Oven-Fried Chicken

Football season is here! Yes, I am excited. Go Eagles!

I will admit that I haven’t always been a football fan, but in the past two years I have developed a love for the game. It all started with Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Cincinnati Bengals, then I learned a little more about the game and now I love it.

Chicken is one of the best dishes to eat when watching football. Now, I’m not big on frying chicken in oil, usually I bake my chicken. So, when I came across this recipe for oven-fried chicken from Epicurious, I couldn’t wait to try it out. Of course, I modified it a little.

What you’ll need:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons buffalo wing hot sauce
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 large onion, roughly chopped (any type of onion will do)
Chicken drumsticks, thighs, or whole legs

1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 tablespoons butter, melted

As with any chicken to be marinated, you’ll want to make this ahead of time. The longer the chicken marinates the more tender and flavorful it will be.

Marinating chicken in sauce — Marinating the chicken.

Clean the chicken of any leftover fat (seriously, my least favorite part of making chicken). Whisk oil, buffalo wing hot sauce, mustard, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in large bowl to blend well. Add onion, then chicken and turn to coat. Cover; chill at least 3 hours or up to 1 day, turning chicken occasionally.

Coating chicken with breadcrumbs — Coating the chicken.

Once the chicken has finished marinating, preheat oven to 425°F. Mix together panko, cheese, flour, oregano, paprika, cayenne and 1 teaspoon salt in large baking dish to blend. Remove chicken from marinade, allowing excess to drip off. Add chicken to breadcrumb mixture and turn to coat completely.

Chicken ready to bake — Chicken ready to go in the oven.

Arrange chicken, skin side up, on aluminum foil-lined baking sheets. Let stand 30 minutes.

Finished Oven-fried chicken — Delicious and crispy oven-fried chicken.

Drizzle melted butter over chicken. Bake until crisp, golden and cooked through, about 50 minutes, turning the chicken once about halfway through. Serve warm or at room temperature. Honestly, this has been one of my favorite chicken dishes to make so far and I highly recommend it.

The day I made this, I served it with roasted potatoes and sauteed kale. But you could serve it with any of your favorite football dishes.