Cajun Oven-Fried Chicken

Cajun Oven-Fried Chicken

Use panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) to get an extra-crispy coating on your chicken. Because it's oven-fried, there's no need for oil, so one serving has only 3.7 grams of fat.

Ditch the bucket of cold, greasy chicken and load up on these extra–crispy chicken breasts, drumsticks, and thighs. If you want a spicier kick, add a few drops of hot sauce to the buttermilk coating. If you prefer chicken fingers, you can use this same coating mixture on boneless chicken tenders.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 breast half or 1 thigh and 1 drumstick)

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon salt-free Cajun seasoning (such as Spice Hunter)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 2 chicken breast halves (about 1 pound), skinned 
• 2 chicken drumsticks (about1/2 pound), skinned 
• 2 chicken thighs (about 1/2 pound), skinned 
• Cooking spray

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Combine first 3 ingredients in a shallow dish. Place panko in a shallow dish. Dip chicken, one piece at a time, into buttermilk mixture; dredge in panko.
3. Place chicken on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Lightly coat chicken with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 40 minutes or until done, turning after 20 minutes.

Note:

Panko—crunchy Japanese breadcumbs—can be found at Asian markets and produces the crispiest oven-fried chicken. You can try curry powder in place of the Cajun seasoning.

Posted in: best american recipes