I don't like deep frying. It scares me. Like Pixie, I suffer from F.O.F., or Fear of Frying.
I'm afraid of burning myself or the food, or worse--my kitchen! I know, it's silly. I do fry egg rolls (will post about those sometime!), but only in a little oil. Deep frying with all of that oil is just something I'm not comfortable with.
This is only one reason why this recipe is so damn perfect. Need more? It's easy, cheap, and deeeliciously lip-smacking and finger-licking good! It's so funny...my husband doesn't just eat it, he inhales it! He gets so happy when he knows I'm making it, because it's one of his favorites.
I usually use chicken thighs for this, because we don't really like drumsticks very much. You could do breasts, too, if you like. I'm sure it's good with boneless, too, just watch cooking times. So the chicken marinates in a mixture of plain yogurt, Dijon mustard, hot sauce (like Tabasco or Frank's) and a bit of creole seasoning and salt. I like to let it soak in this mixture for at least 24 hours. If you've never tried chicken soaked in yogurt before, you're in for a real treat. It's moist, tender and juicy! And unlike liquidy marinades that get left behind when you take the chicken out for cooking, this yogurt one sticks to the chicken and you don't lose half the flavor.
This is adapted from The Working Family's Cookbook, by Irena Chalmers. And not only is it good hot, but ooooh, when it's cold? Coveted leftovers. And think "picnic basket food!" Pack some of this for your next picnic and you'll have Aunt Nancy knocking out Uncle Bob to get his piece of fried chicken. (Names changed to protect the innocent.) (Sorry, couldn't protect the chicken.) (Or Uncle Bob, for that matter. Aunt Nancy is one tough lady.)
Finger-Lickin' Oven Fried Chicken
2 (6 oz) containers plain lowfat yogurt (or Greek yogurt, if you can find it)
3 TBSP Dijon mustard
3/4 tsp Tabasco (or other hot sauce)
1/2 tsp salt
3 - 3 1/2 pounds chicken pieces, rinsed and patted dry
2 1/2 cups dry bread crumbs
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 - 3/4 tsp creole seasoning (plus a couple extra pinches for the marinade!) (see recipe for seasoning below)
2 Tbs olive oil
1. In a bowl, stir together yogurt, mustard, Tabasco, a few good pinches of creole seasoning, and salt. Put chicken in a large ziptop bag, add marinade, seal the bag and turn to coat chicken completely . Marinate for at least 6-8 hours, but overnight is better.
2. Line a large baking dish with sides with heavy duty foil. Spray lightly with oil spray. Heat oven to 400° (375° for boneless).
3. In a medium bowl, combine bread crumbs, the salt and creole seasoning.
4. Roll each piece of chicken in the crumb mixture.
5. Place chicken in prepared pan and drizzle with olive oil.
6. Bake 50 minutes to one hour (30-35 minutes for boneless) until golden brown and juices run clear.
Creole Seasoning
2- 1/2 Tbs paprika
2 Tbs salt
2 Tbs garlic powder
1 Tbs freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbs onion powder
1 Tbs cayenne
1 Tbs dried oregano
1 Tbs dried thyme
Mix and store in an airtight container.
40 comments:
Looks like some delicious chicken.
Sharona May
This seriously has my stomach growling right now, and I just ate lunch not that long ago!!
Looks great! The last time I tried to fry something I set off the smoke detector because it caught on fire...my roommates were not too pleased and I haven't tried it since...this will fix that problem! yummy!
That baked chicken looks nice and crispy. I like the idea of using the chicken thighs for this.
I'm definitely part of the F.O.F club. A pot of oil blew up in the kitchen once (long & extremely embarrassing story I'll never tell) and that on top of the stink frying leaves behind means I don't fry. I will 100% be trying this recipe because it looks excellent & I can't wait! And what a great idea to take it for a picnic.
That looks amazing, indeed!!! This is great. I'm trying to avoid fried chicken because of all that oil. :)
Btw, don't forget to email me your address for the postcard. I emailed you but I'm not sure if you got it.
I'm like you, very rarely do I ever fry. I can't stand the oil splattering around on me, my clothes, the stove, etc.
Hey, I have fear-of-frying too!!
I like the "hot" aspect of this oven fried chicken. A little spice is nice :)
That looks lovely. I have a dislike of deep fat frying also. I find it so interesting seeing what ingredients other places don't keep as the norm. I see it is greek yoghurt with you. i wonder why that is. It's used in so many recipes now too. I'll be trying this oven fried chicken.
xxx
deep fat frying and i do not get along. maybe one day we'll reconcile but until then, i'm perfectly satisfied with baked chicken. marinate in yogurt, you say? i'm ashamed to admit that i've never tried that, it sounds brilliant!
i think we all have an "aunt nancy," bully of the family reunion. i know i do, and no, it's not me. :)
i was almost finger licking just now...but there's nothing on my fingers T_T...i was just imagining your chicken pieces...i am a yogurt-o-phobic...can i replace it with coconut milk?
That looks really delicious - I am not keen on deep frying either, the kitchen always ends up filled with smoke lol! Plus chicken takes a while to cook through which is easier in the oven. Sounds like a great method :)
That sounds just gorgeous! It looks perfectly crispy!
