Un-Fried Chicken
The taste is a little like fried chicken, but without all the fat. The spices adhere to the chicken coated with buttermilk, which also make the chicken just a little bit juicier. Living in Maryland, we had to use a little Old Bay to spice things up a bit. Originally served as part of: Unfried Chicken.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups lowfat buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1½ pounds breasts chicken
- 1 cup dried italian-style bread crumbs
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- pepper, cayenne, and paprika
- non-stick vegetable spray
Instructions
We rinse the chicken and take off the skin from the breasts. We put the 3 breasts into a gallon size resealable plastic bag. In a large measuring cup, we mix the buttermilk with the salt and pepper. We pour the buttermilk mixture over the chicken, seal it, and refrigerate the plastic bag inside a large mixing bowl. We then thoroughly wash our hands, though we have been washing them every step of the way to this point. We disinfect the counter (have we mentioned that we are fanatical about keeping our hands and work areas clean when working with chicken or meat?) and let the chicken marinate for 2 hours.
We pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
In another gallon size resealable plastic bag, we combine the breadcrumbs, flour, Old Bay seasoning, garlic powder, thyme, oregano, some freshly grated pepper, and a sprinkle of cayenne. We cover a large cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with some vegetable spray.
Retrieving the chicken from the fridge, we use tongs to drop a piece of chicken into the flour-crumb mixture, seal, and shake to combine. After removing the coated chicken from the flour-crumb mixture, we put it on the cookie sheet(skinned-side up) and continue with the other pieces of chicken. When the chicken is all coated we discard the buttermilk and flour mixtures. We sprinkle the chicken pieces with paprika, spray them lightly with vegetable spray, and put the pan in the oven.
We cook for 20 minutes, turn with clean tongs, cook for another 20 minutes, and cook for another 10 minutes or so. We want the chicken to be browned and cooked through. We let the pieces rest for a few minutes and enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1½ cups low-fat buttermilk
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- 1½ lb chicken breasts (3, skinned)
- 1 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp Old Bay Seasoning
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- pepper and cayenne
- non-stick vegetable spray
- paprika
Instructions
What's a kid job?
A Kid job is a step kids can help with, with a grown-up nearby, not one they do on their own. Every kid is different, so go by what your child can do rather than by age. Roughly:
- Little ones (about 2 to 4) can stir, pour in ingredients a grown-up has measured, tear lettuce, wash vegetables and sprinkle toppings.
- Older kids (about 5 to 8) can also measure and level, crack eggs, whisk, roll and cut out dough, and put things together.
- Bigger kids can read the recipe aloud, keep track of the timer, and take on more of the cooking as they're ready.
Steps with a knife, microplane, skewers, stove, oven, grill or hot oil, or with raw meat, poultry or seafood, are marked Grown-up. Kids can still watch those, from a safe distance.
Grown-up
Rinse and skin the chicken and put it in a gallon resealable bag. Mix the buttermilk, salt and pepper, pour it in, seal, and refrigerate in a bowl 2 hours. Wash your hands and counter well.
Grown-up
Heat the oven to 400°F.
Kid job
In another gallon bag, combine the crumbs, flour, Old Bay, garlic powder, thyme, oregano, pepper and a sprinkle of cayenne. Line a large cookie sheet with foil and spray it.
Grown-up
Drop one piece of chicken at a time into the crumb bag with tongs, seal, and shake. Set it skinned side up on the sheet. Throw out the buttermilk and crumbs. Sprinkle with paprika and spray lightly.
Grown-up
Bake 20 minutes, turn with clean tongs, and bake 20 to 30 minutes more, until browned and cooked through. Rest a few minutes.