Oven Fried Chicken

The VanHorn family took a "Frugal Fall Furlough" to Denver the other weekend and stayed with us while enjoying some free activities. We were happy to host them and their twin girls, as that gives me an excuse to cook and serve some food for friends. I believe this recipe came from Martha Stewart's Real Food magazine and I love it. Who doesn't love fried chicken? And this one is a little healthier since it's "fried" in the oven.

Oven Fried Chicken

1 whole chicken, cut into 10 pieces
1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt & pepper
Breadcrumbs - make your own or use store-bought

Remove skin from chicken. In a large bowl, toss chicken with buttermilk, garlic, 2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes (or refrigerate up to overnight.)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Set a wire rack over a baking sheet.

Working once piece at a time, life the chicken from buttermilk mixture (letting excess drip off) and dredge in breadcrumbs, pressing firmly to adhere. Transfer chicken to rack.

Bake, without turning, until cooked through, 30-40 minutes, tenting with foil if browning too quickly.

Homemade (healthy) KFC.

So I used two frying chickens and cut them up. I didn't exactly end up with 10 pieces each since I forgot the thighs on once and left all of the chicken breasts intact. Theoretically, you could cut the breasts in half since they are huge. But you should have, chicken breasts, legs, thighs and wings if you cut the chicken correctly. Or, see if the butcher at the grocery store will do it for you. Save time and the ick factor.

I also suggest using flavored breadcrumbs or heavily season plain breadcrumbs. This is what makes the chicken super flavorful. The buttermilk definitely infuses into the chicken meat while it's marinating, creating moist and delicious meat, but you also want that spice flavor from the "batter" too.

Yummy, yummy chicken. And super, duper, SO EASY! The hardest part is cutting up the chicken. But like I said, get your friendly butcher to see if s/he will help you out. Or buy a chicken already cut up if they're available.

A must try and hopefully a staple to your recipe repertoire.

Enjoy!