Oven-Fried Chicken

For Fourth of July, 2014, my family and I had an outdoor picnic dinner in order to celebrate America. (Mom and I used to pick up KFC and head to The Mall in Washington, D.C.)

We are all very health-conscious (now), so this recipe removes the skin and bakes the chicken in the oven instead of frying this dish. Here is another way to try this American dish.

Ingredients:

· 12 chicken pieces (thighs and drumsticks) with bones, skin removed

· 1 cup buttermilk

· 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

· 3 tablespoons hot sauce (Frank’s)

· 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

· 2 garlic cloves, minced

· 2 cup dry breadcrumbs (I used half panko, half regular)

· 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

· 1/4 cup all purpose flour

· 2 teaspoons dried thyme

· 1/2 teaspoon paprika

· 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

· In a gallon bag, combine buttermilk, oil, hot sauce, mustard, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Squeeze to mix and coat chicken. Chill at least 3 hours (or up to 1 day), squeezing chicken bag occasionally.

My adorable nephew, helping prepare the chicken (aka: squishing it!)

· Preheat oven to 425°F. Place 2 ‘cooling’ racks on 2 large rimmed baking sheets. (I was not at my home, so skipped this step – do NOT skip it. It’s what will make the underside of your chicken crispy as well as the top.)

Whisk breadcrumbs, cheese, flour, thyme, paprika, cayenne and 1 teaspoon salt in large baking dish to blend.

· Remove chicken from marinade, allowing excess to drip off. Add chicken to breadcrumb mixture and turn to coat completely. Arrange chicken on racks on baking sheets.