Deviled Chicken Thighs
The culinary practice of “deviling” meat and poultry originates from 18th Century England. The Deviled Chicken Thigh is a mid-twentieth century adaptation, and the substitution of Panko for traditional bread crumbs is a 21st Century creation.
I used to make this recipe, or something very near it, decades ago, and then totally forgot about it. I ran across this recipe on the Food Network website, which rekindled my memory of the dish I used to make.
I didn’t call my version Deviled Chicken, I called it Dijon Baked Chicken since that was its predominant flavor. The culinary term “deviled” originated in England during the late 18th Century. It referred to foods that were made hot, spicy, or aggressively seasoned with ingredients like mustard, cayenne pepper, black pepper, horseradish, or spicy sauces. The idea was symbolic: the fiery heat of the seasoning was associated with the fires of Hell and, therefore, with the Devil.
The earliest known printed culinary use of the term dates to 1786 in Britain. Initially, it was commonly applied to spicy meat dishes such as “deviled kidneys.” By around 1800, “to devil” had become a verb meaning to season food heavily or make it spicy. Deviled Chicken Thighs are really a modern variation of the much older dish known simply as Deviled Chicken.
When I made this dish, I used traditional American-style bread crumbs, but a more modern take is the use of Panko, a lighter, crispier Japanese bread crumb that has risen in popularity since the early 2000s. Panko is the Japanese word meaning “bread crumbs.”
Deviled Chicken Thighs
The culinary practice of “deviling” meat and poultry originates from 18th Century England. The Deviled Chicken Thigh is a mid-twentieth adaptation, and the substitution of Panko for traditional bread crumbs is 21st Century creation.
Ingredients
- 4 medium to large bone-in chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tsp fresh garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
- 2 pinches of cayenne pepper
- 1 cup Panko
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan (like, Kraft)
- 1 tsp paprika
- fine sea salt to taste
- 2 tbsp dried chives
- non-stick cooking spray (like, Pam)
Instructions
- Preheat the to 425°F with a rack in the center.
- Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil, position a wire rack on top and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Combine the butter and garlic in a microwave safe dish and and melt in the microwave. Whisk in the Dijon and one pinch of cayenne.
- In a large bowl, combine the Panko, Parmesan, chives, paprika and the remaining pinch of cayenne.
- Salt the chicken thighs, then dip each one in the mustard mixture to coat and roll in the Panko on all sides. Arrange on the prepared baking sheet so the pieces do not touch.
- Bake on the center oven rack until the coating is browned and crispy and the chicken is no longer pink near the bone, 40-50 minutes.
Notes
- If you choose to use chicken breast instead of thighs, reduce cooking time by 10-15 minutes.
