Oven-Fried Chicken

This isn’t so much a healthier version of fried chicken ~ I haven’t done the stats on it, but I’m pretty sure it’s not much “healthier” than regular fried chicken ~ but it’s certainly a tasty alternate version of regular fried chicken. Super simple, I can whip this up in 30 minutes with only about 10 minutes of work on my part. The rest is cooking time.

As with all recipes, your cooking time may vary. Always insure chicken is fully cooked ~ white meat all the way through, no pink juices ~ before serving and eating.

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 cups buttermilk

1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

1 1/2 cups flour (I use organic white whole wheat flour)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon paprika

salt & pepper to taste

cooking oil of your choice

Wash chicken breasts in cold water; pat dry. In a shallow glass casserole dish, lay out chicken pieces and cover with buttermilk. Marinate chicken with buttermilk in refrigerator, covered, for at least 4 hours or overnight, turning chicken over occasionally.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a shallow pie pan or bowl, mix together breadcrumbs, flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Remove chicken from buttermilk and coat each piece thoroughly with flour mixture.

Heat about 1 inch of oil in large, heavy skillet on medium high. Once oil is hot, cook chicken in oil about 3 minutes on each side, until coating is light brown (the pieces will continue to cook and brown in the oven). Work in batches if necessary; don’t crowd the chicken. Remove chicken from oil and place each piece on a metal baking rack set on a sheet pan covered with foil. Bake chicken for 20 to 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink in the middle and juices run clear. Bake a couple of minutes extra if you desire a crispy coating.

There are a myriad of ingredients used to make the coating on fried chicken. Feel free to experiment by adding chili powder, cayenne pepper, basil, oregano, sage, adobo seasoning, seasoned salt, or any other herbs or seasonings you like.