Fried chicken is known for its crunchy, flaky exterior; however, if you're looking for an easier way to make this family-favorite dish, try baking it. In most cases, when cooking chicken in the oven, it is left to soak in brine (a saline liquid) or in buttermilk before passing it in flour, breadcrumbs or crumbled cornflakes. Remember to put the meat in a hot dish and cook it until crispy. Once you try this recipe, you'll never fry chicken again!
Ingrediants
Classic Recipe
For 3-4 people
- 45 g of sea salt (divided into two parts in addition to the one to be served on the table)
- 250 ml of hot water
- 8 chicken thighs with skin and bones
- 30 g of butter
- 60 g of flour 00
- 6 g coarsely ground black pepper (in addition to the one to bring to the table)
with breadcrumbs
For 6 people
- 1 egg
- 80 ml of milk
- 130 g of flour 00
- 60 g of breadcrumbs
- 5 g of yeast
- 15 g of salt
- 10 g of ground paprika
- 5 g of garlic powder
- 5 g of onion powder
- A pinch of black pepper
- 1 kg of boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 3-4 large pieces
- 60 g of butter
with Buttermilk and Panko Bread
For 8 chicken legs
For the chicken:
- 8 skinless chicken thighs
- 3 g of whole salt
- 3 g of sweet paprika
- 3 g of flavorings for roasts
- A pinch of garlic powder
- A pinch of freshly ground black pepper
- 250 ml of buttermilk
- Juice of half a lemon
For the breading:
- 60 g of panko breadcrumbs
- 15 g of chopped cornflakes
- 30 g of grated Parmesan cheese
- 7 g of whole salt
- 5 g of dried parsley
- 7 g of sweet paprika
- 3 g of onion powder
- 3 g of garlic powder
- A pinch of chili powder
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Classic Recipe
Step 1. Prepare the brine and cut the chicken
Take a very large bowl and add 10 g of sea salt; pour 250 ml of hot water and mix everything until the salt dissolves. You should also eliminate the fatty portions from 8 chicken legs (with bones and skin).
Try to prepare the brine the night or the day before so that the chicken can soak longer
Step 2. Cool the meat in the brine
Put the thighs in the bowl and pour in a dose of cold water enough to submerge them; add a whole tray of ice cubes to reduce the brine temperature even more, then mix the contents of the bowl and place it in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
Using bone-in and skinned thighs results in a tastier and juicier dish than you would get with boneless, skinless chicken
Step 3. Preheat the oven and dry the meat
Turn on the appliance and set the temperature to 200 ° C, remove the chicken from the refrigerator and drain it from the brine; pat the thighs with kitchen paper until completely dry.
Eliminating the water you get a crispy meat
Step 4. Prepare the roasting pan
Choose a large one, large enough to hold all the chicken legs arranged in a single layer; add 30 g of butter and place in the pan. By doing this, the butter melts and the pan becomes very hot as you prepare the chicken.
This technique allows the formation of a crispy crust on the meat
Step 5. Cover the thighs with flour and herbs
Pour 60 g of 00 flour into a large plastic food-grade bag. Add 5 g of coarsely ground pepper and the last 15 g of whole salt; shake the container to distribute the powders evenly. Place two chicken legs in the bag at a time and shake it until perfectly floured.
If you put all the meat in at once, you can't cover it with an even layer of flour and flavorings
Step 6. Place the chicken in the pan
Remove the two thighs from the bag, shake them a little to get rid of the excess flour, and place them on a plate while you repeat the process with the rest of the meat. Use two pot holders to take the hot pan out of the oven and add the chicken thighs inside, taking care to arrange them with the skin side down.
If you do not remove the extra flour from the meat, a thick layer will form that does not become crunchy when cooked
Step 7. Cook the chicken
Put the pan back in the oven and continue cooking for 40 minutes; you can hear it sizzle as it sizzles and you should notice it becomes a deep golden color on the bottom.
- Do not turn it during cooking.
- Depending on the type of oven, it may need to be cooked longer before it turns golden.
Step 8. Turn the meat over and finish the process
Carefully remove the red-hot dish from the oven and use a thin spatula to lift and turn the thighs. Put everything back in the appliance and finish cooking for another 20 minutes; in this way, the second side also becomes golden and crunchy.
You can use kitchen tongs if necessary for this operation, as long as the meat has not stuck to the bottom of the pan
Step 9. Serve the chicken in the oven
Line a tray with kitchen paper, take the pan out of the oven and use the tongs to transfer the legs from the pan to the tray; sprinkle them with more salt and pepper before offering them to diners.
