Oven-Fried Chicken

“Yum, this is crispy and crunchy!” This was Matheus phrase as we were eating this chicken today at lunch!
Oven-fried Chicken was a great change to our usual oven baked chicken! I was really amazed with the end results, considering it was so simple and easy to make.
Skinless chicken pieces are first dipped in a combination of buttermilk and egg whites, then they are dredged into a mixture of flour and cornmeal, which were seasoned with salt and pepper. I actually added some paprika and a touch of garlic powder to my dry mix, and also salted my chicken pretty well before coating, which I guessed would add some more flavors to it.
After being coated, the chicken is quickly sautéed in a skillet and then into the oven it goes, and about 30 minutes later you have oven-fried chicken! Yummy!
The chicken was really moist and yummy, and the crust was surprisingly crispy, even more since it didn't have a skin underneath. Yes, healthy and good for you too!
We really enjoyed this! I made ours using drumsticks and bone-in chicken breast (which I halved to make smaller pieces). Oh, and next time I will try to get a thicker coating on the chicken, as it was definitely the best part of it!
Ana

Oven-Fried Chicken
(Cooking Light, October 2006)

1 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 large egg whites, beaten
1 cup all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 ounces)
1/3 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 chicken breast halves, skinned (about 1 pound)
2 chicken thighs, skinned (about 1/2 pound)
2 chicken drumsticks, skinned (about 1/2 pound)
2 tablespoons canola oil
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425°.
Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine buttermilk and egg whites in a shallow dish; stir well with a whisk. Combine flour, cornmeal, 1/2-teaspoon salt, black pepper, and red pepper in a separate shallow dish; stir well. Sprinkle chicken evenly with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Dip chicken in buttermilk mixture; dredge in flour mixture.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Place chicken on prepared baking sheet; lightly coat chicken with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes or until chicken is done.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half or 1 drumstick and 1 thigh)