Chicken Recipes: How to Make Oven Fried Chicken

I love fried chicken, but I hate frying it! The grease, the burns, the mess, not to mention the calories - sometimes, it just doesn't seem worth it. I've tried packaged coating mixes for oven fried chicken, but they never had quite the flavor I wanted. So, after some experimenting, I've come up with a way to cook oven fried chicken that's as flavorful as the real thing.

Oven Fried Chicken a la Kelly
(serves 6-8)

6-8 pcs of chicken
½ cup all purpose flour
½ cup of finely crushed saltines or captain's crackers
2 tsp salt
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp black pepper
1 tbsp cooking oil

Preheat your oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

First, take the cooking oil and spread it around the bottom of a 13" x 9" baking dish. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large plastic bag - a grocery bag will do, if it doesn't have any holes, but I recommend a zippered freezer bag.

Once you have all the dry ingredients mixed, put chicken in the bag one or two pieces at a time and shake it around to coat thoroughly. Lay the chicken pieces skin side down in your baking dish.

When all the chicken is well coated and placed in the backing dish, put it all in the oven. Let it cook for 20 minutes, and then flip each piece over. Let it cook for another 20 minutes. Check for doneness by poking a fork into the thickest part of a thigh or breast - if the juices run clear, it's ready!

I promise your family will rave about this chicken. The great thing about it is that it's so easy to modify and it leads to all sorts of meal ideas. Simply omit the black pepper and replace it with a teaspoon or so of one of the following spices

Italian oven fried chicken - add a teaspoon of Italian seasoning and sprinkle with parmesan cheese, serve with pasta alfredo and broccoli.

Spicy oven fried chicken - add cayenne pepper to taste (I have a spicy poultry seasoning that I use), serve with rice and pinto beans

Oriental oven fried chicken - add a teaspoon of Chinese 5 spice, serve with ramen noodles and snow peas

Cajun oven fried chicken - Add a teaspoon of Creole seasoning, serve with Cajun rice and okra

Mexican oven fried chicken - add a teaspoon of chili powder (combine it with cayenne for an extra kick!), serve with yellow rice and refried beans

So you see, a delicious oven fried chicken is really easier than you might think. Next time you want to serve your family fried chicken but can't stand the thought of clean up, why not give it a try? You won't be disappointed!