Almond Crusted Baked Chicken Thighs

I’ve a recent convert to the virtues of chicken thighs.

Days gone by, my chicken piece of choice would have been chicken breasts. After all, they’re lowest in calories, right?

Yes, it’s true that you’ll save calories and fat by choosing a chicken breast over a chicken thigh, but it’s worth the splurge when you’re craving an old fashioned fried chicken chicken meal.

Skinless bone-in or boneless chicken thighs have more flavor if you ask me, and they have a moistness that chicken breasts can quickly lose if they’re even slightly overcooked.

So when it comes to calories, how do they compare?

• A 3-ounce serving of chicken thighs contain 180 calories, 22 grams of protein, and 10 grams of fat.
• A 3-ounce serving of skinless chicken breast meat has 140 calories, 26 grams of protein, and 5 grams of fat.

Yep – you’ll save calories and fat by choosing chicken breasts, and there are days where I need those calorie savings. But on this particular day, my craving for fried chicken was completely satisfied with these baked almond encrusted chicken thighs, and worth the extra calories for sure!

If chicken thighs aren’t your thing, no worries!

You can always take this same recipe and use it with your chicken breasts. You’ll save calories, but don’t overcook them. No one likes dried out chicken!

~Kristi

Rosemary and Almond Crusted Chicken Thighs   Save Print Prep time 15 mins Cook time 50 mins Total time 1 hour 5 mins   These easy chicken thighs are crusted with rosemary, slivered almonds and panko bread crumbs. Author: Kristi RImkus Recipe type: Chicken Serves: 6 Ingredients

• 6 large skinless chicken thighs
• 1 medium lemon, zested and juiced, separate zest and juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
• ½ cup almonds, slivered
• ¾ cup low fat plain yogurt
• ½ medium lemon juice, use half of your reserved juice, store the rest
• 1 teaspoon honey

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.
2. Combine panko, lemon zest, rosemary and sliced almonds in a medium sized bowl.
3. Combine yogurt, ½ the lemon juice and honey in another bowl.
4. Dredge chicken thighs in yogurt mixture and shake off excess.
5. Lightly dip in panko mixture, and place on the cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 40 - 50 minutes until chicken is cooked through (165 degrees on a thermometer).

Notes Food energy: 214kcal
Saturated fatty acids: 1.85g
Monounsaturated fatty acids: 4.38g
Polyunsaturated fatty acids: 2.28g
Total fat: 8.51g
Calories from fat: 76
Cholesterol: 89mg
Carbohydrate, by difference: 6.31g
Total dietary fiber: 1.42g
Protein: 25.54g
Total lipid (fat): 9.68g
Water: 121.99g
Ash: 1.67g
Total sugars: 3.82g
Calcium: 96mg
Iron: 1.57mg
Magnesium: 55mg
Phosphorus: 265mg
Potassium: 396mg
Sodium: 114mg Wordpress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe 3.2.2925

If you missed yesterday’s Healthy Recipe Weekend Roundup, be sure to check it out. This weekend I was on the hunt for salad recipe inspiration. I’m sure you’ll find a few drool-worthy salads you’ll want to add to your recipe box too.

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Last updated by Kristi Rimkus at March 2, 2015.