Oven Baked "Fried" Chicken

Who doesn't love fried chicken?

I don't own a deep fryer and don't usually fry foods. The fried mozzarella cubes (Spiedini alla Romana) were an exception.



My blogging friend Julie from Peanut Butter & Julie (featured on Food Network's Ultimate Recipe Showdown! for her carrot apple muffins.....GO JULIE!) made a delicious looking BAKED fried chicken.

You make it the same way you would the real thing, though instead of frying in oil, you bake the chicken in a hot oven on racks. Buttermilk is the main ingredient, and marinating the chicken parts the day before is key.

Julie's Oven Baked "Fried" Chicken:

2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons curry powder
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 teaspoons salt, divided
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

12 chicken pieces (breasts, thighs, and drumsticks) with skin and bones

1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne

In a large casserole dish, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, curry, mustard, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt, and pepper to blend well. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours or up to 1 day, turning occasionally.

Place racks on 2 large rimmed baking sheets and spray the racks with nonstick spray. In a large baking dish, whisk the Panko, cheese, flour, thyme, paprika, cayenne, and 1 teaspoon salt. Remove the chicken from the marinade, allowing excess to drip off. Add the chicken to the breadcrumb mixture and turn to coat completely. Arrange the chicken, skin side up, on the racks on the baking sheets. Let stand 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425F degrees and place oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Bake the chicken until crisp, golden, and cooked through, about 50 minutes, switching positions of the trays halfway through. Serve warm or at room temperature.



This was delicious. A little bit of heat and a nice crunch. It was great for Super Bowl dinner eaten with our hands, with Wet Naps of course!