Oven Fried Chipotle Chicken

My usual approach to making American-style fried chicken, a perennial comfort food favorite, is something of a cheat. Although the aroma and flavor of classic stove top fried chicken is heavenly, the vast amount of oil, mess, and cook’s time spent tending it is not. So, like many others before me, I typically “fry” chicken in the oven, using a more limited amount of fat and letting the oven do most of the work.

In this recipe, I have aimed for very spicy oven fried chicken, flavored with chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, cumin, oregano, and lemons. Chipotles, which are smoked and dried jalapeno peppers, are widely available in whole, ground, and canned form throughout North and South America. Should they be unavailable to you, a roughly similar flavor can be achieved by substituting a combination of smoked hot paprika and cayenne for the chipotles included in this recipe.

Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds cut up chicken pieces
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt or buttermilk
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce (I prefer the San Marcos brand)
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cups dried bread crumbs, panko, or corn flake crumbs, finely ground
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil cooking spray

Preparation

1. Place the chicken pieces in a shallow, non-reactive pan (such as a glass pie plate or baking dish) and pierce each piece several times with the tines of a fork. In the container of a food processor or chopper, pulse the yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, cumin, and oregano until pureed. Spoon this marinade mixture over the chicken, coating each piece well on all sides. Cover and refrigerate the chicken for at least one hour (but preferably overnight).
2. Lightly spray 2 metal cake cooling racks with vegetable oil and place them inside a large rimmed baking sheet, as shown in the photo above.
3. In a second shallow pan, mix the flour, crumbs, salt, and pepper.
4. For each chicken piece, in order: roll in the marinade and shake off excess, if any; roll in the seasoned flour/crumb mixture, coating well; place on the rack in the baking sheet; and spray with vegetable oil. Allow the breaded chicken to rest for 20 minutes on the countertop before baking.
5. Bake the chicken pieces in a preheated 385 degree F. oven for approximately 45-55 minutes or until they are browned and their juices run clear. Serves 4-6.

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