Oven-fried chicken is disappointing. It comes out pale and bready—so not like real fried chicken, that you simply can’t compare the two.
But what oven “frying” does have going for it is this: no mess and fewer calories. On a Tuesday, it’s doable. And thanks to a brilliant recipe by Kay Chun in Food and Wine, it can also be delicious. Chun’s breakthrough idea is to use potato chips as the crust. Suddenly soggy becomes crispy and flavorful. And it’s just as easy as your old breadcrumb recipe.
Here is my even easier version of her original recipe.
Serves 4
- 1 bag potato chips (any flavor you like, about 8 ounces)
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon grill seasoning (whatever you’ve got in stock, as long as it has salt)
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce (like Tabasco Green Jalapeño Pepper sauce)
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Put the potato chips in your food processor and let it rip. You want even-sized crumbs.
3. Set out three bowls. Mix the flour and grill seasoning in one, the milk and hot sauce in the second, and the potato chip crumbs in the third.
4. If you have a sheet pan with a rack, this is a great time to use it, but if not, a regular sheet pan works fine too. Spray or wipe with a little oil. Dip each chicken piece first in milk, then in flour, back in the milk and finish with the potato chip crumbs. Pat any leftover crumbs onto the chicken.
5. Bake for 20 minutes and serve with sliced watermelon and coleslaw—and be very happy that you have just one sheet pan to clean versus degreasing an entire kitchen.
