Crowd-Pleasing Crispy Low-Sodium Chicken Thighs
Remember Shake ‘N Bake? This is a quick and easy, heart-healthy, homemade version with no salt or other high-sodium ingredients. It’s crispy almost like fried chicken, but roasted in the oven, with great flavour thanks to a tasty combo of dried herbs and spices.
Whether or not you’re following a low-sodium diet, you and your family will love this delicious dish.
What’s in it?
This is a truly simple dish, with just a few ingredients:
- boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- plain panko Japanese-style bread crumbs
- dried herbs and spices
- olive oil
Selecting and substituting ingredients
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
You could make it with chicken breasts, but why would you?
“Heart-healthy” chicken dishes almost always use breasts, a holdover from the low-fat 1990’s! Skinless chicken thighs may have a bit more fat, but they still qualify as “low” in saturated fat and are more forgiving, moist, and flavourful.
Plain panko Japanese-style bread crumbs
You could substitute regular bread crumbs, but they’ll likely have more sodium.
You could substitute seasoned panko or regular bread crumbs, but those definitely will be higher in sodium.
If you can find whole wheat panko, go for it! You’ll get a bit more fibre and perhaps minerals like magnesium and potassium. I haven’t tested it because I can’t find it in stores here, although I just noticed it’s available on Amazon.ca.
Dried herbs and spices
I like to use paprika, garlic powder, oregano, basil, black pepper, but if you don’t have or don’t like one of those, just get creative! You can use any salt-free / low-sodium spice mix, or mix up herbs and spices you like.
Don’t be shy with them. More is more, when it comes to seasoning low-sodium dishes.
Olive oil
You don’t have to use relatively expensive extra virgin olive oil for this dish, but if that’s what you have, it will turn out fine.
You can substitute another liquid oil like canola, avocado, or regular olive oil. (Yes really, it’s fine. The Internet sport of hating on canola oil is without merit.)
How to make it
There are just a few steps:
Mix the herbs and spices with the panko in a large bowl.
Drizzle in olive oil and mix that well too.
Toss the chicken in the bowl like you’re dressing a salad. Transfer with tongs to a foil or parchment-lined baking sheet.
Roast at 400°F for 20-25 minutes.
See recipe below for details.
How to store and reheat
This dish is crispiest when eaten right away, but I’ve been making double batches because my kids devour it and so we have chicken for salads, pastas, and other veggie-based dishes for the next few days.
(The USDA says to use cooked chicken within three to four days, assuming it’s refrigerated at 40°F / 4°C or less.)
If you want leftovers to be crispy, reheat at 350°F for about 10 minutes. It’s also tasty cold or microwaved — you just won’t have that crunchy texture.
Can you freeze it? While I find that chicken that’s been frozen after cooking is tougher, due to moisture loss, you certainly can freeze it, even if the raw chicken was previously frozen. Ideally let it that over 24 hours in the fridge, because microwaving to defrost will make it even chewier.
How to make ahead
Easy: Take ten minutes to combine the panko, herbs, and spices, saving in an airtight container until you’re ready to toss with the chicken.
In bulk: If your family loves this dish you could make a big batch of the coating and scoop out a cup of it when needed.
Company coming: If you have room in your fridge, coat the chicken, lay it on the baking sheet, and refrigerate for a few hours. Pop it in the oven when they arrive and voila, you’re a brilliantly organized host!
What to serve with it
To round out the meal, I’d look for a side dish that incorporates vegetables and fibre-rich ingredients. A salad would be perfect. These ones have high-fibre ingredients: barley, lentil, avocado, and farro.
- Barley, lentil & spinach salad – Julie van Rosendaal (pictured at the top of this post)
- Corn Salsa Salad – Energize Nutrition
- Crunchy Peanut Cabbage Salad – Sweet Spot Nutrition
In cooler weather, you might prefer a light rice, barley, or farro dish.
- Tomato Rice – Budget Bytes (with brown rice)
- Heart-Healthy Barley Pilaf with Asparagus – Sweet Spot Nutrition
- Creamy Mushroom Farro – Nutrition Action
Frequently asked questions
Does chicken naturally have sodium?
Chicken, like many meats, has a small amount of sodium naturally. Boneless, skinless, raw chicken thighs have 62 mg of sodium per 100 grams / ~3.5 ounces.
(To put that in perspective, we’re aiming for less than about 2000 mg sodium a day, or 500 mg per meal.)
Then why is chicken often so high in sodium?
Manufacturers add flavour to processed and fast-food chicken using salt and other sodium-rich seasonings. Some inject chicken with saline to keep it juicy.
As a result, chicken can sometimes hide that sodium you’re trying to avoid. Rotisserie chicken for example, has 335 mg of sodium per 100 grams of skinless thigh. (That will vary somewhat by store.) Still okay, but you’ll want to be more careful with your sides.
These President’s Choice roasted chicken breast strips have 390 mg of sodium, and this Maple Leaf Oven Roasted Sliced Deli Chicken Breast has about 790 mg!
If you go for the wholesome-sounding Cilantro Lime Chicken Loaded Bowl at TIm Hortons, you’ll be getting 1170 mg of sodium, although that includes the other ingredients – not just the chicken.
That rotisserie chicken isn’t looking so bad after all! But I think you’ll love these “Crowd-Pleasing Crispy Low-Sodium Chicken Thighs,” which are even less sodium and not much more work!
How much sodium is in this recipe?
A 100 gram / ~3.5 ounce serving is about 70 mg of sodium — just a bit more than the chicken has naturally, depending on how much is in your panko.
Can I make this recipe in a slow cooker or Instant Pot?
I wouldn’t — those appliances don’t do “crispy”.
Can I make it in an air fryer?
The air fryer, on the other hand, should work like a charm, although I haven’t tried it. Let me know if you do!
Other recipes you’ll love
If you need more easy low-sodium chicken thigh recipes, these are three you might like:
- Kickin’ Chicken, from the Eat Shrink and be Merry cookbook, by Janet and Greta Podleski (about 315 mg) – use the original recipe in the (now slightly outdated but fun) book if you can get ahold of it – there are helpful tips and the alternative to use 12 thighs — about 1 kg (2-1/4 pounds).
- Artichoke and Zucchini Chicken Thighs, p.127 in my 30 Minute Heart Healthy Cookbook, (429 mg, but that’s the whole meal, not just the chicken)
- Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Meat – MaryAnn Jacobsen (about 335 mg) – you could reduce that by cutting back the salt and using low-sodium broth.
Crowd-Pleasing Crispy Low-Sodium Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper to ease cleanup.
- Mix panko, herbs, and spices well in a large bowl.
- Add oil and mix that in too.
- Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Trim visible fat if you like.
- Add all of the chicken thighs to the panko mixture and toss well to coat, like you would a salad.
- With kitchen tongs, transfer the chicken, piece by piece, to the baking sheet.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cook until a quick-read thermometer inserted into a thick piece of thigh has reached 165°F.
Love this recipe?
Yay! Please take a moment to share it with a friend or on social media!
So many low-sodium chicken recipes leave you feeling like you’re eating cardboard. Let’s help other people find this recipe and be freed from bland chicken!
Join the discussion
Join us in my free Facebook group, the Sweet Spot Heart-Healthy Cooking Club, and find out what others are saying about this dish. Our members are savvy heart-healthy cooks with great ideas!
As always, this post is not sponsored! Any mention of or links to specific products are to help you, not for financial gain.
