Oven-Fried Chicken

Oven-Fried Chicken

Skip the skillet and use a baking sheet instead. A coating of breadcrumbs, cheddar cheese and chili powder sets this oven-fried chicken apart from basic fried chicken recipes.

Oven-fried chicken is a favorite of Mickey Strang's because it can be served warm or cold. She livened up this version with sharp cheddar cheese and ancho chili powder. Have a whole chicken cut into pieces at the meat market, or buy 3 3/4 pounds breast, leg, and thigh pieces. As a quicker alternative to making your own bread crumbs, use 1 1/2 cups purchased dried bread crumbs.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 6 slices (about 5 oz.) day-old or slightly stale bread (see note above) 
• 1/2 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese 
• 3/4 teaspoon ground dried ancho chilies or chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 chicken (about 4 lb.), neck and giblets removed, cut into 8 pieces (see note above) 
• 2 large eggs, beaten to blend 

Preparation

1. 1. Toast bread slices. Let cool, then tear into 1-inch chunks. Whirl in a food processor to make coarse crumbs.
2. 2. In a large shallow bowl, mix bread crumbs, cheese, ground chilies, and salt.
3. 3. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Dip in beaten egg and roll in crumb mixture to coat. Place on a foil-lined 12- by 15-inch baking sheet.
4. 4. Bake in a 375° regular or 350° convection oven until crumbs are browned and chicken is no longer pink at the bone (cut to test), 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Posted in: best american recipes