutes and breast will need at least 60 minutes or possibly 90 depending on thickness. Again, the best way to know when chicken is cooked is to use an internal meat thermometer. You want it’s internal temperature to be 165 degrees.
Another great thing about this recipe is that it can be prepped ahead of time and then put in the oven later. My mom used to do this with her Soda Cracker Baked Chicken all of the time. She would prep it before church and then put it in the oven when we got home. I love recipes that can be quickly prepped in the morning…so many days 4:00 hits me in the face and I realize I haven’t started anything for dinner and everyone is needing me…and it’s ugly. Maybe you’ve had a similar experience. Recipes like this are a great way to avoid that stressful part of the witching hour. A super tasty way, at that! I hope you enjoy this fun and yummy recipe!
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- 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 3-4 cups of rice crispies (Smash them slightly in a Ziploc bag or the cereal bag if there were only that many cups left anyway.
- ½ cup of butter, melted
- Your favorite seasonings (I use garlic salt and the 21 Seasoning Salute from Trader Joes)
- Any seasoning you like will give it a great flavor (ex:lemon pepper, onion salt, garlic salt, regular seasoning salt, even just salt and pepper. You really can't go wrong.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and generously sprinkle the bottom of the pan with the seasonings you are choosing to use.
- Make sure the melted butter and slightly crushed rice crispies are in shallow pans that will make dipping easy.
- Take one chicken thigh and dip it in the melted butter making sure to cover the entire piece of chicken. Quickly dip it into the rice crispies and place it on the prepared/seasoned cooking sheet.
- Repeat with all other chicken. Once all of the pieces are coated. Sprinkle the top of the coated chicken with a generous amount of the seasonings you have chosen to use. If there is any butter left over from when you were dipping the chicken you can drizzle it over the chicken at this point before putting them in the oven.
- Bake for 40-60 minutes (depending on thickness of the thighs) or until internal temp reaches 165 degrees.
Ideas for sides
Thank you for sharing tried and true recipes for real families!
You’re so welcome! I love sharing recipes!
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