Sharona--thank you!
Deborah--I wish we still had some in the fridge. yum!
Ginny--this will completely take care of that problem.
Kevin--the thighs do stay nice and juicy in this.
April--oh my gosh, that sounds scary! I'd never want use oil after that!
Ben--thanks!
Joy--this is a great alternative! Sent an e mail to you just now...
Lori--yes, the splatters are gross.
Recipegirl--it's not very spicy as is, but you can add more cayenne or hot sauce if you like. It's very versatile.
Granny--we can actually get Greek yogurt pretty much everywhere now, but in case someone else can't, I figured I'd list both. My regular store finally carries it after months of people asking for it, hehe.
Grace--it's not me, either! ;) I'm the sweet one. You should give yogurt a try, it's great for marinating.
Rita--in the end, you can't taste the yogurt at all. But if it grosses you out to use it at all, I'm pretty sure that buttermilk will do the same tenderizing magic on the chicken.
Laura--there are so many of us that are afraid to fry. I wonder if we should all do it to get over our fear. (Except April--she's exempt, hehe.)
lyb--it's perfectly crispy!
I can't tell from the pictures that they are oven fried chicken. Hmm....I feel like eating this for my breakfast now. :)
Ok, another candidate for the FOF Aversion Therapy sessions (ask Pixie about that one). I so prefer to have oven fried chicken - it's crispy and really delicious.
lol shall we be known as f.o.f. anon?
i haven't made breaded chicken in years- my husband can't seem to have anything without sauce with it..crazy man..i think I am going to have to just make them anyway and hand him over a jar of sauce
Oh my lord - I am so ready to go get the ingredient list and make the oven fried chicken this weekend.
Wow that looks so good!
Now I know what to do with some chicken I need to use!
Unfortunatley, I fry a lot! So this oven fried version is a great healty alternative! Looks amazing!
This looks great! And healthier than the alternative with a kick of creole seasoning, how divine.
I also have the deep frying fear until I bought a deep fryer, now it's no longer scary.
Thanks so much for stopping by my blog! Your baked chicken looks great and sounds a lot healthier than frying! Love the creole seasoning!
Elle, this looks great! My kind of recipe! I usually marinate chicken with olive oil - tomato paste + lemon juice + dried herbs mixture. but the yogurt idea sounds great! I am so printing it to try.
Oh wow this looks good. I also don't like deep frying, so this sounds perfect!
That chicken looks yummy! And like a recipe even I might be able to do!! cool!! So pretty too!
That looks delicious and crispy! I to am afraid of frying! Bubbly hot oil! eek!
This sure is a healthier version than the fry ones. It look so crispy. This will be my next dish to try out. Thanks for sharing!
I agree, frying is scary! This recipe sounds much better, no "danger" and you save a ton of calories. I'll give it a try but plan to substitute tofu for the chicken ;)
Ok, I tried this tonight with a couple of changes based on what I had on hand. Two chicken breasts flattened (so I cut the recipe in half) and some commercial creole seasoning. It turned out SO tasty! I think next time I'll up my creole seasoning and maybe flip the chicken breasts halfway through baking. I had a little nibble of the extra one I baked after it cooled and it was really good. I can totally see having it cold on a salad. Thanks for a good meal, Elle!
That looks really delicious! Great idea with the yogurt. And I like that it has no frying involved. Bookmarking this!
Elle,
Thanks for this recipe - I'm always on the lookout for a good baked "fried" chicken recipe. I'll be making this soon!
mandy--it was umm...good for breakfast, too. ;)
Giz--yes, I think I need a few of those sessions.
Pixie--yes, we'll start a group!
Lys--thank you!
Hallie--thank you!
Erika--I hope you like it!
Lina--can you come to my house and fry for me? :)
Noble--I really should invest in one of those.
Sweet and Saucy--thank you!
Farida--that sounds delicious, I hope you post it!
Vicarious--thank you!
Glidingcalm--thank you!
Jessy--thank you!
Cookforfun--thank you!
Lisarene--let me know how it turns out for you!
April--I'm so happy that you liked it, thanks for trying it out!
Nilmandra--thank you!
Sarah--thanks so much!
Looks great. I don't like deep frying much either so usually go for the oven baked methods, this is a must try.
i suffer from FOF too~ =X i'm sure gonna give these a try! :D thanks for the recipe~ :)
Amanda
!!!
This is on the menu for the weekend. I don't care if the family don't feel like chicken, I'm sure one bite will make their protests disappear!
George, Amanda and Ellie--thanks for your comments! If you do get the time to try it, I hope you all love it as much as we do.
Hi, wanted to tell you I just tried this tonight and it was amazing! I have allergy problems so swapped out most of the spices for herbs but the yoghurt marinade method left the meat sooo tender, and its the best chicken I ever had, much better than deep fried. I'm telling everyone to make some now!
Blue, thank you so much! I'm thrilled that you enjoyed it! The yogurt is a great marinade base, so you can add whatever you like to it to suit your needs.
Thanks again--it's great to get feedback!
My husband and I tried this the other night for dinner and I *LOVED* it (so did he, but I'm just gaga over it)! Thank you so much for the recipe. This is definitely going to be one of our go-to recipes! :)
Shelby
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