Recipe: Extra-Crunchy Country-Style Oven-Fried Chicken

Extra-Crunchy
Country-Style Oven-Fried Chicken

Makes 6 servings

Those fast-food joints sure know how to make fried chicken. The only problem is that the breading sucks up oil from the fryer, making greasy (albeit tasty) chicken. I like to coat chicken breasts with a flavorful crunchy coating and "fry" it in the oven at a high temperature. They come out cracklin' crisp, very low in fat and so good you'll be licking your fingers.

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons dried thyme, crumbled
1 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
2 large egg whites
1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
4 cups corn flakes
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
(about 3 pounds total), rinsed under cold water
and patted dry

1. Place the oven rack in the lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Spray a jelly-roll pan with vegetable oil.

2. Place the flour, thyme, basil, oregano, cumin, garlic powder, pepper, salt, curry powder and cayenne in a 1-quart recloseable plastic bag. Seal and shake until combined. Set aside.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg whites, buttermilk and mustard. Set aside.

4. Place the corn flakes in a food processor with the steel blade in place and process, pulsing, until broken up but not turned into crumbs. Place in a medium bowl.

5. One at a time, place each chicken breast in the seasoning bag and shake until coated. Then dip it into the buttermilk mixture and then into the corn flakes, firmly pressing the corn flakes onto the chicken breast. Place each chicken breast, not touching, on the jelly-roll pan. Spray the chicken lightly with vegetable oil.

6. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the coating is golden and the chicken is cooked through. Serve immediately.

Nutritional information per serving: 289 calories (8.2% from fat), 2.7 g fat (o.6 g saturated fat), 40.8 g protein, 21.8 g carbohydrate, 98 mg cholesterol, 534 mg sodium.

Salt Sense: Omitting the salt reduces the sodium to 357 mg per serving.

Cooking Tip: This chicken stays crunchy for only a short time after it has been removed from the oven.

A Guy's Guide to Great Eating
Big-flavored, Fat-Reduced
Recipes for Men Who Love to Eat
By Don Mauer
Houghton Mifflin Company
Paperback, $17.00
350 pages, June 1999
ISBN: 0-395-91536-8
Recipe Reprinted by permission.