Okay so I will admit it; I love fried chicken. I have since I was a little girl and my family worked for a local restaurant chain that made, in my opinion, the best chicken in the world. Combine some nicely spiced chicken with a small bowl of those slightly runny mashed potatoes that come out of a machine and I am happy! Even now whenever the girls in our little takeout stand open the chicken fryer the wafting scent of freshly fried chicken makes me euphoric. But seriously I can not eat the stuff too often or I would be as big as a house; so I have to find lighter ways to make my favorite food.
Now there is nothing wrong with Shake and Bake, but when you want to impress someone that is not what you should be putting on the table. So I have been searching for a super yummy baked recipe that maintains optimum juiciness and has just the right amount of zing. Something that many chefs are doing these days is brineing the chicken in lemon juice before breading and cooking, which got me thinking... and here it is, Spicy Lemon Chicken.
Begin by combining a can of thawed lemonade with a quarter cup of buttermilk, salt and pepper. Marinate the bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces in this mixture for at least four hours or up until overnight. For the fried coating combine about two cups of Panko breadcrumbs, one tablespoon of dried thyme, a quarter teaspoon of cayenne and the zest of about half a lemon in a freezer bag. Remove the chicken from the marinade and roll each piece in about a quarter cup of reduced fat mayonnaise before placing them in a bag and shaking until each piece is covered in the breadcrumbs. Place in a baking dish and bake at 400 degrees for thirty-five to forty minutes or until the skin is golden brown and crispy.
I do not have one of those mashed potato machines so I have to make due with instant mashed potatoes and for a finishing touch on the chicken, drizzle it with a little honey. Oh it was so good, crunchy, spicy, tangy and just a little sweet.
Spicy Lemon Chicken
2 pieces Leg/Thigh chicken cut in half
1 can Frozen lemonade mix, thawed
1/4 cup Buttermilk
Salt & Pepper
2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
1 Tlbsp Dried thyme
1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
1 Tlbsp Lemon zest
1/4 cup Reduced fat mayonnaise
Marinate the chicken pieces in the lemonade, buttermilk, salt and pepper for at least 4 hours. Combine the breadcrumbs, thyme, cayenne and zest in a freezer bag. Roll the pieces in the mayonnaise and then coat in the breadcrumbs. Place in a baking dish and bake at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment