This is truly the BEST oven baked “fried” chicken recipe. You soak it in buttermilk then coat it in a special crunchy coating of panko and cornflakes.
Ingredients
For the chicken:
8chicken drumsticksskinned (or chicken thighs*)
1/2tspkosher salt
1/2tspsweet paprika(I used smoked paprika)
1/2tsppoultry seasoning(I used dried thyme instead)
1/4tspgarlic powder
1/8tspfreshly ground black pepper
1cupbuttermilk
juice of 1/2 lemon
cooking spray
For the coating:
2/3cuppanko bread crumbs
1/2cupcrushed cornflake crumbs
2tbspgrated Parmesan cheese
1.5tspkosher salt
1tspdried parsley flakes
1.5tspsweet paprika
1/2tsponion powder
1/2tspgarlic powder
1/4tspchili powder
Instructions
For the chicken: In a medium bowl, season the chicken with the salt, paprika, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, and black pepper. Pour the buttermilk and lemon juice over the chicken and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours, preferably overnight.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place a rack on a baking sheet and lightly spray with oil.
For the coating: In a shallow bowl, combine the panko, cornflake crumbs, Parmesan, salt, parsley, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and chili powder.
Remove the chicken from the buttermilk, dredge each piece in the crumb mixture, and put the pieces onto the prepared baking sheet. Spray the tops of the chicken with oil.
Bake until golden brown and cooked through, 40 to 45 minutes.
Notes
*I recently tried bone-in, skinless chicken thighs and it went well! However, they did need an extra 15 minutes in the oven in order to reach a proper temperature, so expect a longer cook time.Each serving (2 drumsticks) is 294 caloriesThis recipe is from my friend Gina's book the Skinnytaste Cookbook.