Oven Fried Chicken

Had a hankering for fried chicken, but didn't want the calories of the fried coating, so I made some oven fried chicken. First, I marinated overnight with a sour cream mixture, then I coated the chicken with a Panko crumb mixture, before baking. The sour cream, ideally in combination with buttermilk, makes the chicken more tender thanks to the bacterial cultures present.

I made some tasty sandwiches with my leftover oven fried chicken; added some cheese, bacon, tomatoes, and slapped into some fresh French bread for a great lunch.

Sour Cream Marinade

- 8 oz. sour cream
- a couple spoons of dijon mustard
- salt
- garlic powder
- paprika
- pepper
- buttermilk (other milk is fine if no buttermilk available)
- fresh herbs which you might have

1. First grab your chicken of choice. I used pre-cut chicken breast to save some prep time, but of course you can trim your own chicken breasts, or other cut of meat such as chicken thighs/drumsticks/etc.. If using breasts, slice thinly.
   
2. Mix all above ingredients together to taste, and add a touch of buttermilk as needed to give the marinade better consistency (i.e. more liquid). Feel free to add other ingredients, e.g. freshly diced herbs, other spices. I only added what I had on hand.
   
3. Marinate overnight, letting the sour cream and buttermilk cultures tenderize the meat.
   

Oven-Frying

- Marinaded chicken from previous night
- flour
- 2 beaten eggs with a tsp of water
- Panko crumbs (mix with salt, pepper, cheese, etc..)

1. Using the marinaded chicken made previously, remove excess marinade with paper towels.
2. Dredge lightly in flour.
3. Dredge lightly in beaten egg mixture.
4. Roll in Panko crumbs. Other variations include mixing grated parmesan cheese and herbs into the Panko.
   
5. Place onto lightly oiled baking sheet.
   
6. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 30-40 minutes, or until center is cooked and juices emanating from the center run clear.
7. Enjoy!

For service, I cut my oven fried chicken into slices, and served with a blackberry mustard sauce. Also, shredded carrots, diced cucumbers, sliced purple cabbage, and tossed them in fresh lime juice, sesame oil, and honey.

The ensemble piece.