Preheat oven to 425 degrees (or 400 convection bake). Place a wire rack inside a large baking sheet and spray with cooking spray (or line the bottom of a baking sheet with tinfoil sprayed with cooking spray, or parchment paper, if you do not have a wire rack).
Whisk together dijon mustard and water in a shallow dish. In a second shallow dish, mix together bread crumbs, parmesan, thyme, paprika, red pepper flakes (if using) and salt and pepper.
Dip the chicken thighs in the dijon-water mixture to wet both sides, then dip into the bread crumb mixture. Coat both sides of the chicken in the crumbs, pressing firmly on each side to adhere, and ensuring all parts are covered with crumbs. Gently lay the breaded thigh on the baking sheet rack, smooth side up, and repeat with all the thighs. If there is leftover crumbs, press a bit more on the tops of any thighs that are not completely covered. (If you are preparing ahead of time, cover and refrigerate at this point, up to 4 hours ahead of time).
Sprinkle the thighs with a bit more salt and pepper, and drizzle each thigh with olive oil. Put the chicken in the center of the oven, uncovered, and bake 20-30 minutes, until the thighs are browned and crispy on the outside, and the insides on the thickest parts have reached at least 175 degrees. Cool for 5-10 minutes.
Enjoy!