Butter Baked Chicken

Every once in a while the craving for fried chicken hits me. It’s not something I indulge in very often because it’s just too unhealthy for me to justify eating it on a regular basis (even though I’d really love to), but every once in a while I give in to the craving and we order a bucket of extra crispy from KFC for dinner. We devour it, and moan at its deliciousness, and then spend the rest of the evening feeling guilty for the two pieces we ate. (Well…at least I do that. I don’t think the rest of my family really cares.)

I’m happy to say that, in this recipe, I’ve discovered a delicious substitute for KFC’s extra crispy fried chicken. The recipe isn’t intended to be a copycat, but it tastes almost exactly like KFC’s version. Except that this version is coated with buttery cracker crumbs and the chicken is skinless, and it cooks in the oven, so it’s much less unhealthy. The chicken stays really moist and juicy. This will definitely be my go-to whenever that craving for fried chicken hits!

Like Rachel, I served this with garlic spinach noodles. Next time I’ll probably serve it with mac and cheese and cole slaw. But you’re going to love this one, no matter what you serve on the side!

Butter Baked Chicken
adapted from Recipes Straight from the Kowboys Home

10 skinless bone-in chicken pieces
1 egg
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
2 sleeves crushed Ritz or other buttery crackers
Seasonings of choice (I used about 1/4 teaspoon each of salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and marjoram)
4 tablespoons butter

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Melt butter in a large pan on stovetop.

2. Meanwhile, mix egg and milk together in a bowl. Put flour in a separate bowl. In another separate bowl, add crushed crackers and seasonings. Dredge the chicken pieces, then egg mixture, then cracker mixture.

3. In pan with melted butter, brown breaded chicken well on both sides in batches. Transfer to a 13 x 9 baking dish. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 30 minutes more. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.