I’m not going to lie to you. This does not taste like fried chicken. It doesn’t have that greasy goodness of the stuff that comes out of the deep fryer. However, it does cook up nice and moist. It does have a nice, crispy and crunchy breading. And the best part? It’s half the calories! At just over 200 calories per chicken breast, you might even want to eat two servings. If you’re looking for something hearty and healthy – this is it! After the weather we’ve had here in Chicagoland the last couple of days, this is perfect comfort food.
The recipe is adapted from Cook’s Country, so you know that it is well tested. The cornflake breading does brown up pretty quickly, so you may want to have some foil on hand to cover if it’s getting too dark.
Oven-Fried Chicken, adapted from Cook’s Country, makes 4 servings
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 1/4 teaspoons table salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon tabasco sauce
- 4 split bone-in chicken breasts (10 to 12 ounces each), skin removed and ribs trimmed with kitchen shears
- 2 1/2 cups crushed corn flakes
- 3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon ground poultry seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Whisk buttermilk, mustard, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and hot sauce together in large bowl. Add chicken, turn to coat well, cover, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.
Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil, set wire rack on sheet, and coat rack with nonstick cooking spray.
Gently toss corn flakes, bread crumbs, remaining 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, remaining 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, poultry seasoning, paprika, and cayenne in shallow dish until combined. Drizzle oil over crumbs and toss until well coated. Working with one piece at a time, remove chicken from marinade and dredge in crumb mixture, firmly pressing crumbs onto all sides of chicken. Place chicken on prepared rack, leaving 1/2 inch of space between each piece. Bake until chicken is deep golden brown, juices run clear, and instant-read thermometer inserted deep into breast away from bone registers 160 degrees, 35 to 45 minutes.
Make-Ahead Preparations
Want to serve Oven-Fried Chicken after work? Marinate the chicken in the buttermilk mixture and combine the dry ingredients in a zipper-lock bag (all but the oil) the night before or in the morning before heading out. When you come home, all you’ll have to do is heat the oven, toss the crumb mixture with oil, coat the chicken, and bake.
