Ingredients
For the chicken:
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Salt, freshly ground pepper, granulated garlic, onion powder, Italian Seasoning
- Cornstarch
- Egg (1 egg for each thigh)
- Panko bread crumbs or crushed rice chex
- Olive oil
For the rest:
- Your favorite marinara sauce
- Fresh mozzarella, sliced thick
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Brioche or hoagie buns (here’s my recipe for brioche buns), toasted
- Fresh basil leaves (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 F. Put on an apron! This can get messy … just sayin’ … Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray and brush with olive or avocado oil.
- Set a chicken thigh on a plastic cutting board and sprinkle both sides of the chicken with salt, pepper, and seasonings. Flip and salt/pepper/season the other side.
- Cover the chicken with parchment paper. Use a meat mallet to pound the thighs very thin (1/8 – 1/4 inch thick). It might get really wide and some bits might split off. That’s okay. You can make “chicken bites” with these bits! Repeat with the other chicken thighs, allowing one thigh per person.
- Set up three bowls: the first containing cornstarch, the second with whisked eggs, the third with panko (or other) bread crumbs. Pick one hand as your “dry” hand and one for your “wet” hand. With your wet hand, grab the first chicken bit (best to start with a little one) and dredge it in cornstarch to coat fully. Use your dry hand to plop it into the eggs. Use your wet hand to turn the chicken over and make sure all the dry bits are fully dredged in egg. Take the chicken from the egg with your wet hand and set it in the breadcrumbs. Now switch to your dry hand. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the wet side facing up, flip and sprinkle a couple times until the whole thigh is covered with crumbs. Gently lift and set on the baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.
- Gently brush both sides of each chicken bit with olive oil.
- Bake at 425 for 10 – 12 minutes or until starting to brown on the bottom, then flip and cook on the other side for 10 – 12 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and turn the heat up to 450 F. Spread the top of each of the breaded chicken with marinara sauce, then top with mozzarella slices and shredded parmesan. Set back in the oven for a few minutes until the cheese is nicely melted.
- While the cheese is melting, toast the buns. Set the cheesy chicken on the buns, top with fresh basil leaves (if desired) and enjoy!
Notes
RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/
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