This chicken is terrific! My husband thought it was the best "fried" chicken I had ever made. It will be crispy and the meat will be juicy! Amazing that it works so well!
You could use chicken pieces (with the bone) (I remove the skin from mine) or boneless skinless breasts/tenders, whichever you prefer.
Here's how I made Baked "Fried" Chicken AT HOME MY WAY:
Baked "Fried" Chicken
- 6-8 Boneless Skinless Breast Tenders or small-ish pieces of chicken (fully thawed)
- 1 1/2 cup AP flour
- 1 teaspoon season salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika (these seasonings are entirely optional, just season as you like.)
- 1/2 to 1 stick margarine (I only used 1/2 stick but more chicken obviously would require more.) (Remember 1/2 stick is only 1/4 cup which is considerably less than the large VAT OF FAT that you usually fry chicken in.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the flour and seasonings in a shallow wide bowl or pie plate. Dredge the moist but drained completely thawed chicken in the flour and lay each piece not touching on a sprayed cookie sheet. (I use tongs and a fork to bury each piece of chicken and flip it to cover both sides so that each piece is thickly coated with the flour mixture... and I don't like to touch the chicken LOL.) Melt the margarine and pour in a stream over the chicken pieces (down the length of the strip). Use it all. If there are "margarine puddles" on the chicken, feel free to sprinkle a little flour over the chicken (the margarine will absorb it). Place in preheated 350 degree oven and bake 15-20 minutes (depending on whether you used bone in or boneless chicken). The bottom of the chicken should be browning (the side laying on the cookie sheet.) If it is, gently, using a fork to scoop the chicken (including the crispy goodness underneath to keep it from sticking to the pan) and turn the chicken. Bake another 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
ITS READY! Now, gobble it down and remind yourself that you will never fry chicken over a spattering skillet again!
This would also be a great solution for making lots of "fried" chicken for big families or gatherings. You could easily have two cookie sheets of chicken in the oven instead of frying several batches of chicken. Plus, its all ready and hot at the same time - when you take it out of the oven!