Buttermilk Chicken

My future mom-in-law and I were talking the other day about how difficult it is for us to make "fried" chicken, without deep frying it. We both have the same problem - the crispy "fried" coating always comes off. I have had this problem when sauteeing chicken in the skillet in the past. I had the same problem with some chicken fingers that I made once before. The coating kept coming off, and to me that is the best part! One day I will perfect the "fried" chicken without deep frying it. One day, one day. Until then, this is all I've got - a baked version  :)

I made this from a combination of two Martha Stewart recipes - one from Everyday Food and the other from Martha Stewart Living.

Buttermilk Chicken

Printable recipe

• Chicken thighs
• 1 or 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon Frank's red hot sauce
• Olive oil or vegetable oil (or cooking spray)
• 4 cups cornflakes, finely crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon freeze-dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and pepper  

Preheat oven to 400*. Spread oil on a baking sheet (or spray with cooking spray). 

Rinse chickens, then pat dry.

In a medium sized bowl, add buttermilk and hot sauce and mix. Dip chickens in, turning, and let marinate for about 1 hour in the refrigerator.  Once marinated, season chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

In a separate shallow bowl, add cornflakes and basil and blend. Dredge chickens in cornflake mixture, turning to coat evenly.

Bake on oiled baking sheet for about 35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, flipping pieces halfway through cooking time.