Crispy Seasoned Oven-Fried Chicken
Why is it that we 'adore' oven-fried thingies? Healthier? Most likely; depended on your ingredients and lets face it, anything not fried in deep oil is gonna be better for you. Creates less of a mess? Maybe a tad and I guess that comes down to how you go about preparing your thingies. I suppose we are talking about a batter coating thingy and our choice could be between disposable baggies or bowls that will need cleaning. And of course, there is no oil spatter all over the stove-top to deal with. Do you think oven fried thingies are tastier? Contains more moisture? What about the crunch factor?
I don't know about you but I think oven fried is all of that but the real kicker for me is the simple fact that it is so darn easy. Now who doesn't need a little of easy in our lives, right?
This recipe is actually from an old one I make many times using a flour and buttermilk batter and it is one of my favorite ways to oven fry. This time I used Panko to give it an update and to make the crust extra crispy and I replaced a little butter with olive oil to make it a little better for us. Enjoy!
Oven Fried Chicken with Crispy Seasoning Coating
Cut the chicken breast into strips for great appetizers.
4 servings
4 boneless skinless chicken breast or 8 thighssalt and pepper
1 1/2 cup plain Panko
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon grantulated garlic
3/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 1/4 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons EV olive oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Wash and pat dry chicken. If using breast, cut each piece horizontally in half. Remove as much fat as possible on thighs. Lightly salt and pepper each side.
Combine Panko, parsley, garlic, poultry and Cajun seasonings with the salt in a wide bowl. Combine butter and olive oil in another. Dip each piece of chicken in the butter mixture followed with a good roll in Panko mixture coating all sides evenly. Place on a rimmed baking pan a few inches apart.
Bake in oven for 35-45 minutes or when tested done. Turn oven to broil the last 2 minutes to brown the top if desired.
Note: For a Cajun twist, add a tablespoon of hot pepper sauce to the butter mixture.
I enjoy the oven frying technique, too. Way less mess and no greasy stovetop to clean. But to be honest I've never gotten a good, crisp all over crunch from any of my oven frying attempts. Usually the top gets nice and brown while the bottom stays gooey and sticks to the pan. What am I doing wrong, Drick?
ReplyDeleteLordy Lana - you are the Queen of southern cooking so I sho' don't know what to tell ya. [-( But if I didn't know better (meaning your way of cooking) I would say your oven was too cool in temperature or the items (pieces of chicken) too large for the time it takes the top to brown. That moisture has to go somewhere and it normally is downwards. Plus it take a lot of moisture and time for Panko to become gooey. But as I write this, I'm thinking you're not talking about Panko nor thin pieces of chicken. And if that is the case, then I suggest go back to frying those big ol' breasts... :-d
DeleteSounds like a plan :-)
DeleteTwo tricks for CRISPY oven fried anything... put foil on the baking pan then put a cake rack or any open rack, spray with PAM of your choice. I use olive oil. Then put coated chicken pieces on the rack. Now... spray the chicken with the PAM. You don't need to turn it and it crisps on both sides. If you a convection oven, use it! 375 if convection. 400. if not convection.. Happy crunching.
ReplyDeleteThanks Suzbird, the higher oven makes sense but for folks reading this, reduce the cooking time. Testing with a thermometer is always best.
Delete