Spicy Oven-Fried Chicken

This was some extra-tasty-crispy chicken!  I posted "how to fry anything" a while back on Facebook .  A buttermilk soak is the key.  I had no idea it would work so well on baked chicken also. 
It's the same concept: soak in buttermilk and other seasonings (hot sauce for this recipe), dip in some sort of breading or coating, then bake in the oven.  I added Frank's Red Hot Sauce to the buttermilk for this dish and mixed panko bread crumbs, flour, Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning, and paprika for the coating.  I used bone-in pieces of chicken, since I had it in the freezer, but you could use boneless, skinless pieces as well.

The calorie count is a little difficult to estimate considering you have more breading on larger pieces of chicken and not all of the buttermilk and hot sauce will cling to the chicken during the soak.  See the recipe for a close estimate of the buttermilk soak and breading in tablespoons and notes on how much approximately would be used per piece.  Then just plug in your calories for the type and size of chicken.  Here is my estimate for a 4-ounce bone-in thigh with skin:

• Total calories: 317.4 g
• Total fat: 14.3 g (sat. 4.3 g)
• Cholesterol: 83 mg
• Sodium:  583.9 mg
• Carbohydrates: 6.8 g
• Fiber: 0.2 g
• Sugar: 1.1 g
• Protein: 23.3 g

I know that sounds a bit hefty, but I did leave the skin on.  It's an addiction I am trying to break.  You would save yourself 60 calories just by removing the skin.  I believe I am also estimating the calories a bit high, but I would prefer to err on the high side than make you think you are eating less calories than you actually are.  Compare this to your typical fast-food restaurant and you cut around 100 calories and nearly half the fat!  A boneless, skinless thigh would be 160 calories less and only a third of the fat!  Now try this with a 4-ounce boneless, skinless breast.

• Total calories: 285.4 g
• Total fat: 4.8 g (sat. 1.6 g)
• Cholesterol: 96 mg
• Sodium: 670.9  mg
• Carbohydrates: 6.8 g
• Fiber: 0.2 g
• Sugar: 1.1 g
• Protein: 35.9 g

This is one of those great cheat meals that taste and feel like you really splurged.  How do you like that beautiful Lemon Boy tomato, fresh from the garden?  It was as yummy as I had dreamed.  Let me know how your harvests are coming.  Send me a picture by email, and I will include it on the blog.

Links:

1. Spicy Oven-Fried Chicken
2. Fried Shrimp and Cheese Grits