We’re really not big on the football… I know, heresy on this day-after-the-superbowl-or-whatever, but there it is.
And the ONE time I threw a superbowl party, waaay back when in Boston, the Patriots lost so badly (10 points to da Bears’ 46) that guests were more interested in getting home and hiding under the covers than hanging around and enjoying the tasty, tasty snacks my roommate and I had tossed together.
So, yesterday’s big game came with little fanfare or anticipation chez nous, except for maybe some general good wishes for our neighbors to the North.
STILL. It was kind of like a holiday – folk planning their feasts and setting up parties and betting pools – so we thought a sort of a junk food dinner would be a fine and fitting way to observe our non-observance of the day, the game, and all the hoopla.
Oven fried chicken seemed like just the thing. We’ve been trying to stick to breasts, and eschewing the skin, but Rich saw some drum sticks at the market and was tempted.
INGREDIENTS
•Chicken pieces – for just the two of us, one packet of seven legs was more than enough, along with a side o’ tots (I SAID it was going to be junk food!)
•Bread crumbs – I ended up using about 1-1/2 cup of the bread crumbs I make from leftover Sweet Honey French Bread and stash in the freezer
•2 cups buttermilk (ermmm, or, you know, the buttermilk substitute)
•1/2 cup canola oil
•2 cloves garlic, crushed
•1 tbsp maple syrup
•1 tbsp pepper corns
•1 tbsp kosher or coarse sea salt
•1 tsp seasoning – I used home made chili powder
Stir together the buttermilk, oil, garlic, maple syrup, and seasonings in a large sealable food storage bag and add the chicken. Squish around to coat well, place in a shallow bowl or casserole, toss in the fridge, and let sit for a few hours, or better, overnight, turning when you think about it.
If you’re saying to yourself “HEY! I’ve seen this here before!” – you would be correct. I love, Love, LOVE what this buttermilk bath does to chicken that I plan on sautéing, grilling, or otherwise using kind of plainly. Get used to it.
When you’re ready to cook the chicken, heat the oven to 375º, remove your legs (or whichever pieces you like) from the buttermilk, and shake a bit to remove any excess.
Now for the bread crumbs: I put about a cup and a half of these lightly seasoned beauties in a fresh food storage bag and tossed two pieces of chicken at a time to coat well.
Place a rack on a foil-lined baking pan and coat lightly with cooking spray. Add the chicken pieces and bake for about 45 minutes, until done. Easy, no? And OH! so good with some home made honey mustard sauce, which just HAPPENS to be tomorrow’s feature 😉