I don’t make fried chicken very often (I think the last time I made it was over two years ago!). Why? Well, it’s messy, not that healthy and did I mention messy? But sometimes you crave it alongside cheesy mashed potatoes, creamed corn, and green beans (yes, I made all those sides with it…I just wish I had the time to make some biscuits!). The chicken starts out fried in this recipe but cooks in the oven which reduces some of the mess. The chicken was really moist and tender and had just the right amount of crispiness.

Oven Fried Chicken
Adapted from Ina Garten

• 2 chickens (3 lbs. each), cut into 8 pieces

• 1 quart buttermilk

• 2 teaspoons hot sauce

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  

• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• Vegetable oil
  

Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl and pour the buttermilk over them, add hot sauce and mix. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the flour, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper in a brown paper bag. Take the chicken out of the buttermilk and drop each piece into the flour mixture and shake the paper bag until each piece is thoroughly coated. Pour the oil into a large heavy-bottomed stockpot or cast iron pan to a depth of 1-inch and heat to 360 degrees F on a thermometer.

Working in batches, carefully place several pieces of chicken in the oil and fry for about 2 minutes on each side until the coating is a light golden brown (it will continue to brown in the oven). Don’t crowd the pieces. Remove the chicken from the oil and place each piece on a metal baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Allow the oil to return to 360 degrees F before frying the next batch. When all the chicken is fried, bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is no longer pink inside. Serve hot.