Baked Parmesan Chicken

Well, what do you know? It's Tuesday. And since it's been far too long since I've done a Tasty Tuesday post, I think it's time to change that. I've got a great recipe to share that I just made for dinner this evening. It was truly tasty! So let's have a peek at the cast of characters, shall we?

Ingredients
  • 6-8 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs (you can use breasts, but we're thigh people)
  • 1 Stick of Melted Butter (I never said this would be a healthy recipe, after all)
  • 2 TSP Minced Garlic
  • 1 Cup Italian Bread Crumbs
  • 2/3 Cup Parmesan Cheese (I used Kraft grated, but you could grate your own)
  • 1 TSP Dried Basil
  • Kosher Salt, to taste (optional)
Directions
  1. After you melt your stick of Butter, add the Minced Garlic to it in a bowl and set it aside. This gives the garlic a chance to flavor the butter.
  2. Gather all your other ingredients and rinse your Chicken.
  3. In another bowl, combine the Bread Crumbs, Parmesan Cheese, and Basil. Mix well.
  4. Dredge the chicken in the butter/garlic combo, then into the Bread Crumbs/Cheese mixture, and place in a 9x13" pan. Once all my chicken was in the pan I poured my leftover butter into the bottom of the pan too.
  5. Sprinkle the chicken with Kosher Salt. I love Kosher Salt, but feel free to use whatever salt you like, or leave it out. 
  6. Bake in a 350° oven for 40-45 minutes. Time will vary according to your oven. Mine was probably done at 40 minutes, but I gave it an extra 5 minutes to brown the crumbs a bit more.
When it's finished, your Baked Parmesan Chicken should look a bit like this:

Baked Parmesan Chicken Recipe
And once you've finished eating it, you should feel like this:

Yum Reaction Gif

I know I did. :) Oh, and as I recall, at the last minute I decided to sprinkle on just a wee bit of granulated garlic on top of my chicken before I stuck it in the oven. I know, I already used minced garlic, but I just had this feeling that it needed...more. Yes, we're garlic people too.

On a side note, I'm curious as to why I got 7 thighs in my package of chicken. Not 8. Not 6. But 7. It's weird, no?  Just something to ponder while you're copying this recipe down. Enjoy!