Oven Fried Chicken with Butter Honey Mustard Sauce

I cannot help but rave about this fried chicken, make that oven fried chicken. For one, it is crisp and crunchy like its deep-fried rich cousin. Even the most ardent fans of real fried chicken will be lured away by the moist and flavorful meat of this oven fried version. And to top it all, with the oven method you don’t have to go through messy frying and all that spattering.

The buttermilk marinade tenderizes the chicken. I like how the celery seeds perfume the marinade while the mustard renders some horseradish kind of flavor to it. The one tablespoon of hot sauce adds a teeny amount of heat and the onion/garlic powder deepens the flavor of the marinade.

Our family’s love for fried chicken runs deep. For so many years, that was the only way one of my boys ate chicken. I had to adapt a healthier version to feed the kid. Obviously, with just four tablespoons of oil this oven fried chicken method is far more healthier than deep fried. It is a great choice for an easy family dinner. With a drizzle of the butter honey-mustard sauce this one is equally a great choice for casual entertaining.

Recipe

Oven Fried chicken

Ingredients
	10 pieces of thighs and drumstick
	2 cups buttermilk
	1 tablespoon hot sauce, any kind
	1 tablespoon garlic powder
	1 tablespoon onion powder
	1 teaspoon celery seeds
	1 teaspoon yellow mustard
	1 ½ teaspoon salt
	1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
	2 cups all purpose flour
	2 cups Panko bread crumbs
	4 tablespoons peanut oil
	A few sprigs of thyme

Equipment needed: Two large 18/10 inch baking sheets fitted with wire racks.

Instructions
	Combine buttermilk, hot sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, celery seeds, yellow mustard and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl
	Add chicken to buttermilk. Marinate, covered and refrigerated for at least 1 hour upto 8 hours
	Preheat oven to 450 degree F
	Stir together flour, panko, remaining ½ teaspoon salt and freshly cracked black pepper in small sheet pan or pie plate
	Remove pieces of chicken one at a time from the buttermilk, shake off excess liquid and add them to the crumb mixture
	Coat the chicken pieces evenly on all sides, pressing chicken into flour/panko mixture to help them adhere. Make sure the chicken pieces get a thick coat. After all, the flour coat is what makes them crunchy
	Spray the wire racks with some cooking spray
	Place the chicken pieces on the baking sheets fitted with wire racks. Make sure you space them apart
	Let chicken air-dry for 30 minutes before baking
	Drizzle peanut oil on chicken
	Bake chicken until well browned and cooked through, 45 to 50 minutes
	Sprinkle a few thyme leaves
	Drizzle with some butter honey mustard sauce and serve hot