Oven Fried Chicken

When I was little, fried chicken from Popeye’s was such a treat.  We didn’t have it often – maybe a few times a year – but as a child, it was so exciting.  I liked everything about the meal – the buttermilk biscuits, eating with my hands, etc.  I haven’t picked up a piece of fried chicken for over a decade now.  When I initially came across Amanda Hesser’s recipe for her mother’s Oven Fried Chicken in her book, “Cooking for Mr. Latte,” I dismissed it – chicken “fried” in the oven?  That couldn’t be any good.

But it kind of stuck with me, so I finally decided to try it out.  I like that Amanda specifies to buy free-range/organic chicken, as the oil that comes out of organic chicken is so much cleaner than the oil from conventional chickens.  Using all thighs (skin-on, bone-in) makes this meal easily affordable as well, even when buying organic chicken.  The chicken is brined – another aspect about this recipet hat I like – coated in nothing more than a dusting of flour, salt, and pepper, and then “fried” in only 2 T of butter.

This recipe couldn’t be easier.  It takes a small bit of time to get the chicken into the brine, and the roasting time isn’t short, at about 1.5 hours, but the result was worth it for a fun weekend meal.  I was pleased to hear the gentle constant sizzling of the chicken inside the oven during the whole roasting time.

Having not eaten fried chicken for quite awhile, I don’t know how this stands up to real fried chicken – but the skin really does come out beautifully browned and crispy.  My husband, who is quite a fan of fried chicken, didn’t complain.  The brine renders the skin moist (except for one piece which was oddly dry) and well-seasoned.

I’m glad I put aside my skepticism and gave this a try!

Judy Hesser’s Oven Fried Chicken from Amanda Hesser’s Cooking for Mr. Latte

8 Chicken thighs (organic or natural with skin on)

3 Tbsp. sea salt

1 tsp. coarsely-ground black pepper

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

 

In the morning, combine the 2 Tbsp. salt with about a cup of warm water in a large bowl. Stir to dissolve the salt. Trim the chicken of excess skin and fat. Add the chicken to the bowl. Cover with very cold water and a tray of ice cubes. Chill in the refrigerator until dinner time.

 

Preheat the oven to 400F (200C). Remove the chicken from the fridge and pat dry completely with paper towels. Put the butter in a roasting pan large enough to fit the chicken in one layer. Place the pan in the oven.

 

In a freezer bag, pour in the flour, remaining 1 Tbsp. sea salt and pepper. Give it a good shake. Add the chicken pieces two at a time and shake them of vigorously. This is vital. You do not want a gummy coating. Line them up on a plate and repeat with the rest.

 

Lay the chicken pieces in the roasting pan, skin side down, and oven-fry until a chestnut brown and crisp on the bottom, about 40 minutes (sometimes it takes a long as an hour). Don’t flip them until this happens. Use a thin spatula to scrape them up off the pan and turn them; cook the other side the same way. Remove the pieces from the oven as they finish cooking, and place on a plate lined with a paper towel. (Note from Carmen:  I cooked mine for about 50 minutes on the first side and then 30 minutes on the other side).

 

Just before serving, grind fresh pepper over top and sprinkle lightly with sea salt.