This recipe takes more effort to write than it does to make. So, so simple, it is also pretty inexpensive, versatile and relatively diet friendly. Oh yeah – it tastes reeeeeeally good! That is kind of important.
The amounts I am giving you here were sufficient for 3 medium sized chicken breasts. Begin by combining, in a shallow dish, like a pie plate:
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8-10 grinds of pepper
Mix
Trim the chicken beast of fat and other nasty bits. and gently pound to an even thickness
Till it looks like this
Place each one in the buttermilk mixture
Make sure you use a dish that is wide enough so that all of the chicken can lie flat. If I think of it, I do this the day before, and put it in the fridge overnight. At the very least, I try to let it sit at least a couple hours, but if 20 minutes is all the time you have, it will still be good. The buttermilk helps tenderize the chicken, and makes it juicy.
In another shallow dish – again I use pie plates for this – combine bread crumbs and seasonings. I will tell you what I have going on here, but you can use whatever combination you like. The herbs and spices can be varied – I use this method of oven frying to make chicken parmesan for example, using garlic powder, italian herbs and bit of the powdered romano cheese from the green can. Sometimes, I make it a lot spicier, by adding some hot sauce to the buttermilk, and extra chili powder and cumin to the flour. The bread crumbs are dry – a combination of store bought and the store of dried bread I always seem to have around, whizzed up in the food processor.
1 cup of dry bread crumbs
1 teaspoon garlic powder/granules
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried parsely
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
10-15 grinds of pepper
1 teaspoon California chili powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Stir till evenly combined
Take each breast, one at a time, from the buttermilk [leave all the buttermilk on there – no shaking it off or anything]and place it in the bread crumb mixture.
Using a spoon, cover the top with bread crumbs and press all over the surface lightly to help the crumbs adhere.
Gently place each one on a rack that is set on a sheet pan. I line them with the parchment paper I will use when cooking them, because some crumbs are going to fall off and it will be easier to just pick up the paper and shake the crumbs off. Make sure they aren’t touching, and put the whole thing in the refrigerator for 30 to 60 minutes, depending on how much time you have. This will make the breading really stick to the chicken. You can go straight from breading to baking, but this extra step does give you a crispier coating.
Preheat the oven to 400º. Pick up the rack, remove any crumbs fom the pan, and drizzle a line of olive oil where each breast will be – about a teaspoon each.
Lay each breast flat on the line of oil and drizzle another teaspoon or so over the top of each one.
Bake for about 12 minutes, and then turn each one over and bake another 8 minutes or so.
So nice.
You can use chicken prepared this way for chicken parmesan, for sandwiches, or as we had this night – with a side of garlic mashed potatoes and some sauteed brussells sprouts. You can use this same method to make chicken fingers or nuggets too – a much better alternative for your kids than the frozen ones. Have fun!
I usually use just the bread crumbs & parmesan cheese, but this kicks it up a notch or two :)
Yum .. no not for me .. dont eat ANY meat regardless of its color .. but Husband will love this …
This looks good and easy. The whole buttermilk thing – I haven’t tried that before. I will have to get myself some!
It looks delicious, D! I love chicken and eat so much of it it’s a wonder I haven’t sprouted wings and started laying eggs. Any chicken cooked any way and I love it. This looks simple and tasty. I’ll give it a go…next time I have some free time.
Soaking the chicken in buttermilk overnight is an old Southern trick, too! I have memories of my grandmother pulling it out, dredging it and FRYING it in her big iron skillet;) I am definitely going to make it this way. So much healthier. I wonder if you can use panko crumbs….
OMG it’s awesome…crunchy, yummy…beautiful!
This is always a hit at our house. YUM!
Daryl – try it with eggplant!
Thanks Cam :) – hope you give it a try.
Trisha – buttermilk is like my new miracle substance – I use it for everything lately!
Hope you give it a try Janis :)
MPM – frying is not only fattenting, but that oil is expensive – always kills me to throw it away afterward, even if I use it a couple times.
Thanks Cathy – your little boys would probably love it.
And I know your little boy loves it Ellyn :D
That looks like dinner tonight! Another terrific recipe.
I am sending this to my kids-the photos are almost like being there to show them-thanks!
AWESOME!! I love the sound of this one. Definitely will be on my menu. Probably tomorrow evening. Or Saturday.
Hey, what is going on with the pics at the top of this post? They look a little odd. I mean, stretched or something.
Not that it matters, because it’s food and me likey.
Nope they aren’t stretched, Kate. They are close-ups because I was in too much of a hurry to remove all the debris from my counter, so that I would have a good back ground for these photos – so I just cropped them a little closer to the subject than normal.
Ann & Sue – I hope you both love it – and your families too!
Sounds extremely yummy! I was just thinking about fried chicken this morning. And how I use to make it for my daughters when they were growing up.
Brenda
yummy – I will definitely try this as I make chicken parm a lot
It took me a while to write all of this down. Now I’m ancious to buy the buttermilk and give this a try. Chicken is my favorit and this sounds great. What is the difference in kosher salt and smoked paprika?
mmmmm looks really good!
MPM – missed this before, but I am sure panko would work really nicely too.
Brenda – our kids loved this and now the grandkids do too.
Charlane – makes fantastic chicken parm! I will blog that soon too – it is one of my very favorite foods.
Shirley – kosher salt is non-iodized. It has a cleaner flavor with no bitterness you might get from the stuff in the round box. It is the only salt I use for cooking. Smoked paprika is usually sweet paprika that has a nice smokey flavor. It is pretty easy to find in most grocery stores now, and for sure through mail-order, like Penzey’s or American Spice Company. Regular would work for this – the flavor would just be a little different, but still really good.
Weezee – C’mon out and I will make ya some!
This looks delicious! I’ve got a pound of chicken in the fridge that I need to use tonight and I think I’ve just figured out what to do with it. Thanks!
wow! Tremendous detail to this post. This chicken looks great!!! Thanks for mentioning it…I bet some of your tricks would improve mine a tad.
Hello, I followed this post through Foodgawker! It looks so yummy, you inspired me now. I don’t have buttermilk but I’ll try milk – hopefully works… And yeah, let’s see!
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lahhhhhhvley!
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My chicken is in the oven now! Can’t wait to eat! I have a list of substituitions in an old cookbook I use. To “make” your own buttermilk, just add 2 tsps of lemon juice or vinegar to the 1/2 cup regular milk and let it sit for a little bit. I used lemon juice. I’ve used this substitute in cake recipes that call for buttermilk and turns out great!
This turned out great, will use this technique whenever I have a craving for Fried chicken.
But one note that needs to be address, the bake time isn’t 12 mins, trust me the one side didn’t get crisp in 12 minutes. It needs to be changed to 20-30 mins at a minimum. Granted I used 4 instead of the 3 but I think to get that true crispy need, the one side needs a at least 20 mins. That’s my only negative comment on this recipe.
Thanks for sharing cause I just love it. This was the moistest and tender chicken breast I’ve even ate and made. Buttermilk is my new favorite.
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So delicious! I mad some tonight. Didn’t have every thing so I changed the spices a bit, but it was marvelous! And so fast, even making it from the scratch, bread crums and everything! I have found another regular! Thanks for sharing it!
Thanks so much for this recipe. I used boneless chicken thighs with skin instead of breasts, and had to bake for an extra 20 min, not sure why. I served them in burger buns and my boy LOVED it. He even said I should open a restaurant to sell these burgers. :P