Oven Fried Chicken

Nothing says Fourth of July like fried chicken and corn on the cob.   Okay, possibly grilling burgers or a big slice of watermelon… but it’s right up there.  I’m not a “deep fried food” type of cook.  I prefer to leave the mess (along with the excessive amounts oil) to the pros.

Oven fried chicken, though… now we’re at least in the realm of possible.  The technique is nothing new – I use it with boneless pork on a regular basis – but I haven’t worked much with bone-in chicken.  It makes me a bit squeamish, actually.  I sucked it up (mainly because it was on sale), bought some bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, and got some delicious results.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say this is an exact replica of fried chicken… but I will say it’s a tasty (and healthy!) substitute.  Especially when it’s served with corn on the cob and sour cream & onion smashed potatoes.  Bonus points if you have pig corn cob holders.

I’m going to apologize in advance for the recipe.  It’s one of those where a dash of this, a pinch of that is just better than exact measurements.

adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• chicken pieces (bone-in, skin on)
• panko bread crumbs
• seasonings (garlic powder, salt, pepper, paprika, thyme, etc.)
• mayonnaise
• milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Prepare a baking dish by laying a cooling rack on top of a jelly roll pan (see below).  Lightly grease the cooling rack.
2. In a shallow dish, mix together the bread crumbs and seasonings.  In a medium bowl, combine equal parts mayonnaise and milk until smooth.
3. Coat chicken pieces with mayonnaise mixture, then coat with bread crumb mixture.
4. Place chicken pieces on prepared tray and bake for 40 minutes or until juices run clear.