Not-Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried mustard or you can mix 1 teaspoon prepared mustard in with the mayo and egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 3 Tablespoons neutral oil like avocado or corn oil
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 pounds chicken pieces of your choice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 °F.
- Combine all seasonings and bread crumbs.
- Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet.
- Add bread crumb mixture and toast until lightly browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Mix egg yolk and mayonnaise together.
- Pat the chicken pieces dry and dip in the mayo mixture, then in the toasted bread crumb mixture.
- Bake time depends on the cut of chicken you use – for boneless tenders, thin boneless breasts, 25-30 minutes, thicker boneless breasts or boneless thighs 35-40 minutes; for bone-in 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes depending on the size of the pieces. Whatever the cut, make sure the juices run clear and the internal temperature is at least 165 °F for food safety.
Notes
Want another quick chicken recipe? Try our fajitas!
Obligatory Fictional Backstory
I originally wanted to call this recipe, “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Fried Chicken”, but my lawyers advised me that the “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” people have a monopoly on all phrases that begin with “I Can’t Believe It’s Not”. So beware, if you are in public and say “I Can’t Believe It’s Not” then you may be held liable for copyright infringement. Or just pulled into an unmarked van by federal agents wearing camouflage with the word “police” printed somewhere on their uniforms. (Yes, that was a Portland reference. Normally I will not engage in politics or current events here but it seemed appropriate.)
Anyway, when the colonel was still a lieutenant, you know which one I’m talking about, he decided that 11 was the magic number for herbs and spices. I, being a minimalist, have discovered that 9 is actually the perfect number for the ideal seasoning, as is evidenced in my not fried chicken. Plus, since it uses a lot less oil than deep frying, being not fried chicken and all, it not only reduces the calories but the fire hazard!
Let’s be honest, my smoke detector goes off pretty frequently in my kitchen. I need to patent one that turns off when you yell “I’m COOKING!!!!” The poor dog literally wet the floor once when it went off. That thing is LOUD. I have discovered the secret is to cover it with a kitchen towel while I’m cooking, because I’m pretty sure I’d know if there was a fire in my kitchen while I’m currently occupying it.
Which reminds me of the time I actually DID start a kitchen fire…. I was making something called “butter swim biscuits” and the butter overflowed from the pan and caught fire at the bottom of the oven. There was a loooot of smoke. And noise. And the biscuits were still raw. Thankfully we have an attic fan so we set that to high and went out to eat instead while the smoke cleared. The kids still talk about it.
Have you ever had the feeling of deja-vu? That mysterious feeling that you’ve lived through (or read through) something before…
I originally wanted to call this recipe, “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Fried Chicken”, but my lawyers advised me that the “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” people have a monopoly on all phrases that begin with “I Can’t Believe It’s Not”. So beware, if you are in public and say “I Can’t Believe It’s Not” then you may be held liable for copyright infringement. Or just pulled into an unmarked van by federal agents wearing camouflage with the word “police” printed somewhere on their uniforms. (Yes, that was a Portland reference. Normally I will not engage in politics or current events here but it seemed appropriate.)
Anyway, when the colonel was still a lieutenant, you know which one I’m talking about, he decided that 11 was the magic number for herbs and spices. I, being a minimalist, have discovered that 9 is actually the perfect number for the ideal seasoning, as is evidenced in this recipe. Plus, since it uses a lot less oil than deep frying, it not only reduces the calories but the fire hazard!
Let’s be honest, my smoke detector goes off pretty frequently in my kitchen. I need to patent one that turns off when you yell “I’m COOKING!!!!” The poor dog literally wet the floor once when it went off. That thing is LOUD. I have discovered the secret is to cover it with a kitchen towel while I’m cooking, because I’m pretty sure I’d know if there was a fire in my kitchen while I’m currently occupying it.
Which reminds me of the time I actually DID start a kitchen fire…. I was making something called “butter swim biscuits” and the butter overflowed from the pan and caught fire at the bottom of the oven. There was a loooot of smoke. And noise. And the biscuits were still raw. Thankfully we have an attic fan so we set that to high and went out to eat instead while the smoke cleared. The kids still talk about it.
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