No-Mess Oven-Fried Chicken
With Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes and Sweet Corn on the Cob
There’s nothing more homestyle than a bucket of fried chicken accompanied by some hearty mashed potatoes and sweet corn. Deep-fried food gets a lot of flack, though, because it isn’t always the healthiest choice. Not to mention that traditional fried chicken can make a real mess in the kitchen. All that flour, milk, egg, and oil can be too much trouble to make dinner worthwhile.
Oven-fried chicken, however, is a much healthier alternative. It’s also much easier to clean up, and it’s just as tasty! Serve it up with traditional side dishes of mashed potatoes (sour cream replaces the milk to give the potatoes a unique tang) and fresh corn on the cob for the ultimate in comfort food. Serves six very hungry people.
Oven-Fried Chicken
Ingredients:
- 6-8 meaty chicken pieces, depending on size (breasts, thighs, legs, drumsticks)
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1/2 tsp. thyme
- 1/2 tsp. oregano
- 1/4 tsp. paprika
- dash salt
- dash black pepper
- butter or margarine
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- If time and space allow, marinate the chicken pieces in a large bowl of buttermilk or salted water in the refrigerator overnight. This will plump up the chicken and give it extra flavor.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (to make cleanup easier). Combine bread crumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, oregano, paprika, salt, and pepper in a paper bag. Place chicken pieces, one at a time, in the bag and shake to coat. Place coated chicken pieces onto baking sheet and dot each piece with 1/2 tsp. butter or margarine.
- Bake chicken breasts for 45 minutes; thighs and legs for 55 minutes, until meat is no longer pink and juices run clear.
Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients:
- 8 medium to large potatoes, any kind
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Peel and quarter potatoes.
- Boil, covered, in a small amount of lightly salted water for 25 minutes, until a sharp knife pierces potatoes easily.
- Drain potatoes, return to pot. Mash potatoes or, for a smoother result, whip with an electric beater.
- Add butter and sour cream (more or less to suit taste and texture). Season with salt and pepper.
Corn on the Cob
- 6 ears fresh corn
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- butter
- salt and pepper
Shuck corn husks, discard. Rinse corn, scrubbing to dislodge any stubborn silks. If desired, cut off ends. Add 1 tbsp. sugar to a large pot of boiling water. (Do not add salt to the water, as this will toughen the kernels.) Boil, covered, for five minutes. Remove corn from pot. Serve hot with plenty of butter, salt and pepper.
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