faux fried chicken

I actually got a little adrenaline rush while jointing a chicken for the first time. Should I be concerned? Is my most base of instincts released when I cut a beast into 10 serving pieces?


Thanks to this video from Chow, cutting up the chicken went pretty smoothly.

If I wasn't a wimp about a pot of hot oil, I would have tried Ina Garten's version of the baked/fried classic. As it is, I modified Real Simple's "fried" chicken recipe.

faux fried chicken
makes 10 smallish pieces

1 3 1/2 - 4-lb chicken, cut into pieces and skin removed
1 1/2 C buttermilk
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 C dry very fine bread crumbs*
1/4 C grated parmesan
2 teas salt
1 teas grated lemon zest
1/2 teas dried thyme leaves

*you can tell my bread crumbs weren't fine enough 'cause parts of my chicken were bare

Put chicken pieces in a glass bowl. Cover with buttermilk and garlic. Turn to coat well. Refrigerate all day or overnight.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

In shallow bowl, combine bread crumbs, parmesan, salt, lemon zest, and thyme. Roll chicken pieces in the coating and place on baking sheet. Bake 35-40 mins or until done, turning the chicken halfway through.