Rosemary-Lemon Oven-Fried Chicken
From Aida Mollenkamp's Keys to the Kitchen.
Can also use marinade for other meats and cook with breadcrumb coating.
Ingredients
- Rosemary-Lemon Marinade:
- 1/2 cup whole milk plain yogurt or buttermilk
- 1/4 cup canola, grapeseed, or peanut oil
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp. roughly chopped fresh rosemary leaves (2 tsp. dried)
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- 2 tps. grated lemon zest
- 3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 lb.), skin removed (to remove skin, grab with a paper towel and give it a good tug)
- Crispy Coating:
- 1 1/2 cups stone-ground cornmeal
- 3/4 cup crushed cornflakes
- 1/2 cup grated Pecorino cheese
- 1/4 cup canola, grapeseed, or peanut oil
- 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. finely ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 3 large eggs, beaten thoroughly
Preparation
Step 1
For the Marinade:
Combine all the ingredients except the chicken until evenly combined. Add the chicken, turn to coat, cover, and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours.
When ready to cook, heat the oven to 425 degrees and arrange a rack in the upper third. Nest a cooling rack inside a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil; set aside.
For the Coating:
Combine the cornmeal, cornflakes, cheese, oil, salt, black pepper, and cayenne in a shallow bowl and mix until well combined; set aside. Whisk together the eggs in a shallow bowl until evenly combined; set aside.
To coat the chicken, remove it from the marinade and let any excess drip off. Dip the chicken in the beaten eggs than in the cornflake mixture, turning to coat all over ad pressing to help it adhere. Place the chicken pieces on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining chicken. Let the chicken rest on the baking sheet for 15 minutes before baking.
Bake until the coating is golden and crispy, the juices of the chicken run clear when poked, and the internal temperature is 160 degrees, 40 to 45 minutes.