The Best Oven Fried Chicken
3 chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 3 strips each
1⁄4 cup butter
1 cup flour
½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
chopped parsley for garnish
Marinara Sauce, for dipping
Place chicken breast strips in a bowl of milk. Let it soak for 20-30 min. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut butter into a few pieces and place in a 9x13 pan. Melt butter in pre-heated oven. Spread melted butter around the bottom of the pan, make sure that there are no dry spots. Add flour, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, salt, pepper and paprika in a large ziploc bag. Shake excess milk off of chicken, and add half of chicken stripes at a time to ziploc and shake to coat. Arrange coated chicken strips on the baking sheet, leaving a space between each strip. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, flip chicken with a pair of tongs, and bake for another 10 to 12 minutes. You want it to be cooked through, but not overdone and dry. Bake another 5-10 minutes if needed. Remove from the oven and drain the chicken to paper towels. Serve immediately and enjoy.
Buttermilk Ranch Fried Chicken
1 quart buttermilk
8-10 chicken pieces (drum sticks, breast, thighs)
3 eggs
1/3 cup water
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons pepper
2 teaspoon paprika
1 packed of dry ranch dressing mix (1 oz)
Peanut Oil, for frying
extra salt and pepper for taste
Place chicken in a large bowl, and cover with buttermilk. Cover and chill for at least two hours, or overnight. If you are rushed on time, this step can be skipped, but it makes for the crispiest, juiciest chicken. In a large bowl, add eggs, and water. Whisk until well combined. In a large gallon freezer bag or large bowl, mix flour, salt, pepper, paprika, and 1 packed of dry ranch dressing mix. Mix together. Remove chicken from buttermilk and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Working in batches, place chicken pieces in freezer bag or bowl and evenly coat each piece with flour mixture.
As your remove chicken from flour mixture, make sure to shake off any excess flour. Dip each piece in the egg mixture, and return to flour mixture for a second time. Fully coats each piece of chicken for a second time. Allow chicken to rest for 10 -15 minutes. This helps the flour stick to the chicken. Heat oil in a deep pan to 350 degrees. Working in batches, drop each piece of chicken into the hot oil. Fry for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown, turning occasional. To keep chicken warm while frying in batches, I like to place my fried chicken in an oven warmed to 225 degrees.
Chipotle Popcorn Chicken
3 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
½ cup Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce, chopped finely
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
2 tbsp cornstarch
salt and pepper to taste
Panko breadcrumbs
oil for frying
In a bowl whisk together buttermilk, egg, cornstarch, salt, pepper and chipotle peppers. Cut the chicken breasts into 1 inch pieces. Place the chicken in the batter and let it sit for at least a couple hours in the fridge. Pour some panko breadcrumbs in a shallow plate. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Coat each piece of chicken with breadcrumbs, add more breadcrumbs as needed, and fry on both sides for 3 to 5 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Place on paper napkins to soak up some of the oil. Repeat with all chicken pieces. Only add a few pieces of chicken to the skillet at a time, so the chicken turns out crispy. Alternatively you can bake this popcorn chicken by placing them on a baking sheet and baking them at 375 F degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.