Oven Fried Chicken Review

Day two of meals this week was a bust.. I made the Oven Fried Chicken recipe from Food Network and it turned out like CRAP..Well it wasn't a complete loss however, the original batch was not a huge success. BUT with a little doctoring I was able to save it and actually turn it into something useful. 

Negatives: I bought a pack of chicken drumsticks to make this recipe with and the meat just didn't have great flavor. Also, I am a chicken breast person. I'm not sure why I deviated on this recipe- I do NOT like to eat meat on a bone but I did for this recipe and bad idea for me...maybe it was a bad batch of chicken or maybe just bad luck…either way big disappointment when you are hungry and sooo looking forward to a tasty treat.... 

Positives: I will say that the marinade had big flavor and I think would be great for summertime grilling of fish, chicken, or shrimp. Also, the breading was yummy but just needed a little something extra...LIKE COCONUT....I had some shrimp in the refrigerator that needed to be used and when I had extra breading left over I decided to coat the shrimp with the mix plus about a half cup of coconut flakes- That turned out AMAZING..Best part of the meal by far. 

The Gist- add some coconut flakes and use shrimp or chicken breast. 

Here's how this hot mess went...

Ingredients
1 lemon
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary, plus 2 whole sprigs
4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 pounds bone-in skinless chicken legs and thighs
2 slices whole wheat bread, (3-ounces)
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, optional
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Finely grate 1 teaspoon of zest from the lemon; set aside. Squeeze the juice of the lemon into a medium bowl. Whisk in the milk, sugar, and cayenne until the sugar and cayenne are dissolved. Add the sprigs of rosemary and garlic. Pierce each chicken piece several times with a fork, add to the milk mixture, turning to coat well. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Lay the bread on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake, turning a few times, until the bread is crisp and dry, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cool completely. Break into large pieces and pulse in the bowl of a food processor until it forms coarse crumbs.

3. Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. In a shallow dish combine the bread crumbs with the corn meal, Parmesan (if using), chopped rosemary, reserved 1 teaspoon zest, and season with salt and pepper. 

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and top with a wire rack. Coat the rack well with nonstick cooking spray.

4. Working with one piece at a time, remove the chicken from the marinade, allowing the excess to drip off. Press into the bread crumb mixture until the chicken is well coated and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining chicken and crumbs. Mist the chicken with nonstick cooking spray.

5. Bake until the chicken is crisp and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 160 degrees F, about 50 to 55 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Nutritional analysis per serving of chicken

Calories 328; Total Fat 10g (Sat Fat 3g, Mono Fat 3g, Poly Fat 2g) ; Protein 48g;

Carb 10 g; Fiber 1g; Cholesterol 186mg; Sodium 330mg