On the menu tonight – Fried Chicken! It’s not really fried, it’s oven “fried” chicken.
I wanted fried chicken, but I didn’t want stand over a pan of hot oil at the end of the day. To get close to the same flavor, I prepared the chicken like I would have if I was going to fry it, but I baked it instead.
It came out really good! Since I used bread crumbs for the coating and didn’t actually fry it, the coating was a little on the dry side. I kind of expected that to happen as the chicken didn’t get a dunk in hot oil. The rest of the familiar flavors were there. I added some Tabasco to my egg wash to give it a little kick. I also used a BBQ rub in the breadcrumb mixture and that has a little bit if cayenne pepper. The end result was fantastic! There’s a little heat, but I wouldn’t even call it a medium heat.
What I love most about this meal is how quickly it came together. I put some flour seasoned with a little salt and pepper in one pan, a few whisked eggs with some Tabasco in another pan, and Italian bread crumbs with some onion powder, garlic powder, and BBQ rub in another pan. I prepped the chicken just as I would have if I were going to fry it, coating it in the flour, dipping in the egg mixture, then coating with the bread crumbs and setting aside. Setting the chicken aside for a bit to let that coating dry a little is key – don’t skip that step. If you like a thick crust, repeat the process.
Because you set the chicken aside to dry for a bit, it’s a great make-ahead meal. You can get the chicken prepped and coated, waiting in the fridge. When you’re ready to cook, pull it out to let it come to room temperature before putting it in the oil or oven.
When it comes out of the oven, let it rest a few minutes before serving. I made a mix of tenders and thighs. You can serve all of it on it’s own with dipping sauces and sides, or you could make your own chicken biscuits and sandwiches.
I hope you’ll try my Oven “Fried Chicken”!
Oven Fried Chicken Dry off the chicken Get a pan/plate with the flour and season it with the Kosher salt and ground pepper Get a pan/bowl with the whisked eggs and add a few dashes of Tabasco sauce Get a pan/plate with the Italian bread crumbs, BBQ rub, garlic powder, and onion powder Dredge the chicken in the flour, shake off the excess Dredge the chicken in the egg mixture, let the excess drip off Dredge the chicken in the bread crumb mixture Set the coated chicken on a wired rack or plate Repeat the process for the rest of the chicken If you like a thicker crust on your chicken, repeat the coating process after the chicken has had a few minutes to dry a little Put the coated chicken in the fridge for at least 20 minutes Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Put the chicken on a baking sheet and bake for about 35 minutes (Note that I used boneless chicken, if using bone-in chicken it will take longer) When finished baking, let it rest for 5 minutes before serving I prefer chicken thighs for fried chicken. Thigh meat is more flavorful and forgiving, it won't dry out as much as say a chicken breast.
In this recipe, I used boneless and skinless because that's what was in my fridge. If you use bone-in and skinned chicken, you will want to add some time to the cook. I'd have added about 12-15 minutes to the cook time in the oven if I'd have used bone-in chicken thighs.Oven Fried Chicken
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