Cast Iron Oven-Fried Chicken

 

Can you find a way to replicate the crunchy exterior and juicy meat of deep-fried chicken in the oven?

I love fried chicken more often than I'm willing to put in the time and effort to make it. Sure it's easy to make fried chicken, but who wants to clean up the mess.

I wanted to find an easier way to get that crunchy, deeply seasoned exterior and juicy meat I love, without deep frying.

Ingredients 

3 pounds bone-in chicken pieces (split breasts cut in half crosswise, drumsticks, and thighs), trimmed (note 1)

Salt and pepper

3 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 tablespoons water

½ cup vegetable oil

Things you will need

12-Inch Cast-Iron Skillet

Kitchen Tongs

2 Mixing bowls

Cookie sheet

Dinner plate

Paper towel

Instant read cooking thermometer

Directions

Adjust oven rack to middle position. Place 12-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven and heat the oven to 450 degrees F. 

Line cookie sheet with paper towels. Season chicken with salt and pepper.

Lightly beat eggs and 1 teaspoon salt together in medium mixing bowl. 

Whisk flour, baking powder, paprika, granulated garlic, cayenne, 1 tablespoon pepper, and 1 teaspoons salt together in second medium bowl. Add water to flour mixture; using your fingers, rub flour mixture and water until water is evenly incorporated and a kind of "dough" forms.

Working with 1 piece of chicken at a time, dip in egg mixture, allowing excess to drip off; then dredge in flour mixture, pressing firmly to adhere. Transfer coated chicken to large plate, skin side up.

When oven temperature reaches 450 degrees, carefully remove hot skillet from oven (the skillet will be scorching hot). Add oil to skillet and immediately place chicken, skin side down, in skillet. Return skillet to oven and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove skillet from oven and flip chicken. Return skillet to oven and continue to bake about 15 minutes longer.

The chicken will be done when breasts register 160 degrees F and drumsticks/thighs register 175 degrees F. 

Transfer chicken, skin side up, to paper towel lined cookie sheet to blot grease from the underside of chicken.

Let chicken cool for about 10 minutes. Serve.

Note 1: don't want to buy a whole chicken and cut it into pieces?  Just use cut up chicken pieces.