Chicken Supreme — The Baked Chicken I’ll Never Admit Is Better Than Mine

Halloween. Aiden was a firefighter — red coat, yellow hat, plastic axe. Zaria was a flower — a onesie with petals around the hood that Brianna found at a consignment shop for three dollars. We took Aiden trick-or-treating on our new block. He ran from door to door with the urgency of someone who has just discovered that strangers will give you candy if you knock. Zaria slept in the carrier on my chest through the entire outing, undisturbed by the noise and the cold and the brother who kept yelling "TRICK TREAT" without the "or." Brianna was happy tonight. Genuinely happy, not performing-happy. She held my arm as we walked between houses, and she laughed when Aiden tripped over his own axe and got up without crying, and she looked at our two children — one running, one sleeping — and said, "We did this." We did. We made these people. They exist because of us. Whatever else is broken or strained or uncertain, these two small humans are proof that Brianna and I did something extraordinary together. Back at the apartment, Aiden sorted his candy on the living room floor with the seriousness of a stockbroker reviewing a portfolio. He categorized by type: chocolate in one pile, gummy in another, "yucky" (anything with nuts) in a reject pile that Gloria happily consumed. He fell asleep at eight-thirty, candy-adjacent, and I carried him to bed and put the candy on top of the fridge where it will remain until Brianna and I eat it over the next two weeks. I did not cook this week. Gloria cooked every night, which I should be grateful for and am, grudgingly, because her food is — I need to say this honestly — not bad. She makes a baked chicken that is respectable, and her rice is consistently good (better than mine, which I will never admit to her face), and she makes a vegetable soup on Fridays that Aiden actually eats, which is a miracle because Aiden treats vegetables the way vampires treat garlic. Gloria can cook. I just wish she would cook in her own kitchen. But she is here, and she is helping, and gratitude and resentment can coexist, and this week they do.

Look, I said Gloria’s baked chicken was respectable, and I meant it — respectable the way a three-point shot from half court is respectable, meaning you don’t want to admit how impressed you are. After a Halloween night of carrying a sleeping baby and chasing a firefighter with no concept of property boundaries, coming home to that chicken was exactly what we needed. So here it is — the recipe I reverse-engineered because I refuse to ask Gloria for hers, but I’m pretty sure this is close. Don’t tell her I posted it.

Chicken Supreme

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 lbs)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• Cooking spray

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven. Set your oven to 400°F. Lightly coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Make the cream mixture. In a bowl, stir together the sour cream, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and thyme until smooth.
3. Prepare the coating. In a separate shallow dish, combine the seasoned breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and melted butter. Toss with a fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
4. Coat the chicken. Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Dip each piece into the sour cream mixture, turning to coat completely, then press into the breadcrumb mixture on all sides. Place skin-side up in the prepared baking dish.
5. Bake. Place the dish in the oven and bake for 40–45 minutes, until the coating is deeply golden and the internal temperature reaches 165°F. If the top is browning too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.
6. Rest and serve. Let the chicken rest in the dish for 5 minutes before serving. Pairs well with rice and whatever vegetables you can convince a toddler to eat.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 32g | Fat: 26g | Carbs: 14g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 680mg