Crispy Oven Fried Chicken

By [e-mail]

Ingredients

• For the marinade:
• 2-3 pounds chicken parts I like legs and thighs the best!
• 2 cups low-fat buttermilk
• juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce I use Tabasco in this recipe
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• For the coating:
• 1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies cereal
• 1 1/2 cups corn flakes
• 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 8 tablespoons butter

Preparation

Step 1

Place the chicken pieces in a large zip top bag and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, lemon juice, lemon zest, hot sauce, salt and pepper.
Pour the mixture into the bag with the chicken and seal. Place the bag in a large bowl and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. (Do not marinade longer than 24 hours.)
Add the rice cereal, corn flakes and panko to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the ingredients until a fine crumb forms and transfer to a large bowl.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Add the flour, cayenne, paprika, salt and pepper to the cereal crumb mixture. Whisk to combine.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and dredge each piece in the flour mixture to coat. Shake off excess coating. Set aside.
Place the butter on a sheet pan and transfer to the oven. Remove when the butter is melted.
While the pan is still hot, lay the chicken on the pan skin side down and return to the oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the crust is a deep golden brown and crisp.
Turn the chicken over and continue baking for 20-25 minutes until the bottom is golden brown.
Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and serve immediately with lemon wedges or hot sauce.
RECIPE NOTES
Be sure to shake off any excess coating vigorously or you will end up with soggy spots on your crust.
It's best to select chicken pieces that are approximately the same size so the chicken cooks at the same rate. Otherwise, remove the chicken pieces as they are done cooking so you don't overcook them.