I've been trying out a variety of new chicken recipes. To be honest, I always have chicken on hand, and had found myself in a rut doing the same old chicken breast-with-random seasoning song-and-dance. So, I decided to mix things up with some twists on classics and modern flavors (more to come!).One of my all-time favorite foods is fried chicken (God Bless the South). But, if I eat it, I will fall into a bliss-filled food coma almost immediately. Unfortunately, I can't afford to be put in a greasy stupor these days, so this recipe is a healthy and delicious substitute for my favorite Southern classic.
It starts out the same way as a traditional fried chicken recipe, with a long soak in a buttermilk marinade. Then, it is breaded with crushed corn flakes, but instead of being fried, it is baked in the oven! It's a wonderful preparation, because you get the wonderfully crunchy texture, without all of the calories. The marinade is based on spices that I really like, and gives it an excellent flavor, but of course it can be modified to your taste/what you have available. Same goes with corn flake breading. Also, this chicken goes very well with my Orzo Stuffed Peppers. Hope you enjoy!
Ingredients
* 4 pieces chicken (I used two bone-in breasts and two drumsticks; make sure whatever you choose has the bone-in)
* 1 cup buttermilk
* Juice of 1/2 lemon
* 1 tablespoon hot sauce (like Tabasco or Frank's Red Hot)
* 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
* 1 tablespoon paprika
* 1/2 tablespoon salt
* 1 teaspoon pepper
* 2 cloves garlic, crushed
* 3 sprigs thyme
* 1 cup crushed corn flakes
* 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
* Optional: 1 teaspoon ground sage
** Ingredients can easily be doubled for a crowd! (8 pieces would be if you got the butcher to break down a whole chicken for you).
Directions
* For the marinade: Whisk together spices and wet ingredients (listed 2-8). For the garlic, all you need to do is give the clove a quick crush with your knife and toss it in the marinade. This will help the garlic flavor impart into the marinade.
* Toss the chicken in the marinade.
* Then I like to lay the chicken on top of the thyme sprigs while it marinades (can also put under the skin if you so choose). Marinade for at least 4 hours, but can stay up to 12 hours. Be careful about marinading longer than this because any marinade with lemon juice will start to break down the meat too much after this time.
** Note: You can also remove the skin if you want this recipe to be even healthier. Just make sure to remove it before marinating, so the flavor really penetrates the meat. I personally just go with the skin on because the texture is better, but it is also very good without!
* Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
* To make the coating, all you need to do is mix together the crushed corn flakes, thyme, sage, and a little more salt and pepper. (To crush the corn flakes, simply place them in a plastic freezer bag and roll over with a rolling pin until finely crushed. If you don't have a rolling pin, you can also try banging it with a heavy pot or something like that).
* After the chicken is finished marinading, shake the excess marinade off and give the outside another little sprinkling of salt.* Then, simply press all sides of the chicken into the coating.
* To bake, I put a wire rack over a cookie tray, and baked the chicken on top of that. This was a really nice method because the bottom of the chicken stayed nice and crisp. If you're just placing it on a cookie tray, make sure to flip halfway to maintain a crispy texture on all sides (otherwise the bottom might be a tad soggy).
* Bake for about 45 minutes until golden, crisp, and juicy!
Stay fresh!
Full Recipe Below:
Ingredients
* 4 pieces chicken (I used two bone-in breasts and two drumsticks; make sure whatever you choose has the bone-in)
* 1 cup buttermilk
* Juice of 1/2 lemon
* 1 tablespoon hot sauce (like Tabasco or Frank's Red Hot)
* 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
* 1 tablespoon paprika
* 1/2 tablespoon salt
* 1 teaspoon pepper
* 2 cloves garlic, crushed
* 3 sprigs thyme
* 1 cup crushed corn flakes
* 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
* Optional: 1 teaspoon ground sage
** Ingredients can easily be doubled for a crowd or leftovers!
Directions
* For the marinade: Whisk together spices and wet ingredients (listed 2-8). For the garlic, all you need to do is give the clove a quick crush with your knife and toss it in the marinade. This will help the garlic flavor impart into the marinade.
* Toss the chicken in the marinade.
* Then I like to lay the chicken on top of the thyme sprigs while it marinades (can also put under the skin if you so choose). Marinade for at least 4 hours, but can stay up to 12 hours. Be careful about marinading longer than this because any marinade with lemon juice will start to break down the meat too much after this time.
** Note: You can also remove the skin if you want this recipe to be even healthier. Just make sure to remove it before marinating, so the flavor really penetrates the meat. I personally just go with the skin on because the texture is better, but it is also very good without!
* Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
* To make the coating, all you need to do is mix together the crushed corn flakes, thyme, sage, and a little more salt and pepper. (To crush the corn flakes, simply place them in a plastic freezer bag and roll over with a rolling pin until finely crushed. If you don't have a rolling pin, you can also try banging it with a heavy pot or something like that).
* After the chicken is finished marinading, shake the excess marinade off and give the outside another little sprinkling of salt.
* Then, simply press all sides of the chicken into the coating.
* To bake, I put a wire rack over a cookie tray, and baked the chicken on top of that. This was a really nice method because the bottom of the chicken stayed nice and crisp. If you're just placing it on a cookie tray, make sure to flip halfway to maintain a crispy texture on all sides (otherwise the bottom might be a tad soggy).
* Bake for about 45 minutes until golden, crisp, and juicy!
** Recipe adapted from The Neely's and Cat Cora's version.
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