Oven Fried Chicken

One of my favorite feminist gossip websites Jezebel, keeps posting a photo of Rick Santorum eating fried chicken. My political beliefs aside, this photo has become a substantial problem in my life because it makes me crave fried chicken. I check this website several times a day, and every time I see this photo I crave fried chicken! It is inconvenient. Granted, I did not even have my first glorious bite of fried chicken until two years ago at Hodak's, a famous fried chicken restaurant in St. Louis, MO, and I never have really craved it until this picture, but ghad, I really want fried chicken all the time now. Seriously though, morning, day, and night. Good thing I know how to cook!

Photo from Jezebel.com

Rick Santorum Inspired Fried Chicken:

 

This recipe isn't quite exact, I will update it over time, but hopefully it is enough instruction to give you the gist.

Cooking Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1- 5 pound chicken, skin on and quartered

2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

2-3 cups butter milk

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon chili pepper, divided

1/2 teaspoon paprika

2-3 cups flour

1+1/2 cups corn flakes, crushed up

1/2-3/4 cup bread crumbs, italian or whatever

olive oil

black pepper to taste

Directions:

1) In a medium bowl mix buttermilk, 1 tablespoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/4 teaspoon chili and pepper together. Add quartered pieces of chicken to mix, preferably submerged, and let sit for 10 - 30 minutes at room temperature.

2) Preheat the oven to 450º F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Oil the foil with light olive oil.

3. In a shallow bowl or large/ medium piece of Tuperwear, mix together flour, 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of salt, a few black pepper shakes, 3/4 teaspoon of red peper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon of chili pepper.  

4) DO NOT POUR OUT THE BUTTER MILK!  Roll each piece of chicken in the flour mixture. Press the mix firmly into the chicken making sure every bit is covered well. Let sit for ten minute.

5) Thoroughly crush up corn flakes and add to remaining flour mix. Add bread crumbs too. Mix well.

6) Using a cooking brush, dab each piece of chicken with remaining buttermilk mixture and re-roll the chicken in the flour mixture. Try to get the corn flake mix on it. Brush more with buttermilk if the chicken is not wet enough to have more mix stick to it.

7) Put chicken on a baking sheet with the pieces not touching.

8) Cook for 25 minutes, rotating the cookie sheet at halftime (12.5 minutes). After 25 minutes, flip each piece of chicken over and cook for another 20 minutes, again turning the cookie sheet at halftime. Chicken should be a dark golden brown and at least 165ºF. (aka cook for at least 45 minutes)

9) Enjoy with steamed green beans, mashed potatoes, and your fingers!

ps: Just because this chicken inspired by him is delicious, this is by no means an endorsement of Rick Santorum... he makes my insides hurt from head to toe.