My oven-fried chicken tastes like the real deal, but is a ton healthier for you. And because the cleanup is a snap (no oil to dispose of or splattered stove top to scrub), you’ll think twice before pulling into the drive-thru next time your crew is jonesing for a bucket of take-out chicken. Best of all, not only will you save money, you get to serve it up with your own healthy sides.
Ingredients
1 2⁄3 cups plain, full-fat yogurt
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 teaspoon hot sauce
2 teaspoons Tex-Mex Rub
1 teaspoon celery salt
11⁄2 teaspoons salt
3 pounds bone-in chicken breasts or thighs, skin removed (if the breasts are very large, cut them in half crosswise)
1 teaspoon canola oil
21⁄2 cups dried bread crumbs, cracker crumbs, or panko
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, or canola oil
Marinate the chicken. Whisk together the yogurt, mustard, hot sauce, 1 teaspoon of the Tex-Mex Rub, the celery salt, and 3⁄4 teaspoon of the salt in a large bowl. Add the chicken and turn to coat with the marinade, then place the chicken in 1 or 2 resealable gallon-size plastic bags and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Coat the chicken and bake. Heat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and grease with 1 teaspoon of oil. Whisk together the bread crumbs, the remaining 1 teaspoon Tex-Mex Rub, and the remaining 3⁄4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Working 1 piece at a time, remove the chicken from the marinade and roll it around in the bread crumbs until evenly coated, and then place it on the baking sheet. Drizzle the melted butter or 2 tablespoons of oil over the chicken and bake until it is lightly browned and its temperature is 170°F, about 40 to 45 minutes (if you want a little extra color, place the chicken under your broiler for a few minutes until it’s more deeply browned). Remove from the oven and serve.
D2D
If you’re in a breast meat–only household, split those cuts up. Place your bone-in chicken breast on a cutting board, then, with a sharp chef’s knife, cut straight down crosswise through the breast, dividing it in 2. you instantly get 4 pieces of white meat for the price of 2.
