People like to ask professional cooks for their favorite recipe. Memories play a big role. I see my beautiful, hazel-eyed mother shaking floured chicken parts in a brown paper bag before rolling them in melted butter. Oven-fried chicken, a standard in her family dinner rotation, will always have a place on my table.
Turns out, I am not alone. The day after I decided to write up her recipe, my sister mentioned that she’d just made a version for her daughter and new grandbaby. Another sister confessed to licking the pan clean after cooking it and at least one brother also has the dish in his routine.
Oven-fried chicken is not necessarily about skimping on the fat from frying — a fair amount of butter renders the most delicious results. More, it’s about cooking for a crowd in a timely manner rather than manning the stovetop.
My mom always put the dry ingredients into a paper bag and added the egg-dipped chicken, one piece at a time, to coat with a seasoned flour mixture via vigorous shaking. The plan? Less dishes. Or, perhaps, a bit of exercise.
You can use gluten free flour and bread crumbs here if desired. A favorite variation in our household replaces finely crushed seasoned pretzels for the flour and bread crumbs.
Don’t be afraid of the butter — it tastes good. As for the browned bits left on the bottom of the baking sheet, scrape them over rice or egg noodles for a most-delicious side. Leftover chicken tastes great tucked into a sandwich or chunked on a salad with blue cheese dressing and red pepper hot sauce.
Crispy, Versatile Oven-Fried Chicken
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Quick Tips
Use the convection setting on the oven if you have one, for the crispiest topping.
Cooking chicken on the bone keeps it moist. If desired, remove the skin before coating with the egg and flour mixture. Boneless chicken works here, too, just reduce the cooking time as directed.
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free 1 to 1 baking flour
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs or gluten-free panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup sesame seeds, optional
1 tablespoon dried parsley or chives or a combination, optional
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon each: garlic powder, sweet paprika, salt
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk or water
Salt, freshly ground black pepper
3 to 4 pounds skin-on, bone-in chicken parts, such as breast halves, drumsticks and thighs OR 2 1/2 to 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thighs or chicken tenders
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees on a convection or 375 degrees on a conventional setting. Put 2/3 of the butter on a large (18- by 13-inch) baking sheet pan with sides. Put into oven just long enough to melt the butter, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven.
2. Put the flour, panko crumbs, sesame seeds, dried herbs, baking powder, garlic powder, paprika and salt into a food-safe plastic bag or shallow dish. Shake or stir to combine.
3. Break eggs into another shallow dish; add milk and a sprinkle of salt and pepper; stir with a fork to combine.
4. Working with one piece of chicken at a time, dip into the egg mixture to coat, letting excess liquid drip back into the dish. Add the chicken to the bag or dish of flour mixture. Close the bag and shake well to coat the chicken or turn with a fork in the dish. Place the chicken in the pan with the butter meaty side down, then roll it over so buttered side is up. Repeat to coat all of the chicken pieces.
5. Scatter small slices of the remaining butter over each chicken piece. Bake in the middle of the oven, rotating pan once or twice, until chicken is deeply golden and juices run clear, 25 to 30 minutes for boneless chicken or 45 to 50 minutes for chicken on the bone. Serve hot.
Pretzel crisp variation: Substitute 1 cup finely ground seasoned pretzel crumbs, such as Dot’s Original, for the flour and bread crumbs. Omit the garlic powder and salt.
©2022 JeanMarie Brownson. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
