Best Oven-Fried Chicken

You know we love fried chicken here, but I don't always feel like doing the actual frying, so sometimes I go the oven-fried route. Last night I used a recipe I'd been meaning to try for a while—well, you can't really call it a recipe, more like a technique. It came out excellent. My only slight complaint was that it was a wee bit salty, even though I decreased the amount of salt called for in the flour used for dredging. And we really like salty, so that's saying something. Wait! It just occurred to me that she called for sea salt and I used table salt; perhaps she meant coarse sea salt, which would have meant considerably less salt. Yes, now I'm sure that's the case! Whoops. Kosher salt would probably be fine too.

I found this at Leite's Culinaria, where I find so many of my favorite recipes, techniques, and food ideas. It comes from Amanda Hesser's mom. I doubled the whole thing (except the salt, as noted) and used two pans. You need to start it in the morning; you soak the chicken in salted ice water for a few hours to season the meat and tighten the flesh for better crisping. Really, the skin is so crunchy, you won't believe it wasn't deep-fried. As I type this, I'm eating a sandwich of leftovers, and it is just as yummy cold.

Judy Hesser's Oven-Fried Chicken

3 tablespoons coarse sea salt (I used regular table salt. Bad idea!)
8 chicken thighs (organic or natural, not Perdue or somesuch) (She said that, not me; I agree that natural birds are tastier and have less fat, but I am not likely to use the word "somesuch." Also, I used a mixture of thighs, drums, and breasts.)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

In the morning, combine 2 tablespoons of the salt and 1 cup warm water in a large bowl or container. Stir to dissolve the salt. Trim the chicken of excess skin and fat. Add the chicken to the bowl. Cover with very cold water and add a tray of ice cubes. Swish around with your hand to disperse them. Cover and chill in the refrigerator until dinner time.

Preheat the oven to 400°. Remove the chicken from the fridge and pat dry completely with paper towels. Put the butter in a roasting pan large enough to fit the chicken in one layer. Place the pan in the oven. In a 1-gallon zip-top bag, pour in the flour, remaining 1 tablespoon salt, and the pepper. Give it a good shake. Add the chicken pieces two at a time and shake them until thoroughly coated. As you lift them out of the bag, shake them off vigorously. This is vital—you do not want a gummy coating. Line them up on a plate, and repeat with the rest.

Lay the chicken pieces in the roasting pan, skin side down, and oven-fry until chestnut brown and crisp on the bottom, about 40 minutes (sometimes it takes as long as an hour). Don’t flip them until this happens. Use a thin spatula to scrape them up off the pan and turn them; cook the other side the same way. (It doesn't take anywhere near that long on the second side.) Remove the pieces from the oven as they finish cooking, and place on a plate lined with paper towels. 

Comments

[Elena]

Sounds like they could have used a good copyeditor to get that salt thing straightened out!

[Wendy]

I make this, too -- I have her Mr. Latte book. How do you feel about "suchlike"?

[Drmomentum]

Looks good. I will have to try it now. I don't understand why we don't use scales for measuring things like salt. It's not as though an electronic scale is expensive. It's a lot cheaper than most good kitchen equipment and a lot smaller. I have a tiny scientific one I use mostly for coffee and for baking.

Anyhow, thanks for the technique!

[Drmomentum]

I like "suchlike" and I'd never heard of "somesuch," but I think we do need words to convey intentional ambiguity that is also easily understandable. It's important how they are used, not that they exist. Obviously, overuse is a problem. But here I am seeing a decent use that is absolutely clear to me.

[Drmomentum]

Instead of "somesuch" I usually would use, "the like."

As in: Use 100% Organic or all-natural, and not Purdue or the like.

And as I am a heathen, I will probably make this with Perdue or the like at some point. Until I get a chicken farm of my own, or a generous chicken farming neighbor.

[Karen]

Yes, bakers weigh out everything, even water! I work with some cookbook authors who include weights as well as volume measurements for all ingredients in all recipes, not just baked goods. And I do use my kitchen scale whenever I can—it's so much more precise.

I say "the like" too.

There's been so much in the news lately about salmonella-contaminated chicken that I feel as though it's worth the extra few bucks to get organic/natural (not that that guarantees safety, but I appreciate the few extra rules and regulations that had to be followed). And I do find that the meat is tastier.

Regardless, do try this recipe as it is REALLY good.