Oven “Fried” Chicken

Today’s recipe is an easy and quick recipe which will be the whole family’s favorite.  The oven “fried” chicken, is the light version of the traditional fried chicken with a crust a little different than usual.

For this recipe I use chicken fillet, marinated it in water, salt and sugar for at least two hours (as you will see in the recipe “Red Hot Chile Chicken”) and then dip it into a bowl with buttermilk and crushed garlic and then into the crust mix, consisting of crushed flaxseed, whole wheat flour, whole wheat bread crumbs, cornmeal, salt and pepper. In this way the chicken has much less fat because of baking in the oven and much less cholesterol due to the absence of egg. The result is a very nice and juicy baked chicken, with a not so crispy crust as the traditional ones, but very tasty! We accompanied the chicken with boiled broccoli and two delicious sauces. The first, mayonnaise and  Dijon mustard, is a bit spicy, and the second, with yogurt, buttermilk and various herbs, is really refreshing. They match wonderfully with the chicken and complete the dish.

Preparation time:   1 hour and 10 minutes (plus 2 hours waiting time)

Servings:   4

Ingredients:

for the chicken:

• 1 ½ tablespoon sugar
• 1 ½ tablespoon salt
• 2 cups hot water
• 1 kg. (2.2lb) chicken breast, cut into thin strips
• 1 cup (250ml) buttermilk, 1.5% fat
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 3 tablespoons crushed flaxseed
• ¾ cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
• 4 tablespoons whole wheat flour
• 4 tablespoons cornmeal
• 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• ¼ – ½ teaspoon chile flakes (optional)
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil

for mayonnaise- Dijon mustard sauce:

• ½ cup low-fat mayonnaise
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon plain mustard
• ½ teaspoon white vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon dried tarragon
• salt, pepper

for the Greek yogurt sauce:

• ½ cup Greek yogurt, 2% fat
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tablespoon buttermilk, 1.5% fat
• 1 teaspoon mayonnaise, low fat
• ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon sugar
• 1 pinch dried basil
• 1 pinch of dry marjoram
• 1 pinch dried oregano
• 1 pinch dried thyme
• 2-3 sprigs of fresh parsley
• salt, pepper

Instructions:

Prepare the chicken:

1. In a bowl, mix the salt and sugar with 2 cups of warm water until dissolved. Wait to cool completely.
2. Put the chicken in the brine, cover and put the bowl in the refrigerator for about 2-3 hours.
3. In a bowl add the buttermilk and crushed garlic.
4. In another bowl mix well flaxseed, bread crumbs, flour, cornmeal, salt, pepper and chile flakes if desired.
5. Remove the chicken from the brine, wipe it with a paper towel and leave for a while to come to room temperature.
6. Preheat the oven to 190^oC/375^{o F}
7. Take a piece of chicken and dip it in buttermilk and then to the bowl with the dry ingredients. Place one piece of chicken at a time in baking pan lined with wax paper. In the end, using a brush, coat the chicken lightly with olive oil.
8. Bake chicken for about 50 minutes.
9. Serve the chicken hot with your choice of salad and, if desired, the two sauces I suggest.

For mayonnaise – Dijon mustard sauce:

1. Put all ingredients in a food processor and mix well. Serve in a bowl.

For the Greek yogurt sauce:

1. Put all ingredients in a food processor and mix well. Serve in a bowl.

I hope you will enjoy the oven “fried” chicken as much as I did!!

	Nutritional Facts per Serving
	Calories	Carbohydrates	Sugars	Total Fat	Saturated Fat	Proteins	Dietary Fibers	Cholesterol
chicken	412.6	20.4	3.1	13.4	2.6	50.6	2.9	125.9mg
w/ sauces	592.5	32.9	14.6	20.8	4.0	65.9	2.7	163.2mg