Receta Crispy Oven “Fried” Chicken
Whenever I find myself longing for my mom’s fried chicken or some of the delicious fried chicken that can be found at a half-a-dozen local restaurants near my house here in the South, I turn to this simple recipe for an oven “fried” chicken that really is as crispy, moist, and tender as any of those fried chicken meals. Best of all, it is relatively quick, easy, and gluten-free…unlike my experience with traditional fried chicken.
Because it is not fried in copious amounts of fat, I think it is a healthier alternative to traditional southern fried chicken. Unlike deep fried chicken, olive oil can be successfully used to “fry” in the oven. When using olive oil, I like to keep the oven at 375 and just bake it a little longer. I like olive oil’s healthy properties, but I must admit that I like the flavor of the butter a little better in this recipe.
Because it is gluten-free, I can serve it at functions where there are going to be gluten-free friends in attendance. Earth Fare stores carry a gluten-free brown rice cereal that is great for this dish. There are some crispy rice cereals that are not marked gluten free, so check the box before purchasing if being gluten free is important to you.
Recipe: Crispy Oven “Fried” Chicken
Ingredients:
- 2 c. crumbled crispy rice cereal (gluten-free, if desired)
- 1/2 stick melted unsalted butter or 4 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. season salt (or 1/2 tsp. powdered onion, 1/4 tsp. powdered garlic, 1/2 tsp. paprika, 1 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. turmeric combined)
- Pepper
- 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (or thighs)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine rice cereal crumbs, season salt, and pepper in a gallon zipper plastic bag.
Place a breast or thigh in another zipper plastic bag.
Gently pound the chicken until the meat is about an even thickness throughout the piece. (Do not pound too thin). Repeat until all pieces are done.
Cut in half for palm size portions, if desired.
Place melted butter or oil in a dish.
Place a prepared baking sheet covered with heavy duty foil (and a cooling rack , if desired) into the oven to heat as you finish preparing chicken.
Dip chicken into melted butter or oil, allowing it to drip to remove excess.
Place chicken in bag with crumbled rice and gently coat by shaking and pressing the crumbles on the chicken.
Place chicken on a hot prepared baking sheet a few inches apart.
Bake for approx. 20 – 25 minutes until chicken reaches desired internal temperature when read with a instant read or probe thermometer. Timing is dependent on size of chicken pieces.
Remove from pan to a cooling rack immediately.
Serve warm.
Notes:
Great sliced atop a green salad, too.
Diet tags: Gluten free
Copyright © 2014.
Recipe by Paula, A Simple Home Cook.
I am honored to have been asked by Earth Fare to write this post in exchange for a gift card to buy the ingredients. I love shopping at Earth Fare not only because of the great quality of food, but because they offer such great deals and coupon, They did not ask me to share my opinion; it is my own. You can find all the ingredients for this recipe at Earth Fare.