Oven- Fried Chicken

The idea here is to get the crunch of traditional fried chicken without the fat and mess of deep frying. Remove the skin for a lower-fat version or use boneless, skinless breasts or thighs; they won’t take quite as long to cook. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, substitute an egg beaten with a tablespoon of water. Other protein you can use: pork chops (bone-in or boneless).

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon paprika (optional)

1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or less to taste, or freshly ground black pepper

11/2 teaspoons salt

1 whole chicken, 3 to 4 pounds, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 8 pieces, or any combination of parts

2 cups panko or bread crumbs, preferably fresh

Neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn, as needed

• Heat the oven to 400 F. Mix the buttermilk, paprika, cayenne, and salt in a large bowl. Add the chicken and let it soak for a few minutes. Meanwhile, put the bread crumbs on a plate or in a shallow dish and brush a baking sheet with the oil.
• Remove the chicken parts from the bowl a piece at a time and coat in the bread crumbs; press the chicken into the bread crumbs to help them stick. Put the coated chicken on the oiled baking sheet, leaving at least an inch between pieces.
• Bake the chicken until the exterior is golden brown and the chicken is done (you’ll see clear juices if you make a small cut in the meat near the bone), 30 to 40 minutes. Serve immediately.
  Oven-”Fried” Herb Chicken.
  • A mixture of chopped herbs is best, but a single herb is good too: Add 1/2 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs, like parsley, chives, basil, and/or dill, with a smaller portion of thyme, rosemary, marjoram, and/or sage, and 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan; mix in with 1 cup of the bread crumbs.
• MAKES: 4 servings
• TIME: 50 minutes