Easier Fried Chicken

While my kids love fried chicken, I hate having to deal with the 5 cups of leftover oil. The 1-3/4 cups of oil used in this recipe is not enough to cook the chicken evenly, but it is enough to create a wonderfully crispy exterior.  Once the chicken is crispy, the chicken finishes cooking in a 400-degree oven. As an added benefit, while the chicken bakes a lot of the excess oil from frying drained away into the baking sheet. The results are crispy and less greasy than typical fried chicken. The only slight drawback is the coating on the bottom chicken becomes a little soggy as some of the chicken juices come out during baking. 4-stars.

Uses only 1-3/4 cups of oil

If you have a splatter-screen, be sure to use it during frying. While the chicken is well seasoned, next time I will kick up the spices a little. I like it spicy.

Rating: 4 stars.
Cost: $6 for 3-1/2 pounds.
How much work? Low/Medium.
How big of a mess?  Medium.
Start time 4:00 PM. Dinner time 6:00 PM.

Chris Kimball’s original recipe is here. The descriptions of how I prepared it today are given below:

3-1/2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken parts
1-1/4 cups buttermilk
Table salt
dash hot sauce
3 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1-3/4 cups vegetable oil

1. Trim away any excess fat, and cut breasts in half so that they are roughly the same size as the rest of the chicken pieces.
2. In a large bowl, add 1 cup buttermilk, 1 tablespoon salt, dash of hot sauce, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon paprika, and pinch of cayenne. Whisk until combined, and add chicken. Turn until entirely coated. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to brine in refrigerator for 1 hour (or up to overnight).
3. Set a rack to the middle of your oven and pre-heat to 400-degrees.
4. In a medium bowl, add 2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons black pepper, 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 3/4 teaspoon paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne. Whisk to combine. Add 1/4 cup buttermilk and combine using your hands until you get small clumps.
5. One piece at a time, dredge chicken in flour mix and press onto chicken so that you get a thick, even coating. Set chicken skin-side up on a large place and repeat dredging with remaining chicken.
6. In an 11-inch straight-sided sauté pan or Dutch oven, add 1-3/4 cups vegetable oil, set it over a medium-high burner and heat until the oil reaches 375-degrees. Place chicken in oil with the skin-side down and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until it becomes golden brown. Flip and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the second side becomes golden brown. Meanwhile, line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and put a wire on top.
7. When chicken has browned, move to wire rack/baking sheet, and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes until the chicken reaches its final temperature; 160 for breasts, and 175-degrees for legs and thighs. Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes prior to serving.