Oven Baked “Fried” Chicken
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My husband loves fried chicken. Come to think of it I don’t think I’ve ever met a man on the planet that doesn’t! Although fried chicken doesn’t exactly do good things for the waistline like it does the soul. It took several failed attempts at making a healthier version for our family until I was able to get it right. This combination of a light fry then bake was just the ticket. Crusty and crunchy exterior with moist and tender meat on the inside make it just perfect.
I like to buy whole chickens at the farmers market or on sale at the grocery store for this recipe as well as roast chicken. Cutting a whole chicken is VERY easy and can save you time and especially money so you’re not paying for the convenience of the pieces cut up in this recipe. Pampered Chef has a great video on how to cut up a whole chicken.
Oven Baked Fried Chicken
Author/Source:
Kelly @ Onceamonthmom.com
Ingredients:
- 1 cups buttermilk
- 2 medium egg whites, beaten
- 1 cups all purpose flour, unbleached unenriched
- 1/3 cups cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 3/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 pound chicken breasts, halves
- 1/2 pounds chicken thighs, skinned
- 1/2 pounds chicken drumsticks, skinned
- 2 Tablespoons canola oil
Directions:
Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine buttermilk and egg whites in a shallow dish; stir well with a whisk. Combine flour, cornmeal, 1/2 teaspoon salt, black pepper, and red pepper in a separate shallow dish; stir well. Sprinkle chicken evenly with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Dip chicken in buttermilk mixture; dredge in flour mixture. Preheat oven to 425. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Place chicken on prepared baking sheet; lightly coat chicken with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes or until chicken is done.
Freezing Directions:
Prepare ingredients as noted above. Then dip chicken in buttermilk mixture; dredge in flour mixture. Place in freezer bag and freeze until ready to serve. TO SERVE: Preheat oven to 425. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Place chicken on prepared baking sheet; lightly coat chicken with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes or until chicken is done.
Servings: 4
This Post will be linked at:
- Full Plate Thursday at Miz Helen’s Country Cottage
- It’s a Keeper Thursday at It’s a Keeper
- These Chicks Cooked at This Chick Cooks
I’m pinning this recipe. Sounds fab! I’d be thrilled if you’d link this recipe up at Tastetastic Thursdays!
Consider it done! Thanks Amy!
Very good!! Easy to make, didn’t take gallons of unhealthy oil, perfect!
We love Fried Chicken and Oven Baked is much better for us. Your recipe looks awesome, that buttermilk will make it really good. Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and have a great week end!
Come Back Soon,
Miz Helen
Why would you skin the chicken in a whole foods recipe??
Andrea – I chose to skin the chicken for this recipe to keep it a lighter meal for our family. You are more than welcome to not skin the chicken for this recipe. Yes the skin is healthy fat however I made the choice to not use it and figured our readers would appreciate a lighter version that still follows “real food” guidelines.
Maybe this is obvious, but do you need to thaw the chicken before frying it in the pan and then putting it in the oven?
Yes I will add it to the directions!
What is the purpose of the cooking spray prior to baking? Can this be omitted?
It can definitely be omitted. Just drizzle some olive oil instead. It helps give it additional crisp.
Can the chicken be browned before freezing, then just thaw and bake? One of the winning points for once a month cooking is that my husband or older children (teenagers) can get dinner in the oven with very few steps.
I would just cook it entirely then warm it back up in the oven.