Oven-Fried Chicken

Serves 4

Something about Anthropologie makes me the happiest girl on Earth when I'm walking around the store - especially when the clearance section has something I can't live without.  That's just what happened recently when I came across the cookbook, "Poulet - More Than 50 Remarkable Meals That Exalt The Honest Chicken," by Cree LeFavour, sitting alone on the clearance bookshelf.  I opened the book, and after reading only a few pages, I knew I was going to absolutely love cooking from this book.  Not only does Poulet have amazing recipes, but it also has wonderful advice that I've taken and run with in my own recipes.

This is one of my favorites so far... It's super crispy oven-fried chicken.  While it's so much healthier than deep-fried chicken, it's flavor and texture trumps any fried chicken I've had - partly because you don't have guilt from all of the oil you're wiping off of your face at the end of the meal!  The photo above shows the chicken breasts I made (the original recipe calls for thighs).  I've made both the thighs and breasts with this recipe, and although I love dark meat, I really liked how much crispier the breasts were since they have to be in the oven for a longer period of time.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!  I'm sure that I will be posting another recipe from this cookbook in the near future! :)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1 tsp. Kosher salt, plus 1 tbsp.
• 8-10 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (or 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• Black pepper
• Flaky salt for finishing
• 1/4 cup coursely chopped fresh chives or parsley

Directions:

In a large bowl, stir together the milk, olive oil, lemon juice and the 1 tsp. Kosher salt.  Add the chicken to the bowl and turn to coat on both sides.  Marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour, or cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. If refrigerating, return the chicken to room temperature for 30 minutes or so to take the chill off before cooking.

Preheat the oven to 400° F.

Stir together the flour, 1 tbsp. Kosher salt, and cayenne in another large bowl.  Season with the black pepper.  Lift the chicken pieces from the marinade and dredge in the seasoned flour to coat on both sides.  Give each piece a little shake to remove any excess flour.  Lay the pieces on a parchment paper-lined or lightly greased baking sheet, skin-side up.

Bake the chicken for 30-40 minutes, turning after 15 minutes, or until the crust is a deep, golden brown.  Either insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of a thigh or cut into a thigh with a paring knife.  The thermometer should register 175° F.  If using a knife, look for clear, not red or pink, juices running from the spot where you pierced the meat and opaque, barely pink flesh at the bone.  If the chicken isn't done, bake for 5 to 10 minutes longer and check it again.

When the chicken is done, remove it from the oven, sprinkle with a little flaky salt, and let rest for 5 minutes.  Arrange on a platter or divide among individual plates.  Scatter the chives or parsley on top and serve.