Kitchen paper absorbs excess grease and grease
Method 2 of 3: with breadcrumbs
Step 1. Preheat the oven and the dish
Turn on the appliance and set it to 210 ° C; take a roasting dish or roasting pan large enough to hold all the meat in a single layer and place it in the oven while it heats.
Placing the meat in the hot pan allows the formation of a crispy crust
Step 2. Mix the milk with the egg
Break an egg and pour its contents into a shallow bowl, add 80 ml of milk and whisk the two ingredients until they are well combined; leave the mixture aside for the moment.
Step 3. Prepare the breading
Transfer 130 g of 00 flour to another container and add 60 g of breadcrumbs; measure out the yeast, the aromas and add them to the flour. Here's what you need:
- 5 g of yeast;
- 15 g of salt;
- 10 g of ground paprika;
- 5 g of garlic powder;
- 5 g of onion powder;
- A pinch of ground pepper.
Step 4. Cut and dip the meat into the breadcrumbs
Take 1 kg of skinless and boneless chicken breasts, cut each breast into 3-4 large pieces using a sharp knife; arrange everything in the mixture of dry ingredients and shake it to cover it evenly. Take out the pieces of meat and shake them a little to get rid of the excess breading.
It may be necessary to proceed in batches, as the bowl may not be large enough to hold 1 kg of meat
Step 5. Dip the chicken in the egg mixture
Transfer the chicken breast to the container with the egg and milk, taking care to wet it completely; again, proceed with a few pieces at a time to avoid overfilling the bowl.
Step 6. Transfer the meat back to the dry mixture
Put the chicken strips in the bowl with flour, breadcrumbs and shake them to coat them evenly.
Step 7. Melt the butter in the pan and add the chicken breast
Use the pot holders to take the dish out of the oven and add 60 g of butter which should melt quickly; when the fat has greased the entire bottom of the hot pan, place the chicken strips inside.
Step 8. Cook the meat
Return the dish to the hot oven and wait 10-12 minutes; you may notice that the chicken becomes crisp and golden.
If you want to reduce cooking times, use boneless, skinless meat cut into strips
Step 9. Turn the chicken over and finish cooking
Remove the pan and use a thin spatula or tongs to carefully flip the meat. Put the pan back in the appliance and continue cooking for another 5-10 minutes to allow the second side to become crunchy as well; when done, take out and serve the chicken.
If you want an even crispier crust, consider turning on the grill for a few minutes until you get the desired result
Method 3 of 3: Buttermilk and Panko Bread
Step 1. Flavor the chicken
Put 8 skinless chicken thighs in a bowl and sprinkle them with the various flavorings; move them in the bowl, so that they cover evenly. For this recipe you need:
- 3 g of whole salt;
- 3 g of sweet paprika;
- 3 g of flavorings for roasts;
- A pinch of garlic powder
- A pinch of freshly ground black pepper.
Step 2. Pour the liquids over the meat and place it in the refrigerator
Measure 250 ml of buttermilk and transfer it over the chicken thighs, squeeze half a lemon, strain the juice and pour it into the bowl along with the rest. Place the container in the refrigerator and let it rest for 6-8 hours.
If you want to prepare the meat the night before cooking, you can also let it marinate overnight
Step 3. Preheat the oven and prepare the dish
When you are ready to cook the chicken, turn on the appliance and set it to a temperature of 200 ° C. Remove the roasting pan and insert the metal grill; grease both the grill and the inside of the pan with vegetable oil.
Step 4. Mix the dry ingredients
Take a shallow bowl and add 60g of panko breadcrumbs and 15g of crumbled cornflakes; mix everything with the rest of the flavorings for the breading, in order to obtain a uniform mixture. Here's what you need:
- 30 g of grated Parmesan cheese;
- 7 g of whole salt;
- 5 g of dried parsley;
- 7 g of sweet paprika;
- 3 g of onion powder;
- 3 g of garlic powder;
- A pinch of chili powder.
Step 5. Cover the chicken with the breadcrumbs
Remove the thighs from the buttermilk and arrange them on the dry ingredients; roll them to bread them completely.
You can also proceed with a few thighs at a time, if they don't all fit in the bowl
Step 6. Transfer the meat to the baking dish and grease it
Arrange it in an even layer on the wire rack inside the pan and finally spray it with oil.
This little trick makes it even more crunchy
Step 7. Cook the chicken
Place the pan in the oven and wait 40-45 minutes. The thighs should become crisp and golden; once they are ready, remove them from the appliance and immediately bring them to the table.
