Buttermilk Baked "Fried" Chicken

Buttermilk Baked "Fried" Chicken - made January 11, 2014

Did you know if you want to oven bake anything and make it have the texture of something deep-fried, an easy way to do it is roll it in panko crumbs? It comes out crispy and not as greasy as if you had fried it. I don't buy regular bread crumbs anymore (ha, like I ever did since I don't cook as much as I bake) but instead go with panko crumbs. They're Japanese bread crumbs and you can find it at any Asian grocery store or in the Asian food aisle at a "regular" grocery store.

I made up this recipe after reviewing a number of similar ones. They all had the same basic premise: soak the chicken in buttermilk for a couple of hours, dredge in a flour and spice dry mix and roll in panko. Spray with cooking spray to help it brown during baking. This is a simple recipe to make although it came out a little bland for me. I think it would be better to add more spices to the flour or even directly on the chicken before rolling it in the panko crumbs. Try ginger, cayenne pepper, chili powder or any other spice of your choice.

Nevertheless, I was pleased that it did get crunchy thanks to the crumb coating. Not only was it healthier than deep frying but I didn't have the hassle of cleaning my deep fryer or dumping the excess oil. Just line your baking pan with foil and it's easy to clean up after.

6-8 chicken thighs or 4 boneless chicken breasts
2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 cups panko crumbs

1. Whisk together the buttermilk and sour cream. Place chicken in a gallon-size ziploc bag and pour in buttermilk-sour cream mixture. Seal bag and refrigerate for 2 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Combine flour, salt, pepper, allspice and paprika in a shallow bowl. Pour panko crumbs in a separate shallow bowl.
4. Remove chicken pieces from ziploc bag and shake off excess mixture. Dredge in flour and spices then roll in panko crumbs coating completely. If panko crumbs aren't sticking to the chicken, re-dip into the buttermilk mixture and roll directly in the crumbs. Arrange chicken in single layer in prepared pan and lightly spray with cooking spray.
5. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.