There really is a secret to making Crispy Oven Fried Chicken.
I am talking about the same crunch that you get when you bite into a traditional, deep fried piece of breaded chicken.
Unfortunately, without cooking it in hot oil, the oven fried chicken doesn’t have a crispy texture.
Even when it is breaded, the chicken’s exterior coating lacks the same quality as when has been cooked in the deep fryer.
That was until now!
2 Secrets to Crispy Oven Fried Chicken
In order to achieve the perfectly cooked, moist on the inside and crispy on the outside oven fried chicken, you need to follow these crucial steps.
Buttermilk
First of all, the chicken must be marinated in buttermilk.
It is important not to skip this step!
The buttermilk does two things. Like all marinades it will help the meat tissue break down a bit and become super moist and tender when cooked.
However, it also serves another purpose as well.
The thick buttermilk coating serves as the perfect binder for the breading to adhere to the chicken itself.
It is so frustrating when biting into oven fried chicken only to have the breading fall off completely.
Or worse yet, that it falls off during the cooking process.
However, most of us don’t have buttermilk sitting in our refrigerator at any given moment.
But don’t worry, there is no need to run to the grocery store. You can make buttermilk with just 2 simple ingredients.
Just combine 1 cup of milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Let it sit for 10 minutes and the milk will begin to curdle.
Stir it up and add it to your recipe as instructed! It’s that simple.
Baking Powder
And the other secret ingredient to making Crispy Oven Fried Chicken is baking powder.
Mix a tiny amount of baking powder with the flour and spices and shake the buttermilk marinated chicken pieces in it to coat.
The acid in the buttermilk reacts with the baking powder allowing the chicken to become nice and crisp when baked.
Which Seasonings To Use
In order to flavor the chicken even more, we use a variety of spices in our breading mixture.
However, you can use whatever herbs and spices that you prefer. We have found that the combination listed below tastes more like the original KFC seasoning.
However, you can change or omit any spice listed in the recipe below.
Oven Fried Chicken
All that is left to do is to bake the chicken. We actually call it oven fried, because of the process we use to cook the chicken.
Yes, technically we are baking the chicken. However, because we also use melted butter in the pan, the chicken actually gets fried as well.
The important thing to remember is to use a non-glass dish to cook the chicken.
The oven will become very hot. And because you want the pan itself to be scorching hot before you add the cold chicken pieces, a glass dish would have a high risk of breaking.
Instead, use non-stick, stone, or cast iron pans. You could also use a large rimmed baking sheet as well.
And last but not least, let your cooked chicken stand for 5 minutes before eating.
Of course, right away it will be too hot to eat anyway. But more importantly it will give the breading time to adhere to the chicken itself.
Crispy Oven Fried Chicken is great served with Mac and Cheese or Potato Salad.
Oven Fried Chicken Recipe
Breaded chicken pieces that are baked instead of fried and come out moist and tender on the inside and crispy on the outside.
Ingredients
- 4-5 lbs chicken pieces, bone-in
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp celery salt
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp dried mustard
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 4 tbsp butter, melted
Instructions
- Place the chicken pieces in a plastic bag and pour the buttermilk in to coat. Squeeze the air out of the bag and seal. Massage the chicken and buttermilk with your hands to coat evenly and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 6 hours.
- Preheat your oven to 425°In a medium sized bowl using a whisk together the flour, Panko, baking powder and spices. Set aside.
- Place a 13 x 9” non-glass baking dish in the oven to get hot for at least 15 minutes. While pan is heating up remove the chicken from the buttermilk, shaking off excess, and dredge in the seasoned flour mixture coating on all sides.
- Add the melted butter to the heated baking dish and arrange the chicken pieces on top with plenty of room between each one.
- Bake for 12 minutes. Turn and bake another 12 minutes or until internal temperature reads 165°F.
- Remove from oven and allow to rest 5 minutes and then serve.
Notes
Recipe courtesy of Old World Garden Farms
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size:
1 grams
Amount Per Serving:Unsaturated Fat: 0